Saturday, May 31, 2025
Beyond the Crime Scene
  • Home
  • News
  • True Crime Stories
  • Videos
  • Podcast
No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • News
  • True Crime Stories
  • Videos
  • Podcast
No Result
View All Result
Beyond the Crime Scene
No Result
View All Result
Home News

White couple who forced black children to work as ‘slaves’ sentenced to hundreds of years in prison

by
March 22, 2025
in News
0
White couple who forced black children to work as 'slaves' sentenced to hundreds of years in prison
189
SHARES
1.5k
VIEWS
Share on FacebookShare on Twitter



A white couple from West Virginia were collectively sentenced to 375 years in prison for forcing their five adopted black children to work on their farm as “slaves” while being berated with racial slurs.

Jeanne Kay Whitefeather received up to 215 years in prison and her husband, Donald Lantz, will serve up to 160 years — the maximum sentence — after the pair were convicted of forced labor, human trafficking and child abuse and neglect in January. 

“You brought these children to West Virginia, a place that I know as ‘Almost Heaven,’ and you put them in hell. This court will now put you in yours,” Circuit Judge Maryclaire Akers barked at the defendants on Wednesday. 

“And may God have mercy on your souls. Because this court will not.”

The four oldest children penned emotional letters to their adoptive parents, which were read aloud in the courtroom. The children said in the letters that they have endured life-changing trauma that’s left them scarred with trust issues and nightmares.

Jeanne Kay Whitefeather, 62, and Donald Ray Lantz, 63, pleaded not guilty to more than a dozen charges. WCHS

“I’ll never understand how you can sleep at night. I want you to know that you are a monster,” the eldest daughter, now 18, told the court.

Last month, the 18-year-old sued the couple, alleging severe physical and emotional abuse and neglect that has scarred her permanently.

The couple adopted the five black siblings in Minnesota, then moved to a farm in Washington state in 2018 before picking up and moving to Sissonville, West Virginia, in May 2023, when the children were between 5 and 16 years old.

Whitefeather and Lantz were arrested months later in October 2023 after a child welfare call led to the discovery of two teenagers — the eldest daughter and her teenage brother — locked in a shed at the couple’s home.

When police pried open the barn door with a crowbar, they found a porta potty but no lights or running water. One of the teens told police they had been locked in the barn and not fed for 12 hours.

The siblings said the couple forced them to sleep on the concrete floor without any mattresses. They both wore dirty clothes and had body odor, police noted, according to the filing.

Inside the main residence, a 9-year-old girl was found crying in a loft alone. Three hours later, Lantz arrived with an 11-year-old boy. Whitefeather soon followed with a 5-year-old girl.

All five were turned over to Child Protective Services after the couple’s arrests.

The couple reportedly kept their five adopted children in deplorable conditions on their Sissonville property. WCHS

Akers said last year after they were indicted “these children were targeted because of their race, and they were used basically as slaves.”

During the trial, neighbors testified that they never saw the children playing but did witness them standing in line or performing hard labor. Once Lantz noticed his curious neighbors, he kept the children mostly inside, prosecutors said.

The eldest daughter testified that most of the outdoor work took place at the family’s Washington residence, where some of them were forced to use their hands to dig.

She also said the children were verbally abused “all the time” and that Whitefeather used racist language.

They were fed mostly peanut butter sandwiches at scheduled times, and some children were forced to stand in their rooms for hours with their hands on their heads.

The two oldest children were forced to sleep on the floor in their shared room and used the same bucket for the bathroom while the other held up a sheet for privacy from the home’s security cameras, according to testimony.

A glimpse into the disturbing conditions the children were kept in inside the barn. WCHS
The adopted children are ages 6, 9, 11, 14 and 16. WCHS

The couple’s defense attorneys argued that they were overwhelmed after taking in the children, who were already suffering from the abuse of their biological parents.

Whitefeather’s attorney, Mark Plants, said during closing arguments that the couple’s only crime was bad parenting.

“These are farm people that do farm chores,” Plants said. “It wasn’t about race. It wasn’t about forced labor.”

With Post wires



Source link

Related articles

A White man, wearing a black suit and a blue and red tie, talks into a mic while standing at a podium with a U.S. Department of Justice seal on it. A group of reporters holding cameras and microphones stand in front of him.

What Trump’s Pardons for the Chrisleys, Larry Hoover, NBA YoungBoy Mean

May 31, 2025
New video shows Gilgo Beach suspect Rex Heuermann days before arrest

New video shows Gilgo Beach suspect Rex Heuermann days before arrest

May 31, 2025
Tags: courtscrimeracismsentencingSlaveryUS Newswest virginia
Share76Tweet47
Previous Post

Second teen busted in deadly shooting of NYC mom who was trying to defend husband, son from violent muggers: cops

Next Post

Troubled son admitted shooting retired detective father multiple times — before blow to ‘finish him off’: prosecutors

Related Posts

A White man, wearing a black suit and a blue and red tie, talks into a mic while standing at a podium with a U.S. Department of Justice seal on it. A group of reporters holding cameras and microphones stand in front of him.

What Trump’s Pardons for the Chrisleys, Larry Hoover, NBA YoungBoy Mean

by
May 31, 2025
0

Filed 12:00 p.m. EDT 05.31.2025 The president has remade the pardons process with seemingly one key principle in mind: “No...

New video shows Gilgo Beach suspect Rex Heuermann days before arrest

New video shows Gilgo Beach suspect Rex Heuermann days before arrest

by
May 31, 2025
0

It was a killer commute.  Accused Gilgo Beach serial killer Rex Heuermann made an unwanted pass at a “creeped out”...

UK driver accused of mowing down dozens of Liverpool FC soccer fans is former Royal Marine, father of 3

UK driver accused of mowing down dozens of Liverpool FC soccer fans is former Royal Marine, father of 3

by
May 31, 2025
0

The UK driver accused of mowing down dozens of Liverpool FC soccer fans at a championship parade was close to...

Tate brothers will return to UK to face charges after Romanian legal proceedings, lawyers say

Tate brothers will return to UK to face charges after Romanian legal proceedings, lawyers say

by
May 31, 2025
0

LONDON, May 30 (Reuters) – Internet personality Andrew Tate and his brother Tristan will return to Britain to face criminal charges once separate legal proceedings in Romania have been concluded, a lawyer for...

Hard-partying crypto bro looks haggard in NYC court as he awaits indictment in sick kidnap, torture case

Hard-partying crypto bro looks haggard in NYC court as he awaits indictment in sick kidnap, torture case

by
May 31, 2025
0

The hard-partying crypto king accused of sadistically torturing an Italian millionaire for his Bitcoin password appeared haggard as he faced...

Load More
  • Trending
  • Comments
  • Latest
The horrifying rape, torture murder of eight-year-old Nurin Jazlin Jazimin : True Crime Diva

The horrifying rape, torture murder of eight-year-old Nurin Jazlin Jazimin : True Crime Diva

May 29, 2023
Drunk driver who killed mother and son blamed the victims, phone calls with father reveal

Drunk driver who killed mother and son blamed the victims, phone calls with father reveal

September 22, 2024
Mackenzie Shirilla

Father of Mackenzie Shirilla’s boyfriend doesn’t support life sentence

August 20, 2023
Karen Styles: map of where a deer hunter found her body

The 1994 murder of Karen Styles

May 9, 2023
The Murder of Latanisha Carmichael – TRUE CRIME REPORT

The Murder of Latanisha Carmichael – TRUE CRIME REPORT

June 7, 2023
The Unsolved Murder of Karina Holmer – TRUE CRIME REPORT

The Unsolved Murder of Karina Holmer – TRUE CRIME REPORT

September 3, 2023
The tragic story of solo traveler Emma Kelty

The tragic story of solo traveler Emma Kelty

May 15, 2023
Karen Styles: map of where a deer hunter found her body

The 1994 murder of Karen Styles

0
Dwane Roy Dreher: photo of his 2nd wife, Lois Genzler Dreher at 16 years old

The 1955 disappearance of U.S. Navy veteran Dwane Roy Dreher

0
Alta Braun: professional photo taken when she was about 4 years old.

The 1917 unsolved murder of Alta Marie Braun

0
Vacation Nightmare: The gruesome murder of Janice Pietropola and Lynn Seethaler

Vacation Nightmare: The gruesome murder of Janice Pietropola and Lynn Seethaler

0
Kristi Nikle: photo of suspect Floyd Tapson

The 1996 disappearance of Kristi Nikle

0
Frank and Tessie Pozar: photo of their son, Frank Pozar, Jr.

Motel Mystery: What happened to Frank and Tessie Pozar?

0
Evil on The Road Part 4: Desmond Joseph Runstedler

Evil on The Road Part 4: Desmond Joseph Runstedler

0
A White man, wearing a black suit and a blue and red tie, talks into a mic while standing at a podium with a U.S. Department of Justice seal on it. A group of reporters holding cameras and microphones stand in front of him.

What Trump’s Pardons for the Chrisleys, Larry Hoover, NBA YoungBoy Mean

May 31, 2025
New video shows Gilgo Beach suspect Rex Heuermann days before arrest

New video shows Gilgo Beach suspect Rex Heuermann days before arrest

May 31, 2025
UK driver accused of mowing down dozens of Liverpool FC soccer fans is former Royal Marine, father of 3

UK driver accused of mowing down dozens of Liverpool FC soccer fans is former Royal Marine, father of 3

May 31, 2025
Tate brothers will return to UK to face charges after Romanian legal proceedings, lawyers say

Tate brothers will return to UK to face charges after Romanian legal proceedings, lawyers say

May 31, 2025
Hard-partying crypto bro looks haggard in NYC court as he awaits indictment in sick kidnap, torture case

Hard-partying crypto bro looks haggard in NYC court as he awaits indictment in sick kidnap, torture case

May 31, 2025
Dog found abandoned in upstate NY apartment was 'days from death'

Dog found abandoned in upstate NY apartment was ‘days from death’

May 30, 2025
Chilling video shows prisoners smiling before beating sex offender to death

Chilling video shows prisoners smiling before beating sex offender to death

May 30, 2025
Beyond the Crime Scene with Bee Astronaut

Categories

  • Featured
  • News
  • Podcast
  • True Crime Stories
  • Videos

Legal Pages

  • Home
  • Contact Us
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of Use
  • Cookie Privacy Policy
  • California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA)
  • DMCA

© 2023 All right reserved.

No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • News
  • True Crime Stories
  • Videos
  • Podcast

© 2023 All right reserved.