How did 3-year-old Victoria Rose Smith end up dead in foster care? A timeline
TAMIA BOYD | Greenville News
Victoria Rose Smith was just 2 years old when she first was in the care of the Robinson family in 2020. She was turning 3 soon. She, along with her two biological brothers, ages 5 and 7, were expecting to be adopted by late January 2021.
Jerry and Ariel Robinson had been going through private adoption agencies but when things fell through they went to the state Department of Social Services where they found Victoria.
Soon enough, Jerry Robinson felt like he was a big Teddy bear to Victoria while Ariel Robinson described her relationship with Victoria as "perfect."
And yet last week, Ariel Robinson was found guilty of homicide by child abuse in the death of 3-year-old Victoria. Jerry Robinson pleaded guilty last month.
The couple, among others, spent time on the witness stand during Ariel Robinson's trial detailing the events that unfolded in and around the Robinson home in the hours and days leading up to Victoria's beating death.
Prosecutors presented evidence during the Greenville County trial to argue Victoria was beaten to death by a belt and died from internal bleeding.
Gruesome photos of Victoria's lifeless body, body camera video from inside the family's home and testimony from doctors, officers, first responders and church members led jurors to deliver the guilty verdict after just over an hour of deliberating.
Details that would unfold during a four-day jury trial helped piece together the moments of chaos and confusion leading up to Victoria's death. Some of the findings have led Victoria's biological family to question the role of DSS and raise concerns over how abusive situations can go undetected.
"The trauma is unthinkable but we urge the community to hold that trauma in their hearts and minds as we collectively call for massive DSS reform," attorneys Jake Erwin and J.J. Andrighetti said in a statement on behalf of Victoria's biological family.
Below is a timeline of events that took place surrounding Victoria's death:
Jan. 13, 2021
It was a typical Wednesday morning when the older siblings went to school while Victoria stayed home with Ariel and Jerry Robinson.
That evening, they set out to Life Restoration Center, their church in Simpsonville, for a Bible study class.
Victoria ate in the car but didn't finish and vomited in the parking lot. Ariel Robinson became upset with her, Jerry Robinson said in his testimony during the trial.
The older brothers went inside the church while Ariel and Jerry Robinson went to Walmart to buy a change of clothes. Neither of them had credit cards or money with them, so they returned to the church and borrowed clothes from Ariel Robinson's nephew.
While in the church bathroom, some members noticed Victoria standing in a bathroom stall shivering and only wearing a T-shirt and underwear, Jean Smith testified in court.
"She just looked at me with her big blue eyes and she didn't say anything at all," Smith said.
Smith asked if Victoria was sick and Ariel Robinson responded by saying, "No, she eats too much and makes herself throw up. It's a game," Smith said in court.
Ariel Robinson had "triggers," according to Jerry Robinson, that included Victoria not listening or taking too long to eat her food.
Avery Santiago, another church member, said he heard Ariel Robinson say to Victoria, "Oh, you're cold? Girls that make themselves throw up deserve to be cold."
Before leaving church, Ariel Robinson pulled Victoria by the arm out of the front door before walking back in shortly after, according to surveillance video shown during the criminal trial.
The family returned home after church and Ariel Robinson went back out to grocery shop. Meanwhile, while giving Victoria a bath, Jerry Robinson said he noticed a bruise on her lower back but was unsure where it came from.
The children then went to bed before Ariel Robinson returned home to end the night.
Jan. 14, 2021
Details on the day Victoria died remain a mystery as both Jerry and Ariel Robinson gave two different accounts during Ariel Robinson's trial.
In the morning, Victoria's four brothers went off to school to Bethel Elementary and Hillcrest Middle School. Ariel and Jerry Robinson were home with Victoria. Jerry Robinson was outside waiting to get their van towed to Killian's Auto Pros in Mauldin.
After the van was towed, Jerry Robinson remained outside doing housework, he said.
While Ariel Robinson and Victoria were inside, Jerry Robinson said he heard yelling. He heard Ariel Robinson telling Victoria that she needed to eat her food.
Victoria is heard crying for a moment, then it stopped and would return again, Jerry Robinson said.
Jerry Robinson went to check on them then went back outside to finish yard work. He then heard more crying from Victoria that began to get louder.
About an hour later, Jerry Robinson went to the kitchen where Ariel Robinson and Victoria were and saw Victoria's bruising. Ariel Robinson was standing over Victoria with a belt. Jerry Robinson told Ariel Robinson that "she's gone too far," he said.
Ariel Robinson then gave Victoria a bath and wrapped her in a heating blanket. She asked Jerry Robinson to go to CVS around 1 p.m., to retrieve Tylenol to bring down the bruising and pain, Jerry Robinson said.
After Jerry Robinson returned home, he saw Victoria begin swaying back and forth before going limp, Jerry Robinson said.
Jerry Robinson said in court Victoria was lying on the bed and told him that she loved him. He said "I love you too, I promise this won't happen again," he explained in court.
Ariel Robinson then began trying to do the Heimlich Maneuver and CPR. Victoria was unresponsive but trying to breathe, gasping for air, Jerry Robinson said. At that point, Jerry called 911.
According to the 911 call that was played during the trial, Jerry Robinson told first responders that Victoria was unresponsive and that she was choking on water.
Ariel Robinson's account of Victoria's final day was different
Ariel Robinson told the court Victoria began feeling ill after she came down to eat pancakes next to her around 10 a.m.
When police arrived, Ariel Robinson said Victoria's bruising was in part from doing the Heimlich and in part from Victoria's 7-year-old brother hitting her.
"The stomach is from me," Ariel Robinson told the officer in the body camera video. "But her feet and her legs are from her brother. She bruises really bad, she has sensitive skin. Her brother hits her and kicks her because he has anger issues."
Mia Richardson, a DSS adoption supervisor, told the court her and her caseworker would do video calls monthly to make sure children are in safe environments.
She arrived on the scene to pick up Victoria's biological 7-year-old and 5-year-old brother from the Robinson's home after the 911 call.
Upon arrival, Ariel Robinson pointed at the 7-year-old boy and said "That one, he's a liar and you can't believe a word he says," Ariel Robinson said.
Victoria was rushed to Greenville Memorial Hospital by EMS where she was later pronounced dead around 9 p.m.
Victoria's body had masses of black and purple along the right side of her body, up and down both legs, and a bruise on her back that in autopsy photos was scaled with a ruler to show how large it was. Her right abdomen was completely black and purple including the insides of her thighs.
Dr. Jacqueline Joyce Granger at Greenville Memorial Hospital said she was astonished by Victoria's extreme bruising.
Jan. 15, 2021
The Simpsonville Police Department received a search warrant for the Sellwood Circle home to collect evidence that included a number of belts to test them for DNA.
Jan. 19, 2021
The Greenville County Coroner's Office ruled Victoria died of multiple blunt force trauma and the manner of death was ruled homicide.
Ariel and Jerry Robinson were arrested and booked into the Greenville County Detention Center.
Chief medical examiner Dr. Michael Ward said Victoria's bruising was not consistent with hand placements during CPR.
The injuries could not have been caused by Victoria's biological 7-year-old brother, as Ariel Robinson had first claimed, because he couldn't have had control over her arms to keep her in place while these blows are being concentrated on a specific place, Ward said.
February 2021
Jerry Robinson gave a new statement to law enforcement, stating that Ariel Robinson would sometimes beat Victoria with a belt and a paddle, his attorney, Lucas Marchant, said.
Investigators then obtained a search warrant to obtain video evidence from Life Restoration Church, and another search warrant to collect evidence from their Sellwood Circle home.
December 2021
Belts collected from the home were sent to a DNA lab for testing. One belt had Victoria's DNA.
April 14, 2022
Jerry Robinson pleaded guilty to homicide by child abuse/aiding and abetting. His sentence was deferred to be determined at a later date.
May 9, 2022
Ariel Robinson appeared in court for a four-day trial.
May 12, 2022
Ariel Robinson was sentenced to life in prison after the jury returned a guilty verdict to homicide by child abuse.