Miami-Dade County, Fla. (Le Floridien) – A former Haitian nurse convicted of subjecting her adopted daughters to years of unimaginable abuse was sentenced to life in prison Wednesday for the murder of 7-year-old Samaya Gordon, whose death in 2018 laid bare a horrifying pattern of torture and neglect.
Gina Emmanuel, 56, sat emotionless as Miami-Dade Circuit Judge Cristina Miranda handed down the life sentence. She offered no apology, even as two of Samaya’s surviving sisters — now young adults — confronted her in court with searing accounts of the pain she inflicted.
“I wish you well in hell,” said Ayanna Gordon, 18, her voice steady with rage. Samaya’s sister, Samariah, was also present in the courtroom as Judge Miranda imposed two additional 30-year sentences for aggravated child abuse, to be served concurrently.
Samaya, adopted alongside her three sisters in 2017, had been entrusted to Emmanuel by the state of Florida years earlier. But what was meant to be a haven became a house of horror.
During trial, jurors heard harrowing testimony detailing how Emmanuel systematically abused the girls. The children were starved, burned on stoves, forced to eat feces, and restrained with chains and tape. Medical experts confirmed that Samaya died of pneumonia and sepsis — complications from a respiratory infection that went untreated amid chronic abuse.
Emmanuel, a trained nurse at the time, was arrested in 2019 following an investigation that exposed the extent of her cruelty. In April, a jury found her guilty of first-degree murder and two counts of aggravated child abuse causing great bodily harm.
Miami-Dade State Attorney Katherine Fernandez Rundle praised the bravery of the survivors, particularly Samariah, who at just 12 years old provided pivotal testimony. “No one could ever imagine that a trained nurse would beat, torture, and starve Samaya and her two adopted sisters,” she said in a statement following the verdict.
Robert Gordon, Samaya’s grandfather, who is visually impaired, fought back tears as he addressed the court. “I think about inflicting pain on you every day,” he told Emmanuel. “I wish I could have been involved sooner.”
Emmanuel’s attorneys have indicated they intend to appeal the convictions.
Still, for a family forever scarred and a community shaken, the sentence closes a chapter on one of the most disturbing child abuse cases in recent South Florida history.
LF with .local10.com
