It is a terrible reality that innocent children are mistreated all around the world. Here is a case where a South Carolina woman who won season 20 of ‘Worst Cooks in America’ was sentenced to life in prison for murdering her foster daughter.
Ariel Robinson murdered Victoria Rose Smith on January 14, 2021, and was proved guilty of the crime by jurors after an hour and a half of deliberation during the four-day trial on Thursday, May 12.
The 30-year-old woman was arrested with her 35-year-old husband, Jerry, who pled guilty to murder by child abuse in April. On January 14, 2021, police were summoned to the couple’s home in Greenville, South Carolina, when Victoria went unconscious. Ariel allegedly stated at the time that the small girl’s worrying condition was caused by an over ingestion of a drink, she thought the little girl had choked, as per reports.
At the moment, the mother, who has two children of her own, was also questioned about Victoria’s injuries, and she blamed her brother. According to a Change.org petition created by the children’s biological great aunt, Michelle Urps, the toddler had been living in “an adoptive household with her two biological siblings for roughly a year.”
Prosecutors, however, contradicted her claims, claiming that Ariel had viciously abused the infant that night. On Wednesday, Greenville County Chief Medical Examiner Dr Michael Ward testified that the woman’s abuse was so severe that her blood vessels exploded. “If we lose enough blood, the heart doesn’t have enough capacity to pump,” he noted.
Jerry further revealed that Victoria was brutally assaulted on January 14, 2021, as she had enraged Ariel the day before while walking to church since she had vomited. On Wednesday, two witnesses, Jean Smith and Avery Santiago, testified in court in support of Jerry’s accusations, saying they saw her scrubbing the victim’s clothing in the church’s bathroom that day.
When Smith questioned Ariel whether Victoria was sick, she answered, the child eats too much and makes herself puke up. It’s just a game. Santiago went on to say that she overheard the mother telling the girl that you’re freezing. Girls who force themselves to vomit deserve to be cold. Moreover, Jerry testified against his wife, telling the court that she was often violent to Victoria and used to beat her with a wooden paddle or a belt.
Meanwhile, Urps criticized social workers for their incompetence, telling “I knew something was wrong by looking at her social media, so why couldn’t they?” You have to wonder if these case workers have the necessary training. Is the screening procedure sufficient? “Do they search in the correct places?”
Victoria’s Law for Department of Social Services and Child Protective Services Reform,’ a Change.org petition she started last year, stated: “It is clear that DSS and CPS did not conduct the necessary research required to provide protected, happy homes.”
Social media photos appear to show the youngsters constantly healing from injuries on their head, neck, and limbs. The majority of them are in Victoria. We are urging the state of South Carolina to implement Victoria’s Law, which will overhaul the existing screening process for becoming not just an adoptive parent but also a foster parent.”
“We want regular non-scheduled house visits to foster and adoptive parents even after adoptions are confirmed,” it stated. We want Guardian Ad Litems and case workers to meet secretly with children in these families so that they can seek assistance if necessary.
By supporting this petition for reform, you are saying, “Fix the DSS and CPS systems so that our most respected and vulnerable individuals do not experience what Victoria, her brothers, and countless others in the SC DSS and CPS are experiencing.”
