After white couple were accused of LOCKING their ADOPTED Black children in a shed and FORCING them to work — Here’s what they told court

A white couple in West Virginia, Donald Ray Lantz and Jeanne Kay Whitefeather, are on trial for mistreating their adopted Black children. They were arrested in October 2023.

The couple is accused of locking the children in a shed and forcing them to work... Continue reading here ▶

The prosecution says this was motivated by racism. Their trial began on January 14th, 2025.

Jeanne Kay Whitefeather testified in court on January 21st. She claimed the shed was just a “teenager hangout” and that the children “weren’t locked in.” She said they had a key and could come and go as they pleased.

However, their oldest daughter (now 18), who was found in the shed with a 14-year-old boy, previously testified that she didn’t know they had a key. The daughter also said they were only given peanut butter sandwiches at set times and weren’t allowed to eat other food.

Whitefeather denies this, saying the children had access to the refrigerator and that she cooked dinner every night.

Lantz and Whitefeather adopted five siblings in Minnesota and later moved to Washington state and then West Virginia. The children are between 5 and 16 years old. One of the older boys is currently in a psychiatric facility.

Whitefeather’s lawyer argues that the couple was simply struggling to deal with the children’s past trauma and mental health issues, claiming the children suffered abuse from their biological mother. He insists they were a normal family who celebrated holidays and went on vacations.

However, a judge previously stated that the allegations suggest “human rights violations” and that the children were “targeted because of their race” and “used basically as slaves.”

The couple faces numerous serious charges, including civil rights violations, human trafficking, forced labor, and child neglect.