Foster parents who cared for Turpin siblings after ‘house of horrors’ hell learn fate over abuse charges
A California man was sentenced Friday to seven years in prison for abusing several foster children he had been forced to care for in his home, including some of Turpin’s siblings who had already been tortured by their own parents.
Marcelino Olguin, 65, was handcuffed and led away by sheriff’s deputies in a Riverside courtroom after a brief sentencing hearing.
Olguin pleaded guilty in September to lewd acts on a child, false imprisonment and injury to a child, while his wife, Rosa Olguin, and their adult daughter, Lennys, had also previously pleaded guilty to child abuse.
The women were each sentenced to four years of formal probation.
Marcelino Olguin, 65, seen on the right, was sentenced to seven years in prison, while his daughter Lennys and his wife Rosa, both seen on the left, were sentenced to four years of formal probation
Marcelino Olguin, 65, was handcuffed and led away by sheriff’s deputies in a Riverside courtroom after being sentenced Friday to seven years in prison for abusing foster children
His wife, Rosa Olguin, and their adult daughter, Lennys, also pleaded guilty to child abuse
Olguin will have to register as a sex offender for the rest of his life. The judge also ordered that the Olguins have no contact with any of the nine victims, including six of Turpin’s youngest siblings.
The six had. were placed with the Olguin family at different times starting in 2018. Four were still with the family at the time of their arrest.
Both Marcelino and Rosa cried during their sentencing.
“Today’s sentencing marks an important step in providing justice for the victims who suffered unimaginable abuse,” Riverside County District Attorney Mike Hestrin said in a statement.
“These children were placed in a vulnerable position after surviving intense trauma, only to be further exploited by someone entrusted with their care,” the statement said.
Marcelino, Rosa and Lennys Olguin are photographed outside the court in April 2023
Olguin, seen here in 2022, will now spend the next seven years behind bars as part of a plea deal
Marcelino and Rosa Olguin are pictured at their 2021 arraignment on child abuse charges against multiple foster children in December
“We are committed to holding accountable those who prey on innocent children. Our office remains steadfast in pursuing justice for all victims of abuse and ensuring that those who betray the trust placed in them are held accountable.”
Attorneys for the Olguins said the plea deal allowed the women to avoid jail time.
“My client saved his family,” Paul Grech, Marcelino Olguin’s lawyer, said after the hearing. He declined to discuss the matter further.
The Olguin family was tasked with caring for the children after they were rescued from horrific conditions of abuse in their parents’ home in the Southern California community of Perris.
Their parents, David and Louise Turpin, pleaded guilty in 2019 to torture and years of abuse, including chaining some of their 13 biological children, starving them and providing only minimal education.
Turpin’s parents were sentenced to life in prison with the possibility of parole after 25 years.
On Friday, a victim’s attorney read to the court a statement written by one of the Turpin children who had stayed at the Olguins’ home.
“All I wanted was to finally have a loving family and recover from my trauma, but unfortunately I didn’t get that,” the statement said.
The victim, who has not been named, is still recovering and learning to trust but forgives the family in an act of faith, the statement said.
A 2022 report found that the social services system “failed” the Turpin children, who ranged in age from 2 to 29 when they were rescued from their parents’ home by authorities after their 17-year-old sister escaped and called 911.
“Some of the younger Turpin children were placed with caretakers who were later accused of child abuse,” the 630-page report said. “Some older siblings experienced periods of housing instability and food insecurity as they transitioned to independence.”
Ultimately, six of the children were placed with the Olguins.
Attorneys representing some of the Turpin children filed a civil lawsuit against Riverside County, alleging the Olguins abused minors in their care.
David (left) and Louise Turpin (right) pleaded guilty to 14 counts of torture and other abuse in 2019 and were sentenced to 25 years to life in prison
David Turpin is now in protective custody at Corcoran State Prison. His wife is serving her sentence at the Central California Women’s Prison
The Turpin family began making trips to Las Vegas and renewed their vows in an Elvis chapel in 2011, 2013 and 2015
Officers said the children said they were only allowed to shower once a year
The couple hit the children in the face with sandals, pulled their hair, forced them to eat their own vomit and made them sit in a circle and talk about the trauma they experienced in their parents’ home, the lawyers wrote in the lawsuit that was filed. 2022.
The lawsuit, which filed suit against Riverside County and a private foster care agency called ChildNet, also accused Marcelino Olguin of sexual abuse.
The lawsuit alleges that the foster agency knew the family was unfit to be foster parents due to “a history of abuse and neglect of children in their care” and failed to act after being notified of the the allegations of abuse.
Kia Feyzjou, who represented Lennys Olguin, said some of the allegations may have been “a bit exaggerated” but that it would have been difficult to win a case with so much public scrutiny.
Doug Ecks, representing Rosa Olguin, said his client and her daughter may be seen as enablers, but they were not accused of abuse to the same extent.
“When a resolution came that did not include custody, it seemed to be in the best interest of everyone,” Ecks said.