Husband says Simpsonville woman hit 3-year-old with belt before the girl's death
TAMIA BOYD | Greenville News
Allegations revealed during a bond hearing Friday for a Simpsonville woman accused of homicide by child abuse include accusations from her husband, who's also charged in the case.
Assistant Solicitor Christy Sustakovitch said attorney Lucas Marchant contacted prosecutors a few days after Victoria Rose Smith, a 3-year-old girl, died in what police say is a case of homicide by child abuse. Marchant said his client Jerry Robinson, who is married to Ariel Robinson, wanted to make a statement, according to Sustakovitch.
Jerry Robinson told investigators that his wife sometimes beat the little girl with things such as a belt and a paddle, and he said he was outside of his house when he heard his wife hitting Victoria with a belt on the day the girl died, according to Sustakovitch.
The husband said he told his wife that she went too far, according to Sustakovitch.
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.
Ariel Robinson, 29, and Jerry Robinson, 34, have each been charged with homicide by child abuse in the case.
Ariel Robinson was denied bond Friday.
She sat still as Sustakovitch outlined circumstances surrounding Victoria's death. She covered her face as the biological mother of the girl, Casie Phares, asked that bond be denied. She wiped away tears when her attorney, William Bouton, spoke to the judge about his client and her family.
She cried after Judge Letitia Verdin said she was a "flight risk and a danger to the community."
Ariel Robinson remains in the Greenville County Detention Center, according to jail records. Her attorney declined to comment on the case at this time.
Jerry Robinson had also been scheduled to have a bond hearing Friday, but his hearing was cancelled by his attorney, according to the solicitor's office. Marchant did not return phone calls seeking comment.
Victoria Rose Smith 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 assistant solicitor.
The formal adoption was scheduled for Jan. 19, five days after the girl's death.
According to Sustakovitch, Jerry Robinson said he never hurt Victoria. He said his wife sometimes beat the girl with things such as a belt and a paddle.
Sustakovitch said Victoria was found to have bruising on her face, back and legs.
The Greenville County Coroner's Office said Victoria died of multiple blunt-force injuries.
Jerry Robinson went to a store to buy medication for Victoria on the day she died, according to Sustakovitch. Law enforcement obtained video corroborating that, Sustakovitch said.
According to Sustakovitch, Victoria had asked for water and Ariel Robinson filled her cup before Victoria said her stomach was hurting. Ariel Robinson gave the girl a blanket, and soon after she went limp, according to Sustakovitch.
Ariel Robinson performed the Heimlich maneuver, but she told police it didn't appear to work. Robinson then pressed on Victoria's stomach in an attempt to revive her.
Asked about abdominal injuries on the child, Robinson said, "I was pushing really hard," according to Sustakovitch.
As for other bruises, Robinson said the girl's 7-year-old biological brother had anger issues and caused the bruising, according to he Sustakovitch.
Law enforcement visited the elementary school where the 7-year-old attended, Sustakovitch said, and the principal there described him as a "happy child with no outward signs of physical abuse towards anyone."
Victoria's biological family members said they asked DSS to keep Victoria and her two biological brothers together after they left their birth home. They have criticized the care the children received under the direction of DSS.
"As a family, we feel like the system failed," said Stacey Phares, the biological great-aunt of Victoria, who was known as Tori. "We trusted the system."
Care for other children in the Robinsons' home has been arranged, but those arrangements haven't been disclosed by the Simpsonville Police Department.
Robinson is a former teacher at Sanders Middle School who left Laurens County School District 55 at the end of the 2018-19 school year, according to the district.
Multiple reports have identified her as the winner of the Food Network's 20th season of "Worst Cooks in America." Calls to representatives of the Food Network and its parent company, Discovery Inc., have not been returned.
In his motion for bond, Bouton said Ariel Robinson is a graduate of Lander University who hold's a master's degree from Clemson University and has no prior criminal history.
A guilty verdict in a case of homicide by child abuse could bring a sentence of 20 years to life, according to the Greenville County 13th Judicial Circuit public index.
Tamia Boyd is Michigan native who covers breaking news in Greenville. Email her at tboyd@gannett.com, and follow her on Twitter @tamiamb. Subscribe to The Greenville News for more content.