A white couple has been sentenced to lengthy prison terms for the severe abuse and exploitation of their five adopted Black children
A white West Virginia couple was sentenced to decades in prison this week for abusing some of their Black adopted children. Credit: West Virginia Regional Jail & Correctional Facility Authority.
Donald Lantz, 62, and Jeanne Kay Whitefeather, 63, adopted five Black siblings, ranging in age from five to 16, in 2018 and moved to Kanawha County in May 2023.
They were arrested in October of that year after a neighbor contacted Child Protective Services and alleged that two teens, ages 14 and 16, were locked in a shed on the couple’s property in Sissonville, per court documents obtained by WCHS-TV.
Authorities arrived at the property and found exactly that. According to an indictment cited by West Virginia MetroNews, the children were being kept in a shed with a portable toilet, no running water, and were forced to sleep on the floor for up to 12 hours at a time. One child reportedly had visible sores on his feet and was wearing filthy clothing.
Neighbors also told investigators the children weren’t even allowed inside the home and were forced to carry out farm labor.
The abuse didn’t stop there as prosecutors also revealed that the kids endured extreme psychological punishment as well. The oldest daughter testified that they were often cursed at and forced to stand in their rooms for hours with their hands on their heads.
Whitefeather and her husband Lantz were both slapped with maximum consecutive sentences during a hearing in Kanawha County Circuit Court on Wednesday.
Whitefeather, sentenced to 215 years, won’t be eligible for parole for at least 40 years. Lantz, who received a 160-year term, must serve a minimum of 30 years before parole consideration. On top of that, the judge ordered both to pay $280,000 in restitution to the children.
Both were convicted of forced labor, human trafficking, child abuse, and neglect. Whitefeather was also found guilty of violating the children’s civil rights, PEOPLE reported.
During the sentencing, Eighth Judicial Circuit Court Judge Maryclaire Akers expressed her outrage, stating: “You brought these children to West Virginia, a place that I know is ‘almost heaven,’ and you put them in hell.”
“This court will now put you in yours. And may God have mercy on your souls, because this court will not,” the judge added.
A 16-count indictment accused the couple of targeting the children specifically because of their race.
“It alleges human trafficking, human rights violations, the use of forced labor,” Akers said during a 2024 hearing. “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.”
Despite the disturbing evidence and overwhelming testimony, Lantz has continued to deny all allegations. His attorney, John J. Balenovich, told PEOPLE that his client “maintains his innocence of all charges”.
Whitefeather’s attorney, Mark Plants, also said during the closing argument that the couple was only guilty of making poor parenting decisions. “These are farm people that do farm chores,” he said. “It wasn’t about race. It wasn’t about forced labor.”
