A jury convicted an Arizona couple on Friday of kidnapping and abusing their three daughters, imprisoning them and forcing them to urinate and defecate in their closets, local media reported.
Fernando and Sophia Richter were found guilty in Pima County Superior Court on six counts each of kidnapping and child abuse, NBC television affiliate KVOA said.
Fernando Richter, the girls' stepfather, was also found guilty on two counts of aggravated assault.
The abuse, which lasted up to two years, ended after two of the girls escaped the home through a window in November 2013 after Fernando Richter tried to break down their bedroom door with a knife in his hand, Tucson News Now said.
The girls were denied bathroom breaks, having no option but to use closets instead, and said the couple monitored them via cameras 24 hours a day, according to KVOA.
They were also fed the same "disgusting food" day after day, made to drink bath water out of moldy plastic jugs, and hit with belts and spoons, according to Tucson News Now.
Sentencing for the couple is set to take place on February 16.
In this Dec. 1, 2015 file photo, Fernando Richter looks on with attorney Paul Skitzki during his and his wife Sophia Richter's trial at Pima County Superior Court in Tucson, Ariz. A jury convicted an Arizona couple Friday, Dec. 4, 2015 of kidnapping and child abuse charges for imprisoning their three daughters, monitoring them through video feeds and forcing them to urinate and defecate in their closets. The jury found Fernando and Sophia Richter guilty on three counts each of kidnapping and child abuse. Fernando Richter was also convicted of two counts of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon. (AP)
After this trial is over, they will be tried in Pinal County, where the family lived for several years and where similar crimes are believed to have been committed.
Sophia Richter faces six counts of child abuse and three for kidnapping there, according to KVOA.
The stepfather faces charges of kidnapping, aggravated assault, child molestation and sexual abuse.
Sophia Richter testifies during her and her husband Fernando Richter's trial at Pima County Superior Court Tuesday, Dec. 1, 2015, in Tucson, Ariz. The Richters face charges of child abuse and kidnapping, and Fernando Richter faces two additional charges of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon. (AP)
Prosecutors say he had sexual contact with his middle stepdaughter at some point between January and August 2013.