Judge Sentences Couple Accused of Adopting Black Children 'Basically as Slaves': 'You Put Them in Hell'

The sentence comes after Jeanne Kay Whitefeather and her husband Donald Lantz, who are both white, were convicted January 29 on most of the 30+ charges against them in relation to the allegations of child abuse, including forced labor, human trafficking, and neglect, per The Associated Press.

Whitefeather, 63, was convicted on all 19 charges brought against her and was ordered to serve up to 215 years; she will be eligible for parole after 40. Lantz, 62, was convicted on 12 of 16 charges, sentenced to a maximum of 160 years; parole eligible after 30.

They were each also ordered to pay $280,000 in restitution.

Kanawha County Circuit Judge Maryclaire Akers on Wednesday, per WV Metro News, argued she saw no reason to show them mercy considering the "vile mistreatment" forced on their children.

She said the defendants showed no remorse and "put on one of the most reprehensible and narcissistic defenses that I have ever seen in my years of trial work."

"You brought these children to West Virginia, a place that I know as ‘Almost Heaven,’ and you put them in hell," she told the defendants. "This court will now put you in yours. And may God have mercy on your souls, because this court will not."

After the sentencing, prosecutor Debra Rusnak said, "We are all grateful that the court handed down the sentence that we had all hoped for. It nearly ensures that neither of these defendants will ever breathe free air again."

The defendants also spoke, with Lantz saying, "Children, I do love you."

Whitefeather said, "I just want the court to know that I have made mistakes I am very sorry for that and I love my children and I have never, ever, done anything to my ... children to harm them intentionally."

She had denied the charges during the trial, insisting the kids were not locked inside the shed, calling it a "teenage hangout." She said, "They had a key. They could come and go as they pleased."

A detective previously testified the key was found on top of a cabinet in the shed, out of sight. The children said they were unaware it was there.

Whitefeather's attorney Mark Plants said that this is a case of poor parenting decisions and misunderstanding. "These are farm people that do farm chores,” Plants said. “It wasn’t about race. It wasn’t about forced labor.”

In court, four of the adopted children read victim impact statements read aloud by victim advocates as most of them are under the age of 18. In some cases, the children stood by the advocate's side as they read of "unspeakable trauma," "difficulty trusting anyone," "nightmares," and questioning and fearing affection, per The AP.

The eldest, who is 18, read hers aloud herself, though.

"I’ll never understand how you can sleep at night," she read to Whitefeather, per Law & Crime. "I want you to know that you are a monster."

NBC affiliate WSAZ reported another statement that read, "I will be something amazing. I will be strong and beautiful. You will always be exactly what you are -- horrible."

The youngest victim's letter stated, "I was taught to laugh at my siblings, and told they were bad, I was kept from them -- watched a lot the stuff happen. Now, at my new home, I see that everything was not right with Jeanne and Donald."

The 18-year-old, who was 16 at the time of her parents' arrests, was one of the two children found by authorities in the shed that led to the arrests of her adopted parents.

She claimed, per the AP, the kids were given a diet of peanut butter sandwiches, which came at scheduled times, and weren't allowed to eat between feedings. She also reportedly said they weren't given water unless they finished their meals, had to sleep on the floor, and went months without showering or brushing their teeth.

The teen said they were forced to garden, dig holes with their hands, clear land and take care of animals on the farm. She also testified that Lantz hit one of the children with a PVC pipe, and claimed they were made to stand in their room for hours -- saying they would have pepper spray used on them if they didn't keep their hands on their heads.

She also said the shed where she and her then-14-year-old brother slept required a key to open it from either side. The teen claimed she and her brother shared the same bucket to use as a bathroom and said that, at one point, all the children had to sleep in tents outside because Whitefeather said "we were dirty and that we stunk."

Lantz and Whitefeather, who are both white, were accused of adopting Black children aged 6-16 and subjecting them to manual labor. The investigation into the pair began in October 2023, after someone called authorities concerned about the welfare of the children

"[The indictment] alleges human trafficking, human rights violations, the use of forced labor," Kanawha County Circuit Judge Maryclaire Akers said during a June arraignment. "Human rights violations specific to the fact that these children were targeted because of their race and they were used basically as slaves from what the indictment alleges."

Per the criminal complaint, a deputy knocked on the door of a shed on the property before a 16-year-old girl inside said she couldn't open it. Authorities then forced themselves into the 20 feet x 14 feet structure and found both the girl and a 14-year-old boy, her brother, inside.

The girl allegedly said they had been locked in the shed -- which had no running water, lights or bathroom -- for about 12 hours without any contact from their adoptive parents, who brought them food earlier in the morning.

She reportedly claimed the two were "locked in the shed for long periods of time daily" and "were being punished," with Law&Crime reporting that one of the children told authorities they made and shared a makeshift toilet crafted from a toilet seat taken from an RV. Authorities also noted the boy appeared to have "open sores" on his feet, while both children allegedly smelled of body odor and were in dirty clothing.

They also found a 9-year-old girl in an unprotected loft 15-feet off from the ground, crying alone, inside the couple's main home. Police waiting at the property say Lantz eventually showed up with another child three hours later.

Per the filing, via West Virginia Metro News, "Neighbors also reported that the children were forced to perform farm labor and were not permitted inside the residence."