Daughter Of Woman Allegedly Battered By Former Mayor Speaks Out
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MIAMI (CBSMiami) – The 16-year-old daughter of a woman accusing a former Miami-Dade mayor of battering her is speaking out.
Evelyn Fernandez is battling cancer, and says she's not well enough to speak on camera. But she asked CBS4 to talk to her daughter, Kristina Fernandez, who was there and described the incident that put Alvarez behind bars.
CBS4'S Peter D'Oench met up with Kristina, a poised junior at Coral Gables High School.
She said her mother and Alvarez had been together since she was 2 years old, so she's always considered him a father figure. But she said once he left office in 2011, he changed.
"It all started when he left office and started going into bodybuilding. That's when all this started happening," she said.
She described several past incidents when Alvarez became verbally, and sometimes physically, abusive.
"She was gone and when she came back she was crying. There was spit on her face. Red marks on her arm that later turned into bruises. They were pretty bad," she said.
Evelyn Fernandez shared several pictures with CBS4 of the injuries she says he caused.
Alvarez, the former mayor and one-time police director, was suddenly on the other side of the criminal justice system.
Evelyn Fernandez is a Miami-Dade police lieutenant. She is currently on medical leave while being treated for her cancer.
The next court date for Alvarez is May 18th.
He posted $1,500 bond and promised to clear his name.
But for Kristina, watching her mother fighting for her life is very tough to take.
"It is honestly devastating to me, because I saw him as a father figure and he's been in my life as long as I can remember. But to see him do that is very hurtful it doesn't only affect her, but it affects me," she said.