Simpsonville woman accused of homicide by child abuse has been ordered to submit DNA

TAMIA BOYD   | Greenville News

The Simpsonville woman accused of homicide by child abuse in the death of a 3-year-old girl has been ordered to submit to a DNA test, according to online court records.

No trial date has been set yet for Ariel Robinson, who's been charged with homicide by child abuse in the death of Victoria Rose Smith, who was not yet formally adopted and was under care of the state Department of Social Services at the time of her death, according to the Thirteenth Circuit Solicitor's Office.

A trial is expected to come by summer, according to the Solicitor's Office.

Jerry Robinson, Ariel Robinson's husband, has also been charged with homicide by child abuse in the case. His trial is also yet to be scheduled.

At a bond hearing for Ariel Robinson in February, Assistant Solicitor Christy Sustakovitch said attorney Lucas Marchant contacted prosecutors a few days after Victoria's death in January to say his client, Jerry Robinson, wanted to make a statement to investigators.

Jerry Robinson told investigators that his wife sometimes beat Victoria with things such as a belt and a paddle, and he said he was outside of his house when he heard his wife hitting the little girl with a belt on the day she died, according to Sustakovitch.

The order for Ariel Robinson's DNA collection was issued on Nov. 29, according to court records.

Calls to her attorney, William Bouton, were not returned. 

She's been held without bond at the Greenville County Detention Center, according to online records.

Robinson was a contestant of the Food Network's 20th season of "Worst Cooks in America", according to Discovery Network representative Irika Slavin. 

Jerry Robinson was granted a $150,000 surety bond, clearing the way for his being under house arrest with GPS monitoring pending his trial. He's to reside with his parents and have no contact with anyone under the age of 18, according to Judge Letitia Verdin.

Care has been arranged for four other children who lived with the Robinsons, including two boys biologically related to Victoria, according to the Simpsonville Police Department and the Solicitor's Office.

Victoria died from multiple blunt-force injuries after being found unresponsive at the Robinson's house on Sellwood Circle in the Westwood subdivision of Simpsonville on the afternoon of Jan. 14, according to the Greenville County Coroner's Office.

Her adoption had been scheduled to be formalized five days after her death, according to the Solicitor's Office.

Tamia Boyd is a Michigan native who covers breaking news in Greenville. Email her at tboyd@gannett.com, and follow her on Twitter @tamiamb.