“May God have mercy on your souls, because this court will not.”

Those were the scathing words put forth by Circuit Court Judge MaryClaire Akers of West Virginia to white couple Jeanne Kay Whitefeather and Donald Lantz.

The couple adopted a group of five young Black children, and they were each convicted of multiple charges for abusing the children and treating them like slaves “for years.”

They first adopted the children from a shelter for unhoused and at-risk youth in 2018 in Minnesota, where they were living at the time. The group of seven then moved to Washington State, and then moved in 2023 to Kanawha County, West Virginia, where they’d be caught, charged, and eventually convicted.

At their West Virginia home, there was a small, wooden, dilapidated shed in the backyard with a slanted, tin roof. It was there that Whitefeather and Lantz demanded the two oldest children, the oldest daughter of the five now 18 years old, stand in the shed with their hands on top of their heads for up to 12 hours at a time.

Lantz and Whitefeather were arrested by Kanawha County deputies when a neighbor put in an emergency call to Child Protective Services, and the 14- and 16-year-old teens were discovered locked in the shed.

Upon discovering the teens, it was confirmed that the shed also did not include basic necessities such as food, running water, a place to sit, or a restroom. When they needed to go to the restroom, one teen would use an empty bucket while their sibling held up a fitted sheet to give them privacy against the camera installed in the shed.

After further interviews, other neighbors confirmed:

“[The children] were forced to perform farm labor and were not permitted inside the residence.”

One of the children also said that they were often ordered to dig with their hands instead of with farming tools.

When Lantz arrived at home, the deputies were waiting for him. Lantz had one of the younger children with him, and he confirmed that the youngest child, the “family favorite,” was being cared for by a family friend instead.

On the day of the final hearing, Judge Akers described the charges.

“[The indictment] alleges human trafficking, human rights violations, and the use of forced labor.”

“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.”

Judge Akers spoke frankly to Whitefeather and Lantz.

“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.”

You can watch Judge Akers’s closing statement here:

– YouTubeyoutu.be

The oldest child, who is now 18, called Whitefeather “a monster.”

The youngest child reported that the five were “taught to laugh at each other” while their siblings were being abused.

One of the younger children proudly stood up to the couple during the court hearing.

“I will be something amazing. I will be strong and beautiful. You will always be exactly what you are: horrible.”

Some prayed that the five children would be given the support they needed to be able to move past this and heal.