BEVERLY HILLS WOMAN PLEAS TO 25 YEARS FOR AGGRAVATED CHILD ABUSE
(Citrus County, FL) Friday, April 11, 32-year-old Karina Fortune had a
pretrial detention hearing following her arrest earlier this month. During the
hearing, she openly pleaded guilty to the original charges of Aggravated Child
Abuse and was sentenced to 25 years in the Florida Department of Corrections.
On March 22, detectives with the Citrus County Sheriff’s Office (CCSO)
responded to a report involving a suspected missing or abducted 13-month-old
child. The child’s grandmother informed detectives that she had left the
infant in the care of a friend, later identified as Fortune, earlier that
week. Upon the child’s return, the grandmother noticed that the infant’s face
and body were covered in makeup, initially leading her to believe the child
was not her grandchild. Further investigation revealed the makeup had been
applied in an attempt to conceal severe physical injuries, and it was her
grandchild.
A medical examination revealed the infant had suffered horrific abuse,
including extensive bruising, burn marks, a broken arm, a fractured
collarbone, and severe dehydration. Fortune provided multiple unreasonable
explanations and provable lies to investigators regarding the timeline during
which she had custody of the victim. Detective Levi Garrison ultimately
obtained a confession, in which Fortune admitted to stepping on the child’s
body, feeding the child scalding-hot formula, and concealing the injuries out
of fear they would be discovered.
“This is a very disturbing and tragic case of child abuse, and it’s great to
hear that the victim is now in a safe, loving environment and recovering,”
said Special Victims Detective Levi Garrison. “The timeline provided outlines
a series of events that show the escalation of the abuse and the defendant’s
attempts to evade responsibility. Special thanks to the Department of Children
and Families, the Fifth Judicial Circuit State Attorney’s Office, ASA Yeager,
Jessie’s Place, responding deputies, and medical professionals for providing
much-needed care for the victim.”
