40 years for Philly’s ‘Basement of Horrors’ crimes

A 38-year-old woman who tortured and starved runaways and disabled adults in West Palm Beach before she and others were arrested in what was dubbed the “Basement of Horrors” case in Philadelphia was handed a 40-year sentence this week by a federal judge in Pennsylvania.

Jean McIntosh, who was sentenced this week, is the daughter of 58-year-old Linda Weston. Police described Weston as the ringleader of a 10-year reign of terror against mentally challenged adults and others who were kidnapped and imprisoned at various locations across the country.

Beaten, drugged and confined in locked rooms, the victims were powerless to stop Weston and her so-called family from cashing their disability checks or reporting their abuse to authorities, prosecutors said.

Weston, who was handed a life sentence plus 80 years in 2015, pleaded guilty to dozens of the 196 charges she faced. She is appealing her sentence and has written a federal judge a letter insisting, “I am not a bad person.”

However, even seasoned prosecutors described the case as shocking.

“It is hard to fathom this kind of disregard for the dignity of human life,” said Philadelphia-area U.S. Attorney William McSwain. “The stomach-turning details of this case and unspeakable acts of cruelty McIntosh inflicted on her helpless victims serve as a stark reminder that pure evil does exist in the world.”

In addition to McIntosh and Weston, three men — including one from West Palm Beach — were arrested when police found four emaciated men and women chained to a boiler in a basement of a Philadelphia apartment in 2011. Among the roughly 10 other severely malnourished and tortured teens and disabled adults police found, locked in other rooms was a 15-year-old runaway from West Palm Beach. Two of the victims died as a result of the mistreatment.

For roughly a year before the ghastly discovery, Weston rented homes and apartments on Broadway and 52nd Street, West Palm Beach records showed. Neighbors recalled the chaos that erupted, with muffled cries and angry invectives filling the air. Beatings were common, they said.

Eddie Wright, 57, and former West Palm Beach resident Nicklaus Woodard have pleaded guilty to multiple charges in connection with their role in the scheme.