Motivational Speaker Charged With Child Homicide After 7-Month-Old Daughter Drowns During Bath

An acclaimed Australian motivational speaker was charged over the death of her seven-month-old daughter after the baby was found unresponsive by police officers. The child allegedly drowned in the bathtub.

Fiori Giovanni, 35, has been charged with child homicide in connection with the July 18 death of her baby. Cops were dispatched to an apartment building in Southbank, Melbourne, regarding a baby being found unresponsive. Paramedics tried to resuscitate the child but she died at the scene, according to Australian daily The Age.

On Wednesday, Melbourne Magistrates Court heard the charge involved an alleged act of criminal negligence by Giovanni. This was because officials believed she allegedly left the baby, named Ilen, unsupervised in the bath along with her two-year-old brother, which resulted in her drowning death.

The charge would be manslaughter if the child wasn’t under the age of six. “The accused at Southbank on (July 18) did kill, a child under the age of 6 years, in circumstances but for the age of (the child) would constitute manslaughter,” according to the court documents.

Giovanni, who lives with her partner Ben Bellinger, had reportedly attempted to hide the allegations against her from the public fearing backlash. Her lawyer, Adrian Lewin, told the Magistrates' Court Wednesday that Giovanni had received hate mail for opposing the manner in which African community's crime is represented in the Australian national media.

After the death of Ilen, Giovanni left a tribute on social media to her, where she called her their "beautiful little angel.”

Giovanni’s website revealed she was nearly forced into an arranged marriage as a teenager in her homeland of Eritrea, in northeast Africa, according to Australian outlet News.com. She describes herself as an entrepreneur, keynote speaker, media commentator, human rights activist, and best-selling author. She has penned numerous opinion pieces for various outlets on a range of issues. Giovanni’s Instagram account had been deactivated as of Wednesday.

She made a career out of sharing her life story. Her autobiography, “Defy your Destiny,” documents her journey from being a refugee to reaching Australia to building a career as an author.

She was not in court for the hearing but is scheduled to appear Nov. 25. Her bail conditions were extended to that date.