Victoria Rose Smith.Photo: Change.org
The husband of a Food Network star has pleaded guilty to his role in theabuse death of the couple’s 3-year-old foster daughter, as his wife awaits trial next month on related charges.
Ariel Robinson, 30, of Simpsonville, S.C., a winner on the competition showWorst Cooks in America, and her husband, Jerry “Austin” Robinson, 35, both were charged in January 2021 in the death of the girl, Victoria Rose Smith.
Greenville County senior deputy coroner Kent Dillpreviously told PEOPLEthat Victoria Rose died as a result of multiple blunt force injuries.
The girl was found unresponsive at the couple’s Simpsonville home around 2:25 p.m. on Jan. 14, 2021, and died later at Greenville Memorial Hospital.
Jerry Robinson.Simpsonville Police Department
Jerry Robinson testified during a hearing Thursday that he walked in to find his wife holding a belt, and that she allegedly beat the girl because she was frustrated with her, reportsWYFF.
“By the time I walked inside, it was as if nothing was going on,” he said, according to theGreenville News.
He added that he saw the bruising as his daughter was crying.
“I told her, ‘You went too far this time and I should’ve stopped it,'” he said.
Ariel Robinson.Simpsonville Police Department
During the hearing, Jerry said the girl had thrown up on herself the previous night on her way to church, angering her mother. Ariel’s frustration grew the next morning when Ariel allegedly claimed the girl did not eat her pancakes fast enough, he said.
After that, he said Ariel gave the girl a “whooping” that he could hear from outside of the home.
Jerry later placed the 911 call that summoned first responders. Assistant Solicitor Christy Sustakovitch summarized that call in court, saying Jerry reported, “We have an emergency, our daughter is unresponsive. She drank a lot of water. We tried to do CPR to get it out,” according to theGreenville News.
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A hearing in the couple’s formal process to adopt the foster child was scheduled for Jan. 19, five days after the girl’s death, the newspaper reports.
Ariel was named the winner of season 20 on the Aug. 2, 2020, finale of the Food Network cooking show, receiving the $25,000 grand prize and a Food Network cooking set.
If you suspect child abuse, call the Childhelp National Child Abuse Hotline at 1-800-4-A-Child or1-800-422-4453, or go towww.childhelp.org. All calls are toll-free and confidential. The hotline is available 24/7 in more than 170 languages.
source: people.com
