David and Louise Turpin of Perris were arrested in January on suspicion of abusing and torturing their 13 children who endured years of starvation, beatings and captivity.
The couple plead not guilty to all charges shortly after their arrest. On Friday, the attorney for Louise Turpin asked a judge to enroll her in a mental health treatment program instead of prosecuting her.
Riverside Superior Court Judge Bernard Schwartz denied the request, saying that Turpin was not suitable for the state’s new highly controversial mental health diversion program.
According to reports, Turpin's defense attorney claimed she suffered from histrionic personality disorder and therefore should be eligible for the diversion program.
The National Institutes of Health describes someone with the disorder to have an overwhelming desire to be noticed and may behave dramatically or inappropriately to get attention.
The district attorney's office said Judge Schwartz denied the request for the diversion based on the grounds that Turpin poses an unreasonable risk to the public.
In order to be eligible for the mental health diversion program, defendants must present evidence that they suffer from a treatable mental disorder and show that they are not a danger to the public if released.
If convicted of their numerous crimes on their children, the couple face up to 94 years in prison each.
They are scheduled to appear in court Nov. 30 for a trial-setting conference.
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