A mother and father will stand trial for child abuse after two of their children were found bound and blindfolded in a Walmart parking lot, a practice the couple claimed was to guard against demons.

Adolfo Gomez, 52, and his 44-year-old wife Deborah were jailed on June 13 when police found two of their children - a boy, five, and his seven-year-old sister - tied up and with duct tape over their eyes outside a Walmart in Lawrence, Kansas.

Both will be tried on two counts of child abuse, Douglas County Judge Paula Martin ruled on Tuesday. Mr Gomez faces an additional count of obstruction for resisting arrest.

The Gomezs' three other children, aged 12, 13 and 15, were in the family's SUV unrestrained. All the children are now in protective custody.