‘I wish you well in hell.’ Ex-Miami nurse sentenced to life for her daughter’s murder

Ayanna Gordon walked out of a Miami-Dade courtroom Wednesday holding a celebratory cake after a judge sentenced her adoptive mother to life in prison for killing her 7-year-old sister, following years of abuse.

Gina Emmanuel, 56, a former Miami nurse, showed no emotion as Judge Cristina Miranda sentenced her to life in prison for first-degree murder, plus two 30-year terms for child abuse, to be served concurrently. A jury had found her guilty on April 15 in the 2018 death of her adopted daughter, Samayah.

The courtroom was packed with supporters, including detectives and Samayah’s relatives, awaiting the long-anticipated sentencing.

Gordon, now 18, is one of four siblings Emmanuel adopted— three sisters and a brother. Facing Emmanuel, who declined to speak, Gordon described caring for her younger sister, recalling how she would teach her to read and do multiplication tables.

“The last two factors that she [Samayah] memorized was seven times two: 14,” Gordon said. “She would have been 14 this year.”

Gordon recalled how Emmanuel called herself a “tough cookie,” but Gordon told her that she, too, is a tough cookie — “tougher than you could think.”

“I wish you well in hell,” Gordon said to Emmanuel, referring to a quote from rapper Cardi B. Gordon is set to graduate from a Miami-Dade high school in June, and is excited to start college and study business management.

“It seems that this is going to be a very good year for you,” Judge Miranda told Gordon.

“The guilty verdict in Gina Emmanuel’s first-degree murder and child abuse trial brought to the light of day the horrors 7-year-old Samayah so tragically suffered before her death,” Miami-Dade State Attorney Katherine Fernandez Rundle said after Emmanuel’s April 15 guilty verdict.

“No one could ever imagine that a trained nurse would beat, torture, and starve Samayah and her two adopted sisters as a means of instilling the defendant’s vision of discipline,” Fernandez Rundle said.

Emmanuel’s nursing license was at the center of controversy after Samayah’s death.

She continued to work as a nurse until the Florida Board of Nursing revoked her license in October 2020, citing her failure to report the abuse and neglect that led to Samayah’s death.

Emmanuel was not arrested until October 2019, nearly a year after Samayah’s death.

The Department of Children and Families removed Samayah’s siblings from Emmanuel’s home after her death and placed them in a foster home. Emmanuel was allowed to have supervised visits with them for one hour a week until May 2019 when a Miami-Dade judge terminated her parental rights.

Tied to furniture, burned on stoves

Emmanuel had been fostering Samayah and her three siblings since 2014, and formally adopted all four children in 2017.

On Nov. 3, 2018, Samayah was found unresponsive inside the family’s home and was later pronounced dead at the hospital.

Her death immediately raised red flags.

Detectives noted signs of abuse on her body and alerted child welfare officials, who launched an investigation.

Two days later, on Nov. 5, the two surviving girls, aged 6 and 12, were examined by child abuse specialists at the University of Miami.

Doctors found evidence of long-term physical abuse: healed belt marks, burn scars on their hands and fingers and other signs of trauma, according to Emmanuel’s arrest affidavit.

Samayah and Ayanna’s grandfather addressed Emmanuel at her sentencing, telling her that he forgives but that he can’t forget what she did to his grandchildren.

“I wish I could beat within an inch of your life every day, but unfortunately, I can’t,” said the visually impaired Robert Gordon, who was led to the stand by Ayanna. “I’ll leave that up to the women in prison.”

The girls told investigators that Emmanuel had routinely beaten them and Samayah with belts, brushes, and a back scratcher. They were forced to stand for hours, tied to furniture when they collapsed, blindfolded with socks and burned on the stove as punishment.

They were also made to sleep on the floor if they wet the bed.

During the trial, Gordon testified that Emmanuel would chain them and lock them up until she returned home.

“One should admire the courage it took for Samayah’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,” Fernandez Rundle said.

Gaping wounds

In the weeks before her death, Samayah became seriously ill. She had flu-like symptoms, including coughing, fainting and trouble walking—but still, Emmanuel did not seek medical care.

The Miami-Dade Medical Examiner’s Office said Samayah died after an untreated flu developed into pneumonia and sepsis.

An autopsy revealed extensive injuries: healed whip-like marks on her body, burns on her hands, and untreated “gaping wounds” on her knees and hands that would have required specialized care.

Experts concluded that her death could have been prevented and was the direct result of prolonged abuse and neglect.

This story was originally published April 30, 2025 at 4:23 PM.