A father is recounting the harrowing details of how his four children were murdered one by one by their stepfather, Lee Ford, more than two decades ago. Michael Trantor, the biological father of Sarah Jane, Anne Marie, Steven, and Craig, spoke out 26 years after the killings in the Cornish village of Carnkie.
Ford bludgeoned his wife, Lesley, to death before murdering their four children, who were aged between 13 and 17, around August 30, 2000. According to Trantor, the children were drugged and then taken to the kitchen where Ford strangled them. The bodies of the teenagers were subsequently placed in a woodshed in the back garden, wrapped in sheets and covered with lime.
Ford confessed to the murders but never provided a motive. He received five life sentences for the crimes. The killings are believed to have occurred after Lesley discovered Ford was sexually abusing one of her daughters.
Following the murders, Ford initially attempted to conceal his actions by telling neighbors that Lesley had left with the children. However, Lesley's brother reported her missing in October 2000, leading to the discovery of the bodies and Ford's arrest.
Trantor expressed his enduring grief and frustration, speaking on the Key Witness: Aftermath podcast. He revealed that Ford had reportedly asked to meet him, a prospect Trantor finds unlikely given his belief that Ford would show no remorse. A petition has been established by the family, garnering nearly 50,000 signatures, urging that Ford never be released from prison. The petition states that Ford, having planned and executed the murder of five people and covered it up, should remain incarcerated for life.
Ford was initially given a minimum sentence of 35 years before parole eligibility, but this was later reduced to 27 years on appeal. The petition emphasizes the catastrophic impact of the deaths on family and friends, and notes Ford's lack of remorse and failure to provide a reason for the killings.