Nationwide — Donald Lantz and his spouse, Jeanne Kay Whitefeather, a white couple from West Virginia, have been given a mixed sentence of virtually 400 years in jail for abusing their adopted Black children and forcing them to carry out heavy labor. Donald, 62, was sentenced to 160 years, whereas his spouse, Jeanne Kay, 63, acquired 215 years.
In response to People, Lantz was discovered responsible of compelled labor, human trafficking, baby abuse, and neglect. Whitefeather was convicted on the identical fees, plus violating the youngsters’s civil rights. Their convictions have been finalized in January 2024.
The couple adopted 5 kids in 2018 and moved to Kanawha County in Might 2023. They have been arrested in October 2023 after a neighbor reported that two youngsters, aged 14 and 16, have been locked in a shed at their dwelling in Sissonville. Court docket paperwork revealed that the youngsters have been compelled to carry out farm labor and denied entry to the home.
When authorities responded, they discovered the kids confined within the shed for 12 hours with a conveyable rest room and no operating water. The kids have been wearing soiled garments, and the oldest boy had seen sores on his toes. Neighbors confirmed that the youngsters have been ceaselessly mistreated and never allowed inside the home.
The couple confronted a 16-count indictment, which included fees of human trafficking, civil rights violations, and utilizing the youngsters as laborers. Prosecutors emphasised that the abuse was racially motivated. In the course of the trial, the oldest daughter testified that the youngsters have been verbally abused and generally made to face for hours with their arms on their heads.
Choose Maryclaire Akers condemned the couple’s actions, stating that the youngsters have been dropped at West Virginia to reside in “hell.” She assured the couple they might now face the results of their actions.
