Posted on 03/21/2025 7:22:48 AM PDT by Libloather
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.
“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.
(Excerpt) Read more at nypost.com ...
I thought that is what farm kids did.
They worked.
Monsters!!!!
Uh...locking kids in sheds wasn’t part of farm work
I hope the state brought some hard evidence.
“Whitefeather”!? Almost sounds like a “ native American”(immigrant from asia) name.
Whitefeather sounds maybe native American heritage, I guess she doesn’t see the hypocrisy here on treating people poorly.
Children are precious. I will never understand how people can be so cruel to them. They just want love, guidance, security, and the basics (food, clothing, shelter).
My children did not truly understand how comfortable their lives were until they got older and saw how some of their friends lived or were treated.
May these cretins rot for what they did.
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.”
That may be true. Bad situation that got worse.
Predators know how to prey................
“Whitefeather’s attorney, Mark Plants, said during closing arguments that the couple’s only crime was bad parenting.” Isn’t that enough? No human deserves to be treated like that especially children, I don’t care what color they are. Put them in a prison with some welcoming bodybuilding dudes decorated with some lovely tattoos depicting mayhem.
Same thing happened in Susanville, Ca. in the late 70’s. Vietnamese boat people. Got away with it because there were adults in the group.
I haven’t followed this, and I am not in any way trying to justify or defend abhorant behavior.. but I do have some questions.
They adopted the children in 2018... yet they moved to WV in May 2023, and the Police took the children in October 2023.
That means for close to 5 years they weren’t on this farm in WV being forced into “slave labor”?
Again, this whole story just raises questions for me. Was this abuse ongoing? Or did it start in WV? Is anyone more familiar with this whole situation?
See 13, I have LOTS of questions..
We will be spending wampum trinkets to keep this “white” Whitefeather in her steel wigwam.
wow, you are so funny behind your keyboard /s
Seriously!
Leftists love this story. It confirms their world view.
Obviously.
Very.
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