Jury convicts Miami-Dade nurse in 2018 murder of adoptive daughter, abuse of 2 others

A jury on Tuesday convicted a Miami-Dade nurse in the 2018 death of her 7-year-old adoptive daughter and the abuse of her other two adopted children.

Gina Emmanuel, 56, had been indicted on first-degree murder for the premeditated killing of 7-year-old Samaya, and on two counts of aggravated child abuse causing great bodily harm. 

She was found guilty on all three charges. The jury's guilty verdict came after an hour of deliberations and listening to testimony for three days in Emannuel's trial.

Closing arguments were heard on Monday.

Records show Emmanuel, a registered nurse, continuously abused her children for several months by forcing them to eat human waste, burning their hands on the stove, taping them to a chair, and withholding food and water from them.

Prosecutors stated during closing arguments that Emmanuel locked the refrigerator and only provided certain meals.  

During her trial, one of the surviving children told jurors, "She would chain us, she would have us lay down, she would chain us and lock until she got back." 

Detectives said they found suspicious injuries on the bodies of all three girls, allegedly caused by Emmanuel. 

Dr. Emma Lew, a retired medical examiner, told jurors Samaya had injuries, "from her face, down to her neck, down to her chest, abdomen, back, both arms, and both legs."

Lew ruled the cause of death was acute and chronic physical and emotional abuse. 

Emmanuel declined to testify in her trial. 

Miami-Dade Corrections

Miami-Dade Corrections

Her attorney admitted there was discipline, "but it was reasonable corporal punishment that is permitted by law, not child abuse." 

Defense attorneys also claimed the child died from her untreated diabetes and of natural causes.

Sentencing will take place in two weeks.

Miami-Dade State Attorney Katherine Fernandez Rundle released a statement on the verdict.

"No one could ever imagine that a trained nurse would beat, torture, and starve Samaya and her 2 adopted sisters as a means of instilling the defendant’s vision of discipline. The jury fully understood that she ultimately ignored the suffering of young Samaya which led to this child’s death," the statement read. "One should admire the courage it took for Samaya’s sister, 12-years-old at the time of the abuse, to come forward and testify in court, before judges, lawyers, jurors, and others in order for the truth to be told."