A Louisiana woman convicted of the brutal murder of her boyfriend’s 6-year-old daughter has been sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole. Bunnak “Hannah” Landon received the maximum sentence on Tuesday, following her conviction last week in connection with the 2023 death of Bella Fontenelle.
In addition to the life sentence for first-degree murder, Jefferson Parish Judge sentenced Landon to an extra 80 years for two counts of obstruction of justice. Landon was found guilty by a jury last week after pleading not guilty by reason of insanity, according to WWLTV.
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According to the Jefferson Parish District Attorney’s Office, the tragic events unfolded on the evening of April 25, 2023. Bella and her older sister were in the care of Landon at their Harahan home while their father worked late. The girls’ paternal grandmother had dropped them off earlier that evening, leaving around 7:30 p.m. Prosecutors stated that Landon killed Bella “soon after.”
Evidence presented at trial included chilling video footage from approximately 9:30 p.m., showing Landon pulling a wagon that contained a 13-gallon bucket. Prosecutors said she had “forced Bella’s 48-pound body” into the container. Landon was seen pulling the wagon to Bella’s mother’s home, located just one street over, before returning to the Harahan residence with an empty wagon.
Minutes later, Bella’s father returned home to find Landon gone. The next morning, he reported Bella and Landon missing, triggering an Amber Alert and a large-scale police search. The search tragically ended when Bella’s maternal grandmother discovered the bucket on the lawn at the foot of her daughter’s driveway. Bella’s mother and father arrived shortly after, along with police. A police sergeant opened the bucket to find Bella’s body inside, still dressed in pink pajamas with white polka dots.
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Landon reportedly turned herself in to police later that night. She was initially uncooperative and was taken for a mental evaluation before being arrested.
During the investigation, authorities recovered a video from Landon’s buried cell phone. The footage, taken before the murder, showed Bella crying in her bedroom and repeatedly saying, “I want my grandma.” Prosecutors stated that Landon placed a bath towel at the bottom of Bella’s door, presumably to muffle her cries. Further examination of Landon’s phone revealed searches for criminal defense attorney services and cryptic messages sent to individuals close to her following Bella’s death. Blood found on the exterior of the bucket was also linked to Landon.
The Jefferson Parish Coroner’s Office determined that Bella died from asphyxia due to strangulation and blunt-force trauma. The pathologist noted numerous bruises on Bella’s head and abrasions on her neck, consistent with the child scratching against Landon’s hands during the strangulation. The autopsy also suggested Bella might have still been alive, though unconscious, when her body was folded and placed headfirst into the bucket.
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During the four-day trial, Landon’s defense argued she suffered from a mental illness, specifically post-traumatic stress disorder stemming from her childhood experiences in a Khmer Rouge death camp in Cambodia, which they claimed meant she did not know right from wrong. A forensic psychiatrist testified to evaluating Landon 13 times and supported this defense.
However, the prosecution countered with their own forensic psychologist, who testified that Landon understood the consequences of her actions. Assistant District Attorney Rachel Africk argued during closing arguments, “This isn’t a woman who is outside her faculties. This is a woman who is pissed off and evil.”
The jury ultimately rejected the insanity plea, finding Landon responsible for the horrific death of the 6-year-old girl.
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