Bunnak “Hannah” Landon, convicted of killing her boyfriend’s daughter, 6-year-old Bella Fontenelle, has been sentenced to life in prison without parole. Landon was found guilty of beating and strangling Bella before placing her body in a bucket and leaving it on the girl’s mother’s lawn in Harahan, Louisiana. Despite pleading not guilty by reason of insanity, Landon received a life sentence without the possibility of parole along with an additional 80 years for obstruction of justice.
The tragic events unfolded on April 25, 2023, when Bella and her older sister were in Landon’s care while their father was working late. After spending the day with the children, including picking them up from school and dropping them off at home, the grandmother left at around 7:30 p.m. It was shortly after this time that prosecutors believe Landon killed Bella. Surveillance footage captured Landon pulling a wagon carrying the bucket containing Bella’s body to the girl’s mother’s home before returning to the scene with an empty wagon.
When Bella’s father returned home later that evening, he discovered both Bella and Landon missing. The father reported them missing the following morning, prompting an Amber Alert and a thorough police search. Bella’s maternal grandmother was the one to find the bucket on the lawn, leading to the heartbreaking discovery of Bella’s body. Landon turned herself in to the police later that night, though she initially resisted cooperation with officers.
Evidence found on Landon’s cell phone, including a disturbing video of Bella before the murder and incriminating online searches, played a crucial role in the case. Blood found on the bucket was linked to Landon, further solidifying the prosecution’s case against her.
The Jefferson Parish Sheriff’s Office and local news outlets reported on the tragic events that led to Bella’s death and the subsequent legal proceedings that culminated in Landon’s life sentence without the possibility of parole.
The pathologist discovered multiple bruises on Bella’s head and neck abrasions indicating that she had scratched Landon’s hands while being strangled. The autopsy suggested that Bella may have still been alive but unconscious when Landon placed her body head first in a bucket. During the trial, Landon’s defense argued that her mental illness prevented her from understanding right from wrong when she killed Bella. A forensic psychiatrist, who had evaluated Landon multiple times, linked her actions to post-traumatic stress disorder from her childhood in a Khmer Rouge death camp in Cambodia. However, prosecutors refuted the insanity plea, stating that Landon was aware of the consequences of her actions. Assistant District Attorney Rachel Africk described Landon as being in control of her faculties, rather than being mentally impaired.
