Miami nurse sentenced to life in prison for graphic child abuse where adoptive daughter died from medical neglect
A Miami-Dade County nurse was sentenced to life in prison for brutally abusing her adoptive daughters for several years.
Gina Emmanuel, 56, was sentenced to life in prison plus 30 years for abusing the three girls she had adopted back in 2017, which eventually led to the middle child dying from being denied immediate medical care.
As Emmanuel waited emotionless in court, family members gave statements against her, including 18-year-old Ayanna Gordon, one of the children Emmanuel adopted, who spoke on behalf of her sisters.
"Don't do the crime if you can't do the time," she said. "I'm letting God take this wheel. With that now said, I wish you well — in Hell."
A disturbing tale of abuse and neglect
In 2017, Emmanuel adopted three sisters — then ages 12, 7 and 6 — and severely abused all of them.
In late 2018, the seven-year-old, Samayah, became severely ill, and Emmanuel reportedly failed to seek medical attention for the child. Samayah later died from her sickness, where her cause of death was later determined to be pneumonia and sepsis due to medical neglect.
The girl's death prompted police to investigate the circumstances surrounding it, and they discovered the other girls had suspicious injuries, leading them to launch a deeper investigation in 2019.
The surviving sisters told police of their extensive and ongoing abuse by Emmanuel, including beatings, burnings, forced standing for hours, being tied to furniture, and being denied food.
According to court records, Emmanuel allegedly also caused permanent injuries to the girls, including burning their hands on a stove.
Eventually, Emmanuel was arrested and charged with three counts of child abuse and neglect. In October 2019, she appeared before a judge, where the prosecutor emphasized the severity of the case. The judge ordered Emmanuel to have no contact with the surviving children and set her bond to $120,000.
Since then, Emmanuel had been on trial as the Florida Department of Children and Families reviewed the case.
On April 15, Emmanuel pleaded guilty to first-degree murder and child abuse. During the trial, the eldest sister testified against Emmanuel.
Since the case was brought into the light, the surviving children were placed in foster case and found new homes.
