In a horrifying case that shocked the U.S., a woman from Louisiana has been sentenced to life in prison without parole after being found guilty of killing her boyfriend’s 6-year-old daughter and stuffing her body into a bucket, which was then left for the child’s mother to discover on her lawn.
What Happened to Bella Fontenelle?
The victim, Bella Fontenelle, was just 6 years old when she was murdered on the night of April 25, 2023. Bella and her older sister were being cared for by Bunnak “Hannah” Landon, their father’s girlfriend, while their father worked late in Kenner, Louisiana.
According to prosecutors, Bella’s grandmother dropped the girls at home around 7:30 p.m., and not long after, Landon killed Bella, reportedly strangling her and inflicting blunt-force injuries.
Disturbing Details: Body Found in Bucket
Later that night, around 9:30 p.m., CCTV footage captured Landon pulling a wagon with a 13-gallon bucket in it. The bucket contained Bella’s lifeless body, which Landon wheeled to Bella’s mother’s house, just one street away.
She then returned home with an empty wagon. By the time Bella’s father returned home, Landon had already vanished. The next morning, he reported both Landon and Bella missing, triggering an Amber Alert and a major police search.
Bella’s maternal grandmother was the one who found the bucket on the lawn. Police opened it to discover Bella’s body in pink polka-dotted pajamas, placed head-first inside the bucket.
Evidence Against Landon
Landon reportedly turned herself in later that night but did not cooperate with the police initially. She was sent for a mental health evaluation and then taken into custody.
Investigators recovered key evidence, including:
- A video on Landon’s buried mobile phone showing Bella crying and saying “I want my grandma.”
- A towel stuffed under Bella’s bedroom door to muffle her cries.
- Search history for criminal defense lawyers.
- Blood on the outside of the bucket, confirmed to belong to Landon.
- Cryptic messages sent by Landon after the crime.
The autopsy showed Bella died from strangulation and blunt-force trauma. Bruises and scratches on her body indicated she had tried to fight back. Shockingly, the coroner said Bella may have still been alive, though unconscious, when Landon forced her into the bucket.
Mental Illness Defense Rejected
Landon’s lawyers claimed she was mentally ill, suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) from surviving a Khmer Rouge death camp during her childhood in Cambodia.
However, the jury rejected the insanity plea. A court-appointed psychologist testified that Landon understood what she was doing when she committed the murder.
“This is not someone who didn’t know right from wrong,” said Assistant District Attorney Rachel Africk. “This is someone who was angry and acted out of cruelty.”
The Final Verdict
On May 6, 2025, Landon was sentenced to:
- Life in prison without the possibility of parole for first-degree murder
- An additional 80 years for two counts of obstruction of justice
