'Tori, can you hear me?': Trial begins for Simpsonville woman accused of killing child

TAMIA BOYD   | Greenville News

A former Food Network show contestant charged in the death of her 3-year-old foster daughter will be back in court Tuesday after police body camera footage and grim photos of the deceased child were shown to set the tone of her jury trial Monday.

Ariel Robinson, of Simpsonville, appeared in a packed Greenville County courtroom with family members and witnesses there to testify in connection to the death of Victoria Rose Smith, who died in early January 2021.

Robinson, who wore reading glasses and a white blouse Monday, smiled back at the full courtroom before opening arguments from Assistant Solicitor Christy Sustakovitch and defense attorney Bill Bouton.

Victoria suffered from multiple blunt force injuries to her body and died from internal bleeding, Sustakovitch said during opening arguments.

Sustakovitch told the jury that evidence would show there is no credible, non-accidental way that Victoria ended up with the injuries.

She said Robinson believed Victoria was being defiant since Victoria was not listening to her and eating her food too slow so Robinson would put Victoria on a timer so that Victoria would eat her food.

Robinson is a former contestant on the Food Network's 'Worst Cooks in America' television show.

'Tori, Tori, can you hear me?'

On Jan. 14, 2021, Jerry Robinson, Ariel Robinson's husband, called 911 to report that Victoria was unresponsive in her home on Sellwood Circle in Simpsonville.

Jerry Robinson previously pleaded guilty to homicide by child abuse/aiding and abetting.

Fire and EMS personnel were at the home when Simpsonville police officer Karlee Patrikis arrived Jan. 14, 2021. A fire marshal told Patrikis that Victoria was in cardiac arrest and that there were "suspicious bruising" on her, Patrikis said.

In the body camera footage presented to the jury, Patrikis entered the home where Ariel Robinson began providing an explanation. 

"The stomach is from me. I was pushing on her (Victoria's) stomach. Every time I pushed on her stomach, throw up came out so I kept pushing," 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. He was seeing a therapist for it."

Ariel Robinson and Jerry Robinson were seen walking downstairs in their living room speaking with officers. She tells them that they are fostering to adopt the three children, Victoria, and her two biological brothers, age 5 and 7.

Ariel Robinson told officers that it seemed Victoria was trying to breathe so she asked her, "Tori, Tori can you hear me?"

Patrikis and Ariel Robinson walked into the kitchen where Patrikis began to collect information about what happened that day and the day before. She described Victoria becoming sick and vomiting repeatedly.

When asked about the bruising on her legs, Ariel told Patrikis the 7-year-old is rough on Victoria.

"He would hit her," she said.

Belts found in Ariel Robinson's home

Investigator Jason Weibel arrived at the Sellwood Circle home around 3 p.m. Jan. 14, 2021 when he observed other officers speaking with the Robinsons. At this time, Victoria was taken to the hospital where Weibel went next.

Directed to the emergency room, personnel was "elbow to elbow" attempting to save Victoria's life. A Greenville County deputy coroner was on the scene — Victoria was still alive. Weibel took photos of Victoria to document the injuries and shortly after, she died around 9 p.m. that night, Weibel said during his testimony Monday. 

Officers had searched the home for belts or other items that could have been used to inflict pain, he said.

Photos of belts were presented to the jury, some in a closet in the Sellwood Circle home and one black belt located in the living room on a couch near a laundry basket.

Assistant solicitor Alexa Holloway presented photos of Victoria's bruised body where large splotches of black and purple ran up and down her 3-foot-tall body. 

There were masses of black and purple along the right side of her body, up and down both legs, and a bruise on her back that 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.

"When I took these photographs we were looking to document and find patterns and anything that could indicate that an instrument was used," Weibel said to the jury Monday.

Some members of the jury wiped tears from their eyes after seeing the photos.

Bouton, Ariel Robinson's defense attorney, asked Weibel about the 7-year-old sibling.

Weibel met with the child's school principal and other officials about disciplinary and behavior.

"While he was in kindergarten he was involved with hitting, pinching and spitting on another student, two other incidents when he was in first grade, punching a child in the stomach and hitting a classmate," Weibel said.

The trial is scheduled to return to session at 9:30 a.m. Tuesday. More witnesses are expected to testify throughout the week.