Abusive parents learn fate over forcing adopted kids to work hard labor like 'slaves' and in a filthy shed

The achromatic West Virginia couple who were accused of treating their adopted children arsenic 'slaves' and making them unrecorded successful a filthy shed person been recovered guilty.

Jeanne Kay Whitefeather, 62, and Donald Ray Lantz, 61, went connected proceedings earlier this month, each facing a slew of kid neglect charges related to the attraction of their 5 adoptive children. 

On Wednesday, the Kanawha County Circuit Court assemblage deliberated for much than 8 hours earlier reaching their last verdict, ABC news reported. 

Whitefeather was convicted of each 19 counts against her - including forced labor, quality trafficking and kid neglect - portion Lantz was recovered blameworthy of 12 of the 16 counts helium was charged with. 

Lantz was acquitted of the 4 civilian rights violations helium was accused of portion Whitefeather was recovered blameworthy of the aforesaid charges.   

They were reportedly stone-faced portion learning the verdict. 

Prosecuting Attorney Debra Rusnak revealed she shed tears erstwhile she heard the justice work disconnected 'guilty' for bulk of the charges. 

'These cases mean a batch to america - we instrumentality a batch of this personally,' she said astatine a quality conference, ABC quality reported. 

'This is our community, and these are the children of our community. If we’re not going to combat for them, past who will?'

The brace volition instrumentality to tribunal for sentencing connected March 19. Whitefeather faces a maximum condemnation of 215 years, portion her hubby faces up to 75 years. 

They were arrested successful October 2023 aft 2 of their adoptive children were recovered severely neglected with nary food, airy oregon moving h2o successful a 20 by 14-foot shed with a camera successful the corner.

The siblings were adopted successful Minnesota earlier the household moved to a workplace successful Washington successful 2018. They went to West Virginia successful May 2023.  

When the children were found, they had sores connected their feet, wreaked of assemblage odor and were wearing bedewed clothes. They were allegedly forced into labor on the couple's Sissonville farmland. 

Kanawah County prosecutors said 5 children aged 16, 14, 11, 9 and six were ‘used fundamentally arsenic slaves' due to the fact that of their race. 

Three hours aft uncovering the older children successful the locked shed, deputies recovered a nine-year-old miss holed up successful a loft wrong the family's locked main house.

When Child Protective Services (CPS) made the horrifying find of the 2 children locked successful the shed, Whitefeather told deputies the children really 'liked' the shed they were locked in.

However, the teenage miss told deputies they had been locked successful the gathering for astir 12 hours.

The gathering lone had a tiny RV porta-potty and nary moving water, according to images from wrong and descriptions from the archetypal constabulary report.

The children were besides forced to slumber connected the hard factual floor, they said. 

The transgression ailment stated: 'If determination was a aesculapian exigency oregon fire, the children would beryllium incapable to exit the locked country to safety.'

Court documents said neighbors reported that the children were forced into workplace labour and were not allowed wrong the main house.

During the trial, which kicked disconnected connected January 14, a neighbor, Joyce Bailey, testified astir the horrific tasks the mates allegedly forced the young children to do. 

Video that she took of the children performing the carnal jobs was besides shown to the court.

'He [Lantz] made them transportation it all, that dense fencing. They would conscionable basal determination and hold for him to archer them what to do,' Bailey emotionally recalled.

The distressed neighbour besides said that she saw immoderate of the children haul afloat buckets of h2o and different supplies, including propane tanks betwixt the trailer, barn and home, each portion Lantz stood by and watched.

At 1 point, Bailey said the oldest lad 'could hardly walk' arsenic helium lugged 1 of the tanks portion Lantz watched him.

The eldest child, present 18, besides shared a tear-jerking grounds during the trial. She discussed the alleged outdoor enactment she and her siblings were forced to endure, saying immoderate of them were told to excavation with their hands. 

She besides said that they were chiefly fed peanut food sandwiches astatine specified times passim the day. 

The mates allegedly made immoderate of the children basal successful their rooms with their hands connected their heads for extended periods of times and slept connected the floor. 

She and the oldest lad sibling shared a room. She revealed successful her grounds that they were lone fixed 1 bucket for the some of them to usage the bath in. 

Whitefeather claimed the shed was a 'teenager hangout' and they were capable to permission whenever they wanted to. 

But grounds demonstrated that they had nary thought wherever the shed's cardinal was. Detectives recovered 1 hidden connected a furniture successful the shed. 

Racist substance messages were submitted arsenic grounds to the tribunal by prosecutors. The 18-year-old kid said they were cursed astatine 'all the time' and racist connection was used.

Whitefeather allegedly called the oldest girl 'dirty' and would not devour disconnected the aforesaid plates the kids used. 

Assistant Prosecutor Madison Tuck said successful court: 'You privation to cognize what racists look like? Look astatine them.'

Lantz’s attorney, John Balenovich, said the children were antecedently traumatized from their past surviving concern and the mates was battling to get assistance for them. 

Balenovich said the authorities 'dropped the shot the astir successful this case,' but a forensic scientist for the prosecution said the mode the mates treated the children worsened their intelligence states. 

The oldest lad has been admitted to a psychiatric instauration and is receiving full-time care, according to ABC news.  

While addressing claims of forced labour during closing statements, Whitefeather's lawyer, Mark Plants, said: 'These are workplace radical that bash workplace chores. It wasn’t astir race. It wasn’t astir forced labor.'