Linda Ann Weston Gets Life Plus 80 Years in “Tacony Dungeon” Case

A horrifying case from 2011 has finally come to a close, with 55-year-old Philadelphia woman Linda Ann Weston being sentenced Thursday to life in prison plus 80 years for holding disabled adults captive in the basement, closets and attic of a Tacony home.

In September, Weston pleaded guilty to all charges, which included racketeering, conspiracy, forced human labor, involuntary servitude, hate crimes, sex trafficking, and kidnapping, among other charges. Her motive? Money.

Weston invited mentally challenged adults to move into the house, with the condition being that she would receive their Social Security funds. She received their disability and other checks and took the money for herself, keeping them locked up to keep the funds flowing. In addition to the prison sentence, she was ordered to pay the Social Security Administration over $270,000.

According to prosecutors, Weston’s victims were drugged and kept in dark rooms. At times, they tried to escape and steal food, so Weston would beat them with bats, hammers and the butt of a pistol. She also burned and stabbed them.

The scheme lasted for ten years, from 2001 to 2011. A malnourished victim died in 2005, and another died of bacterial meningitis and starvation in 2008.

On October 15, 2011, Philadelphia Police discovered the horrific situation and rescued the captives. Weston’s victims included six adults and four children.

Weston didn’t act alone. Her daughter and a man also pleaded guilty. Other alleged co-conspirators are awaiting trial.

It wasn’t Weston’s first time in the criminal justice system. Weston was convicted of voluntary manslaughter and conspiracy in the death of a man in 1981. She locked him in a closet for two months, and he was fed just four times. She was released after four years but was sent back to prison after she violated her parole. She was released again and once again violated her parole but was never recaptured. That case was eventually closed.