Police: Three Sisters Freed from Personal Hell
BERMAN: Welcome back to THE LEAD, everyone. In national news, it may be hard to fathom what three young sisters in Tucson, Arizona, are telling police. This could be the first Thanksgiving in years they have spent outside a personal prison. The girls, ages 12, 13, and 17, say they were held captive in filthy conditions inside this home for several months, maybe as long as two years. Police believe their mother and stepfather kept them prisoner inside. Both suspects appeared in court earlier today. Our Paul Vercammen is in Los Angeles following the story for us. And, Paul, explain what's going on here.</s>PAUL VERCAMMEN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, John, in talking to a veteran police officer, he said just absolutely horrible. He described what you alluded to, a prison of sorts inside. They found alarms, they found that vents had been sealed off, towels under a door. Music blaring, anything to keep sound from coming out and keeping these three girls inside. So, after police responded to reports of a man wielding a knife and chasing these girls at this house, they found, they say the girls had escaped through a window and they were filthy and unkempt. Now, a rumor circulated that the grandmother told a local affiliate that perhaps the girls were kept inside because they were home schooled and the parent didn't want them in the neighborhood, but earlier today, the police chief shot down that idea.</s>CHIEF ROBERTO VILLASENOR, TUCSON, ARIZONA POLICE: They were imprisoned. Their movements were controlled. There was evidence found in the bedrooms which supports their story, particularly issues about when and how and where they went to the bathroom, how they were fed, what they were fed. There's a lot of evidentiary items that supports the story that the children are giving to us.</s>VERCAMMEN: And the charges against Fernando Richter and his wife Sophia are mounting. Against him, 10 charges, three kidnapping, six cases of abuse including emotional and physical and one charge of abuse, sexual abuse, with a person under 15. The wife has nine of those charges, not the sexual abuse charge. But police almost seem to be guaranteeing or promising that there will be more charges filed in this bizarre case, and also perhaps a key and critical piece of evidence, the eldest of the daughters, 17 years old, apparently, according to police, kept a journal that spans for more than a year and a half. Undoubtedly, that could be bone-chilling reading and again, a key piece of evidence in court, John.</s>BERMAN: Paul, some of the details you're listing here, awfully tough to hear. Just to be clear, you say police responded to a call of a man wielding a knife chasing these girls. I mean, what are the neighbors saying about all this?</s>VERCAMMEN: Well, apparently, the neighbors must have stepped in and made the call. What the neighbors say is, one group of neighbors said they had no idea that any girls even lived at that house. And, of course, the neighbors came to the rescue and also relayed these stories that the girls were absolutely filthy. And at that point, when the girls were with a neighbor, they said they had not bathed for four to 6 months and they said they were fed just once a day, John.</s>BERMAN: Paul, like I said, these details tough to hear. Hopefully, these girls get some kind of justice. Paul Vercammen, thank you so much in Los Angeles for us. Coming up for us next on THE LEAD, three of our correspondents racing from New York to Washington, D.C. Now, it's a contest really for second place. Which was faster? Was it train, was it car? We'll have the definitive answer next. And it is touch and go right now for your favorite Thanksgiving Day parade floats. Which ones could be grounded tomorrow if Mother Nature does not cooperate?