The state of Louisiana rested its case Thursday in the murder trial of Bunnak “Hannah” Landon, the 43-year-old woman accused of killing 6-year-old Bella Fontenelle in April 2023 and placing her body in a chlorine bucket left on the front lawn of the child’s mother’s home.
Landon has pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity. On the same day the prosecution concluded, her defense team began calling witnesses, including a paramedic and a forensic psychologist, to support claims of Landon’s mental instability.
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Paramedic Ashley Whittington testified she encountered Landon in the early hours of April 26, 2023, after police reported she was behaving strangely. Whittington said Landon appeared paranoid, was having visual hallucinations, and agreed to go to the hospital, though she was disoriented and withdrawn.
Dr. Sarah DeLand, a board-certified forensic psychologist who evaluated Landon 13 times following her arrest, told the court that Landon showed signs of severe trauma, memory loss, and possible psychosis. DeLand said, “She consistently states she does not remember what happened,” adding, “She remembers some things after the fact.
She reported to me that she remembered finding Bella and putting her finger in blood and putting marks around the house. She doesn’t remember why she did that.” One chilling detail revealed by Dr. DeLand was that Landon recalled hugging the bucket containing Bella’s body but had no memory of how the child ended up inside it.
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While DeLand believes Landon may have experienced a psychotic episode, she stressed that the lack of video evidence and eyewitnesses made it impossible to determine Landon’s exact mental state at the time. “I cannot say with any certainty based on her memory deficits,” she told the jury.
Landon had previously been declared competent to stand trial by two court-appointed doctors in August 2023. A challenge to that ruling was denied by the Louisiana Supreme Court earlier this year. Landon faces charges of first-degree murder and two counts of obstruction of justice.
Prosecutors allege she strangled Bella, caused blunt-force head trauma, and then placed her body in a bucket. Surveillance footage reportedly shows her pulling a wagon carrying the bucket before leaving it at the victim’s mother’s home. Detectives also testified about disturbing internet searches for defense attorneys and efforts to bury her phone on the night of the killing.
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