David and Louise Turpin are charged with 12 counts of torture. Other charges include seven counts of violation of a dependent adult, six counts of child abuse or neglect and 12 counts of false imprisonment. David Turpin, he said, also was charged with a lewd act on a child by force or fear of duress. They would tie up or chain their 13 offspring as punishment. The punishment would last weeks or even months at a time. Most of their children suffered from severe caloric malnutrition, and several have cognitive impairment as a result of abuse. 12 counts of torture were filed, as opposed to one count for each of the 13 children, because the 2-year-old child appeared to have been getting enough to eat.