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Tag: Life Sentence

  • White Couple Sentenced to Life in Prison for Forcing Their Black Adopted Children to Work as ‘Slaves’

    White Couple Sentenced to Life in Prison for Forcing Their Black Adopted Children to Work as ‘Slaves’

    A white couple from West Virginia was sentenced this week to life in prison for the abuse of their Black adopted child, whom they allegedly made perform heavy labor like “slaves,” as reported by PEOPLE. 

    Donald Lantz, 62, received a sentence of 160 years after being found guilty of forced labor, human trafficking, and child abuse and neglect, as reported by the New York Times. His wife, Jeanne Kay Whitefeather, 63, was sentenced to 215 years after being convicted of the same offenses, along with violating her children’s civil rights. The couple was found guilty in January.

    “You brought these children to West Virginia, a place that I know is ‘almost heaven,’ and you put them in hell,” Eighth Judicial Circuit Court Judge Maryclaire Akers said during sentencing, per WCHS. “This court will now put you in yours. And may God have mercy on your souls, because this court will not.”

    Couple Taken into Custody

    The couple adopted five children in 2018 and later relocated to Kanawha County in May 2023, according to prosecutors. They were arrested in October 2023 after a neighbor alerted Child Protective Services, claiming that two teenagers, ages 14 and 16, were locked in a shed at the couple’s home in Sissonville, based on court documents obtained by WCHS-TV. Additional neighbors also reported that the children were “forced to perform farm labor and were not permitted inside the residence,” per the documents.

    When deputies arrived at the residence, they discovered the children living in a shed that contained only a portable toilet and lacked running water, as stated in an indictment referenced by West Virginia MetroNews. The children were dressed in filthy clothes, and the oldest boy had what looked like sores on his feet, according to AP News. During the trial, the oldest daughter testified that the children were frequently cursed at, and some were forced to stand in their rooms for hours with their hands on their heads, according to the AP.

    #Clique, what are your thoughts?

  • Man Sentenced Life In Prison For Beating 4-Year-Old Daughter Into ‘Vegetative State,’ Prosecutors Say

    Man Sentenced Life In Prison For Beating 4-Year-Old Daughter Into ‘Vegetative State,’ Prosecutors Say

    A Southern California man has been sentenced to life in prison for severely assaulting his daughter, leaving her in a paralyzed, vegetative state in 2021, as reported by prosecutors per Law & Crime. 

    Tekquan Alexander, 28, of Thousand Oaks, was found guilty last month on multiple charges, including torture, assault, and corporal injury to a child. The Ventura County District Attorney’s Office announced the sentencing in a news release on Friday morning.

    Prosecutors report that Alexander repeatedly assaulted his 4-year-old daughter during Thanksgiving week in 2021. The abuse came to a tragic end on November 29, when he attacked the girl after she had wet the bed. He initially struck her with a belt and then used a stereo amplifier cable. He continued to beat Alani until she lost consciousness in the bathroom of their home. 

    She was taken to a local hospital and later airlifted to Children’s Hospital in Los Angeles. According to prosecutors, Alani suffered severe injuries, including a brain injury, subdural hematoma, spinal compression, multiple bone fractures, and numerous bruises and abrasions.

    Prosecutors state that three years after the horrific assault, Alani is still paralyzed and in a vegetative state. She requires constant medical care and assistance with everyday activities. On Thursday, Tekquan Alexander was sentenced to life in prison, with the possibility of parole. However, prosecutors have not disclosed when he might be eligible for parole.

    #Clique, what are your thoughts?

  • Mom Convicted Of Murdering Her Two Toddlers ‘By Placing Them In An Oven and Turning It On’

    Mom Convicted Of Murdering Her Two Toddlers ‘By Placing Them In An Oven and Turning It On’

    A Georgia mother has been convicted of killing her two young sons

    “by placing them in an oven and turning it on,”

    reports Law & Crime. 

    Lamora Williams, 24, will spend the rest of her life behind bars, a Atlanta judge ruled on Friday. She‘s been hit with several charges, including two counts of murder for the deaths of her sons, Ja’Karter, who was 1, and Ke’Yaunte, who was 2, in 2017. The boys died about an hour apart. 

    On that day, Williams called 911, saying her sons’ deaths were accidental. She told the police that she had left her three children with a caregiver from noon until 11:30 p.m. and came home to find that two of them had died while the caregiver was away, as reported by WAGA. 

    “When I came in, the stove was laying on my son, on my youngest son’s head, and my other son was laid out on the floor with his brains laid out on the floor… I don’t know what to do. I just came home from work,”

    Williams told the dispatcher.

    “Can you please help me?”

    she reportedly asked the dispatcher.

    “Like. Can you please tell me, like, I don’t want to get locked up because this is not my fault? I had just came home from work.”

    According to autopsy reports obtained by the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, the boys’ heads were caught in a flipped-over oven.

    “These thermal changes appear to be entirely from dry heat and changes from prolonged exposure to heat,”

    the medical examiner reportedly wrote in both autopsies.

    “It would require an extensive amount of time to get to this degree.”

    Police informed the TV station that the oldest boy, who survived, saw his mother kill his two younger brothers.

    #Clique, what are your thoughts?

  • Man Sentenced To Life For ‘Catfishing’ At Least 70 Minors To Receive Sexually Explicit Content, Leading 12-Year-Old Girl To Commit Suicide

    Man Sentenced To Life For ‘Catfishing’ At Least 70 Minors To Receive Sexually Explicit Content, Leading 12-Year-Old Girl To Commit Suicide

    A Northern Ireland man has received a life sentence for several crimes, including manslaughter, per CNN. He reportedly used social media to blackmail and sexually exploit at least 70 minors across various countries. 

    Alexander McCartney, 26, was sentenced by a judge at Belfast Crown Court on Friday for offenses related to child sexual exploitation, blackmail, and the manslaughter of a 12-year-old girl who took her own life in the United States in 2018 following a

    “catfishing”

    incident, as stated by Northern Ireland’s Public Prosecution Service (PPS).

    Authorities revealed that McCartney posed as a young girl online, befriending his victims and coercing them into sending him nude images.

    The victims were then threatened

    “into sending him indecent images and videos of themselves, forcing them to engage in depraved and sometimes dangerous sexual acts,”

    the statement said.

    Targeting approximately 3,500 girls from Northern Ireland, Ireland, Great Britain, the US, and New Zealand, McCartney aimed to

    “exploit that vulnerability in the most shocking ways,”

    according to Catherine Kierans, acting head of the PPS Serious Crime Unit.

    “All McCartney’s victims were young, innocent children”

    as young as 10 years old and

    “struggling with identity and body image issues and had reached out for help on social media,”

    Kierans said.

    McCartney pleaded guilty to a total of 185 charges involving 70 victims. He is required to serve a minimum of 20 years in prison before being eligible for parole.

    #Clique, what are your thoughts?

  • Jodi Arias, Who Is Incarcerated For The Brutal Slaying Of Boyfriend, Is Using Her Time To Sell Her Artwork Online

    Jodi Arias, Who Is Incarcerated For The Brutal Slaying Of Boyfriend, Is Using Her Time To Sell Her Artwork Online

    Jodi Arias, a woman serving a life sentence in Arizona for killing her on-off boyfriend in 2008, is selling her artwork online and it isn’t cheap, according to her website. Despite being in prison, she works with her family to maintain a website and Instagram page to showcase her art, as reported by the NY Post. 

    Although her website says she’s not taking requests at the moment, Arias mentioned on Instagram that she painted a cow for someone who requested it for their office. She also mentioned that one of her prison guards would closely observe the painting process.

    “An officer interested in the painting’s progress kept asking me how ‘ol’ girl’ was coming along,”

    she wrote in the caption.

    “She said it several times and it clicked: that’s the title!”

    According to her website, an original acrylic painting titled

    “Beyond the Horizon”

    is selling for $2,500. Her prints go for between $28 to $39. Additionally, she offers a set of collectible postcards for $34.95.

    Jodi Arias is currently serving a life sentence without parole for the first-degree murder of Travis Alexander whom she killed in 2008. The evidence presented during the trial showed that Arias stabbed Alexander 27 times, slit his throat, and shot him in the head. Arias claimed it was in self-defense, however, she was convicted by a jury in 2013. Although the jury couldn’t agree on the death penalty, a second sentencing trial in 2014-2015 resulted in Arias being sentenced to life in prison without parole. 

    While Arias sells her artwork, it is not against any laws according to the Arizona Department of Corrections, Rehabilitation and Reentry. Arias’ family mentioned on her website that the money earned from selling her artwork is used to buy more art supplies.

    “Ten percent of it is donated to select nonprofit organizations,”

    the website says.

    “Some of it will go towards Jodi’s appeals.”

    #Clique, what are your thoughts?

  • Landlord Sentenced To Life In Prison After Hiding The Bodies Of His tenants He Claimed He killed In Self-Defense

    Landlord Sentenced To Life In Prison After Hiding The Bodies Of His tenants He Claimed He killed In Self-Defense

    A Michigan landlord is sentence to life in prison after a jury rejected his claim that he killed his two tenants in self-defense, reports FOX News.

    Guilty of second-degree murder in Joseph Soule’s death and first-degree murder in Jaclyn Lepird’s, Chad Allen Reed, 56, faces life without parole and an additional 125 years.

    On Oct. 7, 2020, an argument ensued between Reed and his tenants. Reed reportedly lived downstairs from the couple in his two-story house in Battle Creek.

    According to Susan Mladenoff, Reed’s public defender, Lepird had a

    “bad temper,”

    and the couple engaged in substance use together.

    This was confirmed in court by medical examiners,’ who testified that the couple had cocaine and alcohol in their bloodstreams when they died.

    Reed claims shot Soule after he pulled a knife out on him, strangling Lepird afterward due to fear of a witness.

    “He not only shot her, he chased her down,”

    Calhoun County Assistant Prosecuting Attorney Tamara L. Towns told jurors, FOX 17 reported.

    “He hit her with a metal object. He tried to slit her throat. He then strangled her until a life went out of her.” 

    Consideration of various factors, including Reed’s treatment of victims, disrespect toward bodies, lack of remorse, and criminal history, influenced the judge’s decision.

    As per court records, Reed previously had a 2005 felony assault conviction and pleaded no contest in 2003 to fourth-degree criminal sexual conduct.

    Lepird’s sister Trinity McAllister expressed her gratitude towards the ruling.

    “We were very pleased with the decision,”

    she told FOX 17 in a statement after the sentencing. 

    #Clique, what are your thoughts?

  • Navy Veteran Fatally Attacks ‘Witch’ Sister, Citing Her True-Crime Fascination, Claims to Have ‘Saved Mother’s Life’

    Navy Veteran Fatally Attacks ‘Witch’ Sister, Citing Her True-Crime Fascination, Claims to Have ‘Saved Mother’s Life’

    A Navy veteran named Anthony Dibella has been sentenced to 18 years to life in prison for fatally stabbing his sister, Paoli, with a bayonet blade and awl, according to FOX News. Dibella claimed that his sister’s fascination with true-crime content led him to believe she intended to kill their mother. 

    On April 28, 2022, Dibella called 911 dispatchers, telling them that his sister

    “Wanda Paoli is being killed, she is a witch killed with a knife and awl, and is currently on the porch”

    of their town of Lyme home, per court documents. When first responders arrived at the scene they discovered Paoli’s lifeless body with multiple stab wounds to her head, neck, and face. 

    Dibella told the court that he suffers from schizoaffective and bipolar disorders. He expressed his hope for treatment at a VA hospital instead of imprisonment. Paoli’s sons, Shawn and Josh, wrote that they hope Dibella

    “rots in prison with no chance of ever getting out for what he has done”

    and that their uncle is

    “nothing to [them] now”

    in their statement shared at the Sept. 20 sentencing hearing. 

    “He selfishly and violently took her life and has destroyed our family,”

    the statement read.

    “Every day is difficult, and no one can ever understand the physiological impact this senseless tragedy has had… on the lives of our entire family because our mother is no longer here with us. I cannot even put into words how much she is missed.”

    Dibella admitted that he

    “stopped all [his] psychotropic medications”

    after

    “attending a healing church service”

    in 2019. Despite his actions, Dibella tried to rationalize the murder based on his sister’s interests and a minor bruise on their mother’s hand. The veteran told the court,

    “I believe without a shadow of a doubt that I saved my mother’s life that day,”

    Dibella concluded. 

    #Clique, what are your thoughts?

  • Man Finally Sentenced To Life For The 2021 Fatal Stabbing Of His Father, Prosecutors Say Suspect Stabbed Father With The Same Knife He Gifted Son With

    Man Finally Sentenced To Life For The 2021 Fatal Stabbing Of His Father, Prosecutors Say Suspect Stabbed Father With The Same Knife He Gifted Son With

    A California man is facing a life sentence for fatally stabbing his father with a knife he gifted him with, Radar reported. 

    James Shade, 32, was found guilty of first-degree murder for the fatal stabbing of his father, whose identity has not been disclosed. He was sentenced to 26 years to life in the California Department of Corrections. 

    Roseville Police Department said they responded to a call on March 14, 2021, about a stab victim. The unidentified victim was reportedly found lifeless on his neighbor’s front porch. According to the outlet, Shade was caught on surveillance footage fleeing the crime scene. Investigators later found documents in the victim’s home that revealed that the suspect was his son. 

    Police later apprehended Shade at his home in Paradise. Shade admitted to driving from his residence in Paradise to his father’s house in Roseville because he planned on serving his father with a restraining order, Radar reported. According to prosecutors, Shade arrived at his father’s home while armed with a knife, viciously stabbing him over 20 times with the same knife the victim gave to him weeks before the murder. 

    He claimed to be acting in self-defense, according to the outlet. 

    “Lack of remorse has been particularly disturbing [and] he showed no signs of remorse immediately after killing his father, during his testimony at trial and in statements he made after the jury rendered its verdict. His anger toward his father did not in any way justify his decision to brutally end another human’s life,”

    Deputy Director Attorney Anna Duffy said in a statement. 

    #Clique, what are your thoughts?

  • Man Convicted In The 2019 Murder Of A Mail Carrier Who Failed To Deliver A Large Package Of Marijuana To His Home, Sentenced To Life

    Man Convicted In The 2019 Murder Of A Mail Carrier Who Failed To Deliver A Large Package Of Marijuana To His Home, Sentenced To Life

    On Thursday, a man, Trevor Raekwon Seward, has been sentenced to life behind bars after he was convicted of murdering a U.S Postal Service mail carrier who left a note in the mailbox instructing Seward to pick up a large package of marijuana at a South Carolina post office instead of delivering it to his home, FOX reports. 

    The 25-year-old was convicted of murdering the 64-year-old federal worker, Irene Pressley, as she delivered mail. In addition to the September 2019 murder of Pressley, Seward was also convicted of other crimes, according to federal prosecutors.

    After Seward discovered the note in his mailbox instead of the package, which was supposed to be 2 pounds of marijuana, he confronted the mail carrier moments later and requested his package. According to court documents, Pressley declined his request. The 25-year-old then got a rifle and as Pressley went down the street, he shot the gun 20 times into the rear of her mail truck resulting in multiple bullets hitting her. 

    Seward later drove the truck into a trench, looked through the mail in an attempt to find his marijuana or anything else valuable, and then fled, leaving Pressey’s body in the truck, per prosecutors. Court Records added that the marijuana package was later discovered on the street where the mail carrier was murdered. 

    The mail carrier’s sister blamed the death of her father on Seward in court. According to WPDE-TV, Elisha Hubbard said during the sentencing hearing on Thursday,

    “He gave up because you took his daughter’s life.” 

    A co-defendant, 31-year-old, Jerome Terrell Davis, who assisted Seward in looking for the U.S Postal Service mail carrier was sentenced to 25 years behind bars. Davis pleaded guilty to

    “robbery and conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute and to distribute marijuana,”

    according to prosecutors, reports FOX.