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 youngsters and forcing them to carry out heavy labor. Donald, 62, was sentenced to 160 years, whereas his spouse, Jeanne Kay, 63, obtained 215 years.
Based on Folks, Lantz was discovered responsible of pressured labor, human trafficking, baby abuse, and neglect. Whitefeather was convicted on the identical expenses, plus violating the youngsters’s civil rights. Their convictions have been finalized in January 2024.
The couple adopted 5 youngsters in 2018 and moved to Kanawha County in Could 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. Courtroom paperwork revealed that the youngsters have been pressured 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 working water. The youngsters have been wearing soiled garments, and the oldest boy had seen sores on his toes. Neighbors confirmed that the youngsters have been steadily mistreated and never allowed inside the home.
The couple confronted a 16-count indictment, which included expenses 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 typically made to face for hours with their palms on their heads.
Decide Maryclaire Akers condemned the couple’s actions, stating that the youngsters have been delivered to West Virginia to reside in “hell.” She assured the couple they might now face the results of their actions.
