On May 6, 2025, Bunnak Hannah Landon received a life sentence, along with an additional 80 years, for the brutal murder of 6-year-old Bella Fontenelle.
The true crime case shocked the city of Louisiana, especially after Bella’s lifeless body was found stuffed inside a 13-gallon bucket.
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| Bella Fontenelle |
Bella Fontenelle was born in 2017 to Jennifer Zeledon and Michael Fontenelle.
Although they were separated, both parents lived in the same neighbourhood in Harahan, Louisiana.
They shared joint custody of Bella and her older sister, so the girls shuttled between their mother’s home and their father’s residence which were close to each other.
According to Nola.com, Michael and Landon’s relationship began in 2019, when she gave him a lap dance at the club where she worked.
By 2021, Landon, who went by the stage name Valentina, moved in with Michael Fontenelle as his live-in girlfriend.
While staying at Michael’s home, she slowly took on the role of caring for his daughters when they visited.
In the months before the murder, Bella's behavior at school raised concerns.
Her teachers at St. Matthew the Apostle School noticed she frequently seemed anxious and withdrawn.
Her Pre-K4 teacher reported that Bella would twist her hair into knots, roll her dress nervously, and always ask about which parent she would be staying with.
On days she was scheduled to go to her father's house, Bella sometimes had panic attacks, telling her teacher, "I don't want to go with Dad and Hannah."
She also repeatedly said, "Hannah hurts me," however, these claims were not formally reported to authorities at the time.
Bella’s sister later testified that Landon treated Bella unfairly, and also ignored her when she cried.
Bella’s sister and their grandmother, Gladis Zeledon, remembered her often saying, “Ms. Hannah is mean.”
Despite these warning signs, no one stepped in before the heartbreaking events of April 2023.
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| Bella Fontenelle |
The Night of the Crime
On the evening of April 25, 2023, Bella Fontenelle and her older sister spent time with their grandmother, who picked them up from school.
The grandmother took the girls to McDonald’s for dinner, then to the library, before bringing them back to their father’s home.
She helped the girls shower, read them a story, and left the house around 7:30 p.m, according to Fox 8 Live.
That night, Bella’s father, Michael Fontenelle, was working late, which left Landon as the only adult at home with the children.
Shortly after the grandmother left, Landon brutally beat and strangled Bella to death, and stuffed her body in a bucket, as per the official press release.
Surveillance footage from the neighborhood later captured Landon around 9:30 p.m., leaving the house while pulling a blue wagon that held a large white 13-gallon bucket.
According to police reports, Bella’s body was inside the bucket, and Landon pulled it to Bella’s mother’s home, which was just one street away.
She left the bucket on the front lawn, then returned to Michael Fontenelle’s house with the empty wagon.
Once inside the house, Landon went into Bella’s sister’s room, woke her up briefly, and told her she was going to Florida.
Bella’s sister, who had gone to bed earlier and had no idea what had happened to Bella, said okay and went back to sleep.
Michael Fontenelle returned home from work later that night to find Landon gone and Bella missing.
Unaware of the horrific events that had transpired, he initially assumed Landon had taken Bella somewhere.
When neither returned by the following morning, he contacted the Harahan Police Department at approximately 7:35 a.m. on April 26 to report both his girlfriend and daughter missing.
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| Bunnak Landon seen pushing a wagon with a bucket |
The Shocking Discovery
After Bella was reported missing, Harahan Police searched the family home and nearby area, but the search came up empty.
While officers searched the house, they saw bloodstains on a wall near the backyard pool and found blood-soaked towels in the washing machine.
This immediately raised serious concerns about Bella’s safety.
The breakthrough came when Bella’s maternal grandmother, Gladis Zeledon, arrived at her daughter’s home and noticed a white bucket on the front lawn.
When police officers opened the bucket, they found Bella’s body inside, confirming everyone’s worst fears.
As the criminal investigation continued, detectives found surveillance footage from nearby homes, which showed Landon pulling the wagon with the bucket the night before.
They also found her cell phone buried in a vacant lot, sealed inside a plastic bag.
When forensic experts examined the phone, they discovered that Landon had searched “criminal defense attorney trial preparation services” 16 times on her phone around the time of Bella’s death.
They also found a disturbing video on the phone showing Bella crying in her room, saying, “I want my grandma,” while Landon stuffed a towel under the door to block the sound of her cries.
The Jefferson Parish Coroner confirmed that Bella died from being strangled and also suffered a head injury from blunt-force trauma..
“The pathologist found numerous bruises on Bella’s head and abrasions on her neck that were indicative of the child’s fingernails scratching against Landon’s hands while she was being strangled,” the release states.
The autopsy also suggested that Bella may have still been alive, though unconscious, when Landon forced her body into the bucket.
Gina Mire, a mental health expert, said Landon wanted a perfect life with Michael and thought she was a better mom for Bella than her real mother.
She said Landon didn’t have much feeling for others and saw people as either all good or all bad.
“No one could do it better than her, not even the kids’ mom,” Mire said. “She thought she knew best and could make Michael happy with a perfect family"
Mire also said Landon didn’t care about how Bella felt.
“She had an attitude toward Bella. She didn’t try to understand her. If Bella was hungry, tired, or jealous, Landon didn’t care. Narcissists don’t put kids first — and she didn’t put Bella first,” said Mire
Forensic experts believe that Landon’s narcissistic traits and declining mental health led to the violent attack.
Investigators also found strange messages she sent to co-workers after the murder, including one where she said she was “at peace” with her decisions.
Altogether, the evidence clearly showed that Landon had carefully planned the killing, leaving no real doubt about her role in Bella’s death.
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| Bunnak Hannah Landon |
Justice For Bella: Trial and Sentencing of Bunnak Hannah Landon
Hannah Landon later turned herself in to the Harahan Police Department on the evening of April 26, 2023, approximately 24 hours after committing the murder.
Officers noted she appeared disoriented and was initially uncooperative during questioning.
She was transported to a local hospital for a psychiatric evaluation before being formally arrested and charged with first-degree murder.
The Jefferson Parish District Attorney's Office built their case using multiple pieces of evidence.
During the four-day trial in April 2025, prosecutors presented testimony from 22 witnesses, including Bella's teachers who testified about her behavioral changes.
The defense argued Landon was legally insane at the time of the murder, presenting testimony from forensic psychologist Dr. Sarah DeLand.
DeLand explained that Landon had a difficult childhood in Cambodia and was diagnosed with PTSD.
However, there was no past record of violence or child welfare reports linked to her.
Additionally, DeLand said she couldn’t confirm whether Landon had mental health issues at the time of the crime.
Prosecutors countered with their own expert, Dr. Gina Mire, who testified that Landon understood her actions and showed calculated behavior by hiding evidence.
During the trial, Landon’s sister claimed that Michael Fontenelle had physically abused Landon.
She suggested that the abuse may have influenced Landon’s actions and led her to make disturbing decisions.
However, these allegations were never confirmed by any police reports.
On May 1, 2025, the jury convicted Landon of first-degree murder and two counts of obstruction of justice, as reported by PEOPLE
On May 6, Judge Nancy Miller sentenced Landon to life in prison without parole for the murder, along with additional 40-year sentences for each count of obstruction, to be served consecutively.
Judge Miller emphasized that the consecutive sentences meant Landon would never be released, describing her actions as "evil on full display."
Landon was immediately transferred to the Louisiana Correctional Institute for Women to begin serving her sentence.
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