Food Network ‘Worst Cooks In America’ Star Guilty Of Homicide By Child Abuse, Gets Life Sentence

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It took just an hour of deliberations for a Greenville County South Carolina jury to find previous Food stuff Community star Ariel Robinson responsible of homicide by child abuse.

The verdict finished a 4-working day trial that bundled testimony from Robinson and her husband, as properly as graphic images of the accidents inflicted on 3-12 months-aged Victoria “Tori” Smith.

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Robinson, age 30, was sentenced Thursday to lifetime in jail, according to Choose Letitia Verdin. Her partner is awaiting his sentencing.

Previously: The previous winner of the Foods Network’s Worst Cooks in The us fact level of competition is expected to testify on Thursday in her South Carolina murder trial.

Ariel Robinson stands accused of murder by youngster abuse in the dying of 3-yr-outdated Victoria “Tori” Smith. The boy or girl was underneath the care of Robinson and her partner in a foster software.

The prosecution rested its case Wednesday. Just before they did, the jury on Tuesday heard from Austin Robinson, Ariel Robinson’s partner. He gave a tearful account of his wife’s alleged abuse of the boy or girl. He has pleaded responsible to aiding and abetting homicide by boy or girl abuse.

He reported his wife employed a belt on Smith since the young female was not feeding on her breakfast pancakes quick sufficient. The little one suffered extreme bruising and later died from inner accidents sustained during the beating.

Austin Robinson reported on the day of the beating, his spouse was heard yelling at the baby and he could listen to her beating Smith even although he was outside in his lawn. He claimed he did not know his spouse was hitting the kid with a belt until finally he went within. The beating allegedly went on for about an hour, he mentioned.

Defense lawyer Monthly bill Bouton tried using to knock down Austin Robinson’s testimony, receiving him to acknowledge that he had frequently lied to his wife throughout their 14-12 months relationship. He acknowledged he lied when he informed her he graduated from superior faculty and later on gained a GED, even as she threw a get together to celebrate. He also fibbed 2 times about dropping a task and pawned objects with out telling his wife.

Austin Robinson faces 10 to 20 several years in prison and will be sentenced at the trial’s close. Homicide by child abuse carries a 25- 12 months-to-existence sentence.

The jury also observed bodycam footage on Wednesday taken when initial responders arrived on the scene on the day of the incident. The footage showed the kid unresponsive on her bed room floor, coated in bruises.

Ariel Robinson was revealed in the footage blaming Smith and herself partly for performing CPR incorrectly. She also blamed Smith’s more mature brother for some of the bruising.

“He will hit her with a shoe, he’ll find one of Austin’s belts, a hanger. Anything that is all over because he is offended,” mentioned Ariel Robinson on the bodycam footage proven Wednesday.

The Greenville County chief health-related examiner told the courtroom that his autopsy showed problems that went considerably beyond what Ariel Robinson explained took place.

“This isn’t what we consider of as a standard bruise of the pores and skin. This is a serious, deep injury that is tearing tissue from tissue,” Dr. Michael Ward mentioned.

Yet another witness, a pediatric intensive care health practitioner, explained the injuries she saw on Smith had been the worst she has observed.

“This is substantial, dependent on a child’s human body that was inflicted repetitively by blunt drive trauma, which is the worst I’ve noticed,” explained Dr. Christina Goben.

The defense is anticipated to rest tomorrow and give the scenario to the jury by the afternoon.

Ariel Robinson was a winner of Time 20 of Foods Network’s Worst Cooks in The united states. When news of her arrest broke, the community yanked the episodes of her level of competition from all of its platforms.

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