Source: Pinellas County Jail / Pinellas County Jail
A Florida woman who admitted to killing her two-year-old son has been convicted of his murder. Charisse Stinson, 23, was sentenced to 50 years in prison for the murder of Jordan Belliveau, the young boy who inspired Florida’s new Jordan’s Law, People reported. Stinson was convicted of first and second-degree murder and will receive credit for the two years she has already served.
At first, Stinson lied to investigators and said she accepted a ride from a stranger for her and Belliveau and the stranger knocked her unconscious before kidnapping the child. Police searched for the toddler for 60 hours before his body was found behind a sports complex in Largo, Florida. Stinson later admitted that Belliveau hit his head on the wall after she hit him and he started to have seizures after, The Florida Times Union reported. He died due to blunt force trauma. Due to her false story, Stinson was fined $28,000 for making a false report to law enforcement.
In court, Stinson gave a statement where she said she is a changed woman.
“I want the court to know that I am not the same Charisse I was when I walked in. I have done a lot of things to change, and I’ll continue to change,” she said according to People. “For a while, I was so angry and bitter before I came to jail. And now I’m free, mentally. I am not in bondage anymore, and that is the gift God has given me. I want to thank my son for that.”
According to Florida Politics, Jordan’s Law “reduces case manager’s workload, streamlines communication between agencies and increase training for parents, caseworkers, and law enforcement.” The goal is to make it more possible for child protective workers to recognize signs of child abuse more early on before a child sees the same fate of Belliveau. Belliveau had been removed from Stinson’s care before and placed in foster care with his grandmother, Jessica Belliveau. Florida Politics reported that Stinson wasn’t compliant and did not complete mandated classes but Belliveau was still returned to her care. Jessica Belliveau filed a lawsuit a wrongful death suit against Stinson and Eckerd Youth Alternatives and Directions for Living.
