Maltrals included forced work, locking them in the rooms, forcing some to sleep on the concrete floor and make them stand for hours with their hands on their heads
A couple of Western Virginia, us received on the 19th the penalty of decades of arrest for abusing their adoptive children. Abuses included forced work, locking them in the rooms, forcing some to sleep on the concrete floor and make them stand for hours with their hands on their heads. Jeanne Kay Whitefeather was sentenced to up to 215 years in prison, while her husband, Donald Lantz, received a sentence of up to 160 years. On January 29, a Kanawha County jury considered them guilty of various accusations, including forced labor, human trafficking and abuse and child neglect. Whitefeather was also convicted of breeding violations based on race.
Whitefeate may request parole after fulfilling 40 years, and Lantz, after 30 years. “You have brought these children to Western Virginia, a place I know as ‘almost a paradise’, and put them in hell. Now this Court will put you in yours,” Judge Maryclaire Akers told the defendants. “And God has mercy on His souls. Because this Court will not have.”
One by one, the statements written by four of the children were read in court by a representative of the prosecutor’s office to support the victims. Some of the children were next to the representative while the texts were read. The letters described unimaginable trauma, difficulties to trust people, nightmares, and fear of demonstrations of affection. The 18-year-old oldest daughter spoke directly to the court, addressing WhiteFeather. “I will never understand how you can sleep at night. I want you to know that you are a monster,” he said.
Judge Akers had previously determined that the press vehicles did not publish the names or images of the children. The couple, who are white, adopted five black brothers while living in Minnesota. Then he moved to a farm in the state of Washington in 2018 and, in May 2023, took his family to Western Virginia, when children were between 5 and 16
Five months after the move to Sissonville, the couple was arrested after neighbors saw Lantz locking their eldest daughter and teenage brother in a shed and leave the property. A policeman had to use a goat foot to free them. Within the main residence, a 9 -year -old girl was found crying alone in a attic, without protection against falls, according to the criminal complaint. The police described the children as smelly and wearing dirty clothes. The eldest son was barefoot and had wounds on his feet.
Another child was with Lantz when he finally returned. Later, the police located a 5 -year -old girl. All five children were delivered to children’s protection services after the couple’s arrest. Last month, the eldest daughter sued the couple, alleging severe physical and emotional abuse, as well as neglect that left her with permanent marks.
After WhiteFeather and Lantz made brief statements in court, Judge Akers said they refused to take responsibility for their actions. The judge mentioned a pre-side report in which the couple blamed the real estate broker “for not finding a sufficiently isolated place.” Akers mocked: “I think you should have explained to the broker who needed an isolated place to continue abusing their children.”
Children were forced to dig with their hands
During the trial, neighbors witnessed that they never saw the children playing and that Lantz forced them to be lined up or to perform heavy tasks in the backyard, such as carrying very large objects. When Lantz noticed the curious look of the neighbors, the children started to stay more time indoors
The eldest daughter reported that most of her forced labor occurred in the state of Washington and that some of the children were forced to dig using their hands. She also stated that they were constantly cursed and that WhiteFeather used racist language. According to the testimony of the young woman, Whitefeather showed preference for the youngest daughter, who was not involved in the accusations, and told the other children that she wanted a life without them.
The eldest daughter also reported that the food was limited to peanut butter sandwiches, served at scheduled times, and that some meals were leftover the day before some children were forced to stand in their rooms for hours, with their hands on the head. The daughter and older son slept on the floor of the same room and needed to share a bucket as a bathroom, while the other held a sheet to protect themselves from the security cameras of the house, according to the testimonials.
The couple and their lawyers disputed the accusations, claiming that domestic services were just a way to teach children’s responsibility.
Defense argues that couple was overwhelmed
The defense stated that the couple was only overwhelmed to try to deal with the children’s mental health problems, who came from a history of abuse and trauma before adoption. Lantz’s lawyer, John Balenovich, blamed the state’s social assistance agency, saying that the family had asked for help several times, but that the system “completely failed.”
However, a forensic prosecution psychologist witnessed that the couple’s treatment to children worsened their emotional and psychological problems. Assistant prosecutor Madison Tuck said the couple never sought help for their eldest son, although a mental health clinic was just minutes from the house. The boy, who had a physical disagreement with WhiteFeather in 2022 -appointed by lawyers as the beginning of family difficulties -is currently hospitalized in a psychiatric institution receiving full -time care.
Whitefeate’s lawyer Mark Plants argued at the end of the trial that the couple was guilty only for making bad decisions in raising their children. “These are farm people who do farm tasks,” said Plants. “It had nothing to do with race. It had nothing to do with forced labor.”
*With information from Estadão Content and Associated Press
Posted by Fernando Dias
