‘She was my mini-me,’ SC Food Network star says of foster daughter who died in her care

The Food Network star on trial in the beating death of her foster daughter testified Thursday she did not inflict the repeated blows that killed the 3-year-old girl.

Ariel Robinson took the stand as the last defense witness and said she was sitting in a glider and holding Victoria Smith in her arms when the child went limp.

Robinson testified she never saw the bruises on Victoria’s abdomen and legs until after she was arrested on a charge of homicide by child abuse when she was shown photos taken by police.

Robinson cried several times during her testimony when she described her special bond with Victoria, the girl she always wanted after giving birth to two boys.

Ariel and her husband Austin had custody of Victoria and her two older biological brothers for 10 months and were scheduled to adopt them the week after Victoria died.

“Tori was a perfect child,’ Ariel Robinson testified and later added “She was my mini-me.”

On the day Victoria died, Robinson said she made pancakes, got Victoria from her room and worked on her computer as the child ate for about an hour. Afterward, Victoria played in her room and came out to say she had wet her pants.

Austin Robinson changed her and then Ariel sat with her in the chair with a heating blanket because Victoria was cold.

“She acted like she was going to throw up,” Ariel Robinson said.

She used the Heimlich maneuver and then CPR while her husband called 911.

Under questioning from her lawyer Bill Bouton, she said Austin lied to her repeatedly through their marriage and that their marriage was shaky due to the lies and limited finances. She said she intended to leave him and take the children after the adoption was finalized.

Robinson also said her husband “has the scariest kind of anger issues.” He bottles it up and then gets furious.

Her testimony was in direct opposition to what her husband testified Tuesday. Austin Robinson said he was outside and heard Ariel yelling and Victoria crying. When he went inside and saw Ariel with a belt, he said, “You’ve gone too far this time.”

He said his wife was angry because Victoria was taking too long to eat.

Assistant Solicitor Christy Sustkovitch, on cross examination, asked Ariel Robinson a series of rapid-fire questions about her testimony. Robinson did not change her story.

She also denied testimony given by two church friends who said she had spoken in an unfeeling way toward Victoria the day before.

She said she did not say, “Girls who make themselves throw up deserve to be cold.”

In her closing statement, Sustkovitch told the jury Ariel Robinson lied to them repeatedly. She saw the bruises as medical personnel worked to save her life and immediately started fashioning a story, blaming some bruises on her failed CPR effort and the others on Victoria’s 7-year-old brother.

“Victoria Rose Smith was beaten to death and the evidence shows Ariel Robinson did that,” the prosecutor said.

She also said the delay in calling for help contributed to Victoria’s death and should be considered neglect, which is part of the charge of homicide by child abuse..

Bouton said only two people could have killed Victoria.

“Austin doesn’t have the reputation for being truthful,” he said, later adding, “He has serious credibility issues.”

Austin Robinson pleaded guilty to aiding and abetting homicide by child abuse last month. He faces 10 to 20 years in prison and will be sentenced after the trial is over.

Greenville County’s chief medical examiner testified Wednesday that the blows to Victoria were as severe as if she had been in a car accident.

Dr. Michael Ward, the medical examiner, presented 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,” all done within an hour.

Ward said the strikes caused blood to pool in her legs, causing blood flow to be restricted to her brain.

Robinson, a former teacher, was a winner of the Food Network show “Worst Cooks in America” and had launched a career as a comic when Victoria died.

She worked in middle schools in Greenville and Laurens counties before that.

The jury began deliberating shortly before 1 p.m. Thursday.

This story was originally published May 12, 2022 at 1:50 PM.