A white West Virginia couple was sentenced on Wednesday to 215 years in prison for forcing their black adopted children to work as “slaves” on their farm.
“You brought these kids to West Virginia, a place I know as almost heaven and put them in hell,” said Circuit Court Judge MaryClaire Akers said, according to WSAZ.
She added: “And may God have mercy on your souls. Because this court will not.”
The couple was convicted of forced labor, human trafficking, and child abuse and neglect in January, the New York Post reported.
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.
The couple had adopted the children in Minnesota but moved to Washington State in 2018, NBC News reported.
Five months after their arrival in Sissonville, the couple was arrested after neighbors saw Lantz lock the oldest girl and her teenage brother in a shed and leave the property. A deputy used a crowbar to get them out.
Inside the main residence, a 9-year-old girl was found crying in a loft alone with no protection from falling, according to a criminal complaint. The children were found in dirty clothes and smelling of body odor, deputies said, and the oldest boy was found barefoot with what appeared to be sores on his feet.
A fourth child was with Lantz when he eventually returned, and deputies were later led to a 5-year-old girl. All five were turned over to Child Protective Services after the couple’s arrest.
Last month the oldest daughter, now an adult, sued the couple, alleging severe physical and emotional abuse and neglect that has scarred her permanently.
During trial, neighbors testified they never saw the children play and witnessed Lantz make them stand in line or perform difficult chores around the yard, including lifting heavy items. After Lantz noticed the curious neighbors, the children mostly stayed indoors.
The eldest daughter testified the outdoor work occurred mostly in Washington and that some of them were forced to use their hands for digging. She also said the children were cursed at “all the time” and that Whitefeather used racist language.
white West Virginia couple, have been sentenced to decades in prison for severely abusing their adopted Black children. Jeanne Kay Whitefeather received up to 215 years (including an additional charge of civil rights violations), and Donald Lantz received 160 years. pic.twitter.com/EFtFCtYBOS
— kevin blue (@kevinblue345) March 20, 2025
The couple fed the children “a steady diet of peanut butter sandwiches at scheduled times, some left over from a previous meal,” according to NBC News. Some of the children were forced to stand with their hands on their heads for hours. They are also made to sleep on the floor and share a bucket to be used as a toilet.
The couple’s defense attorney argued that they were merely overwhelmed with trying to take care of all five children while getting mental health care for them due to the abuse they faced from their biological parents.
“These are farm people that do farm chores,” said Mark Plants, Whitefeather’s attorney. “It wasn’t about race. It wasn’t about forced labor.”
The eldest child gave an impact statement in which she said Whitefeather and Lantz were “monsters.”
Another victim echoed these sentiments, saying, “I will be strong and beautiful. You will always be exactly what you are – horrible.”
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