Florida woman sentenced to 50 years in 2018 beating death of 2-year-old son Jordan Belliveau

LARGO, Fla. — A Florida woman who, in 2018, claimed her 2-year-old son had been kidnapped, only to later admit to beating him and leaving his body in some woods, was sentenced last week to 50 years in prison.

Charisse Denae Stinson, 23, of Largo, pleaded guilty Tuesday to second-degree murder and making a false report to law enforcement, according to the Tampa Bay Times. Stinson was initially charged with first-degree murder in the death of her son, Jordan Belliveau Jr.

Stinson falsely claimed that she’d accepted a ride Sept. 1, 2018, from a man who knocked her unconscious and kidnapped Jordan. Law enforcement officials from multiple agencies spent the next several days searching for the boy, who was the subject of an Amber Alert.

Police went so far as to release a sketch of the alleged kidnapper, who Stinson said called himself Antwan.

Jordan’s body was found three days later, buried in the woods behind a baseball field in Largo.

At the time, Largo police officials told reporters that parts of Stinson’s story “didn’t make sense” and that detectives felt parts of the young mother’s story were false even as they searched for her son.

“During her interview, she would constantly change what she was saying based on the line of questioning,” Maj. Stephen Slaughter said in 2018, according to WFTV in Orlando. “There was no feeling with them that there was any remorse, only her attempting to escape the reality of the story by making things up as she went.”

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As for Antwan, authorities said they believe he never existed.

“Her story about being in (Largo) Central Park was a deception on her part,” Slaughter said. "In subsequent interviews she admitted she made up the story. The injuries were, by her own admission, self-inflicted.

“In the time in question when she stated she was unconscious in the park, she was actually at another location, which is where we subsequently found the body.”

The case led to outrage not only at Stinson but also at Florida’s child welfare system. Jordan had been removed from his mother’s care at the age of 6 months and placed in a foster home.

Jordan’s foster parents, who nicknamed him Mr. Chuckles because of his boisterous nature, cared for him for the majority of his life. He was returned to his mother three months before the murder, against the advice of the guardian ad litem assigned to Jordan by the court, the Times reported.

A caseworker with the Florida Department of Children and Families visited Stinson’s home the day he was killed, according to the newspaper.

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After Jordan’s body was found, Stinson admitted to detectives that she had lied about the abduction. According to her arrest affidavit, she told investigators she’d struck Jordan in the face during a moment of frustration.

His head hit a wall inside their home, causing him to have seizures overnight.

“As the victim’s health declined during the following day, the defendant carried him to a wooded area during the night, where the victim’s body was left,” the affidavit states.

Jordan’s body had visible injuries that corroborated Stinson’s confession, according to the document.

An autopsy report obtained by the Times indicated that Jordan died of blunt force trauma. He had a healing cut on his chin, deep cuts and a broken leg.

The boy had a skull fracture, a brain hemorrhage and bleeding beneath his scalp, the report stated. When his body was found, he had been left in 5 to 6 inches of water and partially covered with brush.

Like her son, Stinson spent large chunks of her youth in foster care. Stinson, who gave birth to her second child while awaiting trial, told the judge Tuesday that she’s become a better person in jail.

“For a while, I was so angry and bitter before I came to jail,” Stinson told the court. "And now I’m free, mentally. I may not be free physically. But I want my mom to know that I am free mentally.

“I am not held in bondage anymore, and that is the greatest gift that God has given me. And I thank my son for that because I was lost for a long time.”

In a jailhouse interview with WFLA in Tampa, Stinson said she regrets the hurt she caused to her son and so many others. She said she was in a dark place when she killed Jordan, and it is her son for whom she said she has changed.

“I hated life, I hated myself. I didn’t know how to love,” Stinson said. “I loved my son. And I was so disappointed in myself because he did not deserve what happened to him at all. No child deserves that.”

Jordan’s father, who did not attend Stinson’s sentencing hearing, told the Times he doesn’t think her 50-year sentence is harsh enough punishment for killing their son.

“I’m not nobody’s creator,” Jordan Belliveau Sr., 24, told the paper. “I can’t say when somebody dies. But that’s what I would’ve liked.”

Belliveau said he has not been allowed to see the child Stinson gave birth to since Jordan’s death. The same foster family who cared for Jordan took in his younger sibling when the child was born.

Jordan’s killing prompted Florida state Rep. Chris Latvala, R-Clearwater, to draft “Jordan’s Law,” a bill designed to require more training for caseworkers to recognize signs of head trauma. It is also designed to improve communication between child welfare and law enforcement agencies, the Times reported.

The bill became law this summer.

“Precious baby Jordan will leave a legacy on many, and his legacy is that kids like him hopefully will have better opportunities than he had and better outcomes than he had,” Latvala said in a statement.

The Largo Police Department, which investigated Jordan’s disappearance and death, thanked the community for their support during the probe.

“Largo is home to wonderful and caring individuals that mourned Jordan’s death together as a community,” police officials said. “Largo also extends gratitude to (Latvala) for taking action and drafting legislation known as ‘Jordan’s Law’ that will keep children safer in Florida’s child welfare system.”

Cox Media Group