Michael Trantor, the father of four children murdered by their stepfather, Lee Ford, has recounted the horrific details of the killings that occurred on or around August 30, 2000, in Carnkie, Cornwall.
Ford bludgeoned his wife, Lesley, to death with a baseball bat before murdering their four children—Sarah Jane, Anne Marie, Steven, and Craig—in their home. Trantor, who is the birth father of the children, described how Ford allegedly drugged them and then strangled them one by one in the kitchen.
Following the murders, Ford attempted to conceal the bodies. He told neighbors that Lesley had left with the children. The bodies of the teenagers were later discovered wrapped in sheets and covered with lime in a woodshed in Ford's backyard. Ford confessed to the murders but did not provide a motive. He received five life sentences.
It is believed that Lesley discovered that Ford was sexually abusing one of her daughters, which may have led to the murders. Trantor expressed his ongoing grief and his determination to prevent Ford's release. He is involved in a petition to ensure Ford remains incarcerated for the rest of his life.
"My aim is for the justice system to come out and do the right thing by telling him he will never, ever come out. And that's why there's a petition going. I just want him to rot in hell," Trantor stated, speaking on the Key Witness: Aftermath podcast.
Ford was initially given a minimum sentence of 35 years before being eligible for parole, which was later reduced to 27 years on appeal. The petition has garnered nearly 50,000 signatures, calling for Ford to remain in prison due to the calculated nature of his crimes and his lack of remorse.
Trantor has previously spoken about feeling responsible for not protecting his children, stating, "I totally think it's my fault and I shouldn't think that way."