While I too believe the second son (J-4) and the eldest daughter (J-1) were two that got treated even worse than the others, I wonder why you think this.
My reasons for thinking the eldest bore the brunt of the abuse are that
—The oldest was probably the one who was first seen as “rebelling” and needing to be kept under control (back when she was 3, 4, 5, 6 years old even) — She was also the one whose greater initial contact with the outside world may have made her question and/or criticize.
—She seems to have been a smart kid. Talking to a neighbor in Texas who asked her name, she told the neighbor that they weren’t allowed to tell their names, but that if the neighbor listened (when the kids addressed each other) the neighbor would know the names. That is a smart 8 year old thinking logically. (Unforunately the younger sister, J-3, was bothered by this. She scolded her older sister and may have tattled, which would have led to punishment for J-1 and the limiting of contact between the Turpin kids and the neighbors.).
—J-1 is also the most likely candidate for “girl who tried to run away in Texas.”
—Furthermore, her low weight was given as an example of the extreme abuse, and she certainly looks beaten down in some of the pictures.
The case for J-4 being more abused than other siblings is less obvious. Yes, he was the only one found chained, but the other 2 who were chained had just been released when the cops went into the house. And the story is that the parents started chaining the kids after this son wiggled out of his bonds when hogtied. But that doesn’t mean that others weren’t treated with equal harshness. So why do I think he was one of the “scape goat kids”? Is it just because he is clearly more malnourished in the pictures than his older brother and the sisters on either side (J-3 and J-5)? Or are we assuming he was less well treated because, although he was a boy, he seems to have not had the educational opportunity that the oldest boy(J-2) got? What do others think?
It is interesting how we all have these ideas about the Turpin offspring, and how we get these ideas.
(BTW— In my life the “now you have ruined it” person was an aunt. She didn’t hit anyone or torture anyone physically, but she caused a lot of emotional pain. She wouldn’t speak to you for weeks if she was mad at you, and even after time passed and the “crime” was supposedly expiated, she would bring it up to emphasize how disappointing and unreliable all the people who loved her were. Very sad.)
First, good post.
It is also my impression that J1 and J4 are the siblings that are the most severely abused.
Or maybe most affected by severe abuse, I can´t know which it is.
And I can only guess as to why.
First child is first child. The parents are novices at being parents, and I have noticed that there is often conflict between the first child and the parents.
From what I can see from a photo from about ten years ago, she looked thin, but pretty with sparkle in her eyes.
In later photos she looks emaciated and completely beaten down. Also very weak.
J4 seems to have some eye or brain issue. I hope it is "just" an eye issue and that it is easily fixed, but there was talk about some of the siblings having nerve damage. Also he was very, very thin and limp.
I cried when I saw him so eager to please in the Elvis video, dancing on his thin, thin legs.
Devastating.
He could have been a "difficult" child for one reason or the other and ended up being tied up for lengthy periods of time because his parents didn´t have the tools or the knowledge how to deal with him.
What a massive, devastating crime.
One child that has kind of flown under the radar is the youngest boy.
Perhaps because he looks relaxed with a natural, unforced smile in photos.
I haven´t seen any comments on him at all.
Guess that goes for the younger girls as well, but they look more strained in photos.
All this said, I have no doubt it has been hell for these kids.
I don´t care that it was discovered that J8 made those videos and had social media accounts - doesn´t take away from what obviously happened in that family.
All I can say about that is: Good for her!!