Mother accused of murder denied a bond reduction

Fred Petke

Murder suspect Jessilyn Robinson lost one attempt at a bond reduction Thursday in light of an expert report that her daughter could have died from a fall.

Robinson, 34, is charged with the death of her 4-year-old daughter, Faith Raeanne Robinson, on May 29, 2008.

Since her arrest in September, Robinson has been held on a $250,000 cash bond in the Clark County Jail. Thursday afternoon, her attorney, Scott West, said an expert witness reviewed the reports in the case and believed that Faith could have died by falling in the bathtub. as Jessilyn Robinson said.

“My expert … concluded there’s no physical evidence that would preclude her death due to a fall,” West told Clark Circuit Judge William Clouse. He also said medical personnel reported finding a knot on the child’s head.

Assistant Commonwealth’s Attorney Heidi Engel “vehemently” opposed any change in bond, including West’s suggestion of a $50,000 unsecured bond.

“The weight of the medical evidence (said) this injury was caused by severe blunt force trauma to the head,” Engel said.

Clouse overruled the motion, partly due to the lack of other alternative bonds. He said he would remain open to future bond motions, if there were further developments.

Investigators, though, believe the child died from other means. Clark County Sheriff Berl Perdue was notified on May 29 by doctors at the University of Kentucky Medical Center that the child died from a subdural hematona and injuries that were more consistent with being shaken violently than from a fall.

EMS personnel were called to the Robinson home on May 28 after Jessilyn Robinson called and said her daughter fell in the bathtub. Perdue said the ambulance crew did not notice any obvious wounds or injuries.

Robinson and her husband adopted Faith Robinson and her brother while they lived in Rhode Island.

Contact Fred Petke at fpetke@winchestersun.com.