November 28, 2024

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‘Food Network’ star’s husband accused in child’s death gets bond | State & Regional

GREENVILLE, S.C. — A South Carolina judge set bond Friday for the husband of the winner of a Food Network cooking competition show, who along with his wife, is accused in the death of their 3-year-old foster daughter.

Judge Letitia Verdin set bond at $150,000 for Jerry “Austin” Robinson with the conditions that he be under house arrest and have GPS monitoring. He’s also to live with his parents and have no contact with anyone under the age of 18, Verdin said.

Robinson, 34, and his wife Ariel face charges of homicide by child abuse in the death of Victoria Smith, who was found unresponsive in the family’s home in Simpsonville on Jan. 14 and later died in an area hospital, news outlets reported.

According to arrest warrants, the Robinsons inflicted a “series of blunt force injuries” on Smith.

Ariel Robinson, 29, was denied bond in February.

During the court hearing, Assistant Solicitor Christy Kednocker-Sustakovitch said the couple originally told first responders they believed the child had choked on water from drinking too much. Jerry Robinson later told police that on the day the little girl was found unresponsive, his wife had hit her with a belt, Kednocker-Sustakovitch said.

Jerry Robinson told authorities that Ariel Robinson would spank and beat the little girl and was often upset by how long it took her to eat, Kednocker-Sustakovitch said during the hearing.