After three days of testimony, jurors heard closing arguments in the trial of a Miami-Dade nurse charged in the death of her 7-year-old adoptive daughter, who died back in 2018.
Gina Emmanuel, 56, was indicted on first-degree murder for the premeditated killing of 7-year-old Samaya. Emannuel is also facing two counts of aggravated child abuse causing great bodily harm.
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WATCH HERERecords 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.
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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 Gina.
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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.
Emmanuelle denied testifying in her trial.
However, 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.
