Blows that killed child as forceful as a car accident, SC Food Network star trial reveals
The 3-year-old foster child who died last year suffered repeated blows as forceful as if she was injured in a car accident, Greenville County’s chief medical examiner testified Wednesday.
Ariel Robinson is on trial in this week, charged with homicide by child abuse in the death of Victoria Smith. Robinson, a former teacher, was a winner of the Food Network show “Worst Cooks in America” and had launched a career as a comic before Victoria died. Robinson told the judge she will testify. She is expected to take the stand Thursday morning and the case could go to the jury after lunch.
Robinson claims Victoria’s 7-year-old brother caused the injuries that killed her.
Dr. Michael Ward, the medical examiner, testified a 7-year-old did not have the strength or ability to hold Victoria down long enough to have caused the injuries.
Ward used evidence photos to show where individual blows bruised Victoria on her back, abdomen and legs. On her legs there were lacerations that looked like they came from a belt buckle.
He described the blows as “innumerable.”
Ward said the strikes caused the layers of skin and tissue to separate and the blood to pool in her legs, causing blood flow to be restricted to her brain.
He said all of the blows were done within a period of an hour.
Ward also said the bruises on Victoria’s body could not have been caused by improper application of the Heimlich maneuver or CPR as Robinson claimed.
Robinson’s husband testified Tuesday that his wife beat Victoria with a belt. When he saw the injuries, he said, “You’ve gone too far this time.”
Robinson did not discount her statement to police at the scene, but after he was charged with homicide by child abuse he told police his wife beat Victoria over the course of an hour on Jan. 14, 2021, the day Victoria died.
Austin Robinson pleaded guilty to aiding and abetting homicide by child abuse last month. He said he heard his wife yelling at Victoria and could hear her being hit with something from outside the house as he did chores. When he went inside he saw his wife standing over Victoria with a belt, angry that the child did not eat her pancakes fast enough.
He faces 10 to 20 years in prison and will be sentenced at the trial’s end.
Two fellow church members of the Robinsons testified Wednesday that they saw Victoria and Ariel Robinson the night before the girl died in the church bathroom. Robinson was cleaning up Victoria after she threw up in the car on the way to church.
They did not see any bruises.
One church member, Avery Santiago, said she heard Victoria say she was cold.
Ariel replied, “Oh, you’re cold. You’re cold. Girls who make themselves throw up deserve to be cold.” The defense rested its case Wednesday afternoon. The defense called one witness.
Victoria and her two older brothers had been in the custody of Ariel and Austin Robinson for less than a year. The Robinsons were scheduled to adopt them a few days after Victoria died.
Ariel Robinson has been held in the Greenville County Detention Center since her arrest.
She won the Food Network television show “Worst Cooks in America” in August 2020. The show is hosted by celebrity chefs Alex Guarnaschelli and Anne Burrell.
Robinson had a big persona on the show, happy and loud and calling her stomach “Shirley.”
“Do you talk to your stomach, like ‘hey,’” Guarnaschelli said.
Robinson responded, “You know she talks to me. I’m like, I’m going to get a salad today and she says no we want a cheeseburger today. And Shirley gets what she wants.”
Robinson also was a frequent poster to Facebook and Instagram, showing family photos, especially of the intricate hair designs she did for Victoria, neatly separated rows of tight braids, topped with a large bow.
“I live by two things,” she said in one video. “Love God and love others.”
This story was originally published May 11, 2022 at 1:48 PM.