S.C. woman convicted of foster child’s death denied retrial

GREENVILLE, S.C. (WSPA) – A woman convicted to life in prison for beating her foster child to death was refused a retrial on Wednesday.

Autopsy reports showed that Ariel Robinson had beat her 3-year-old foster daughter, Victoria Rose Smith, to death in January 2021. Robinson originally told first responders that the bruising found on Smith was caused by Smith’s 7-year-old brother due to anger issues.

Autopsy findings, during the trial in 2022, showed that the bruising found on Smith were “severe, deep injuries” that bled throughout the tissue and into the muscle.

Jerry Robinson, Ariel’s husband, testified for the State in court and said that Ariel would become angry with Smith if she took too long to eat or use the restroom, and would be spanked with a paddle, hand, or belt as punishment.

Ariel attempted to appeal for a retrial, arguing that the Smith’s injuries shown in court were “highly inflammatory,” according to the Court of Appeals.

On Wednesday, the Court of Appeals rejected Ariel’s appeal, saying that the photographs shown were relevant evidence.

“The cause of death in this case was somewhat unique in that the vast majority of Victim’s bruises were on the legs and the back of the legs,” according to the Court of Appeals. “Dr. Ward testified that Victim died from blood loss into the tissues of her abdomen and legs caused by the force of the blows. The autopsy photograph of the deep-tissue bleeding helped illustrate to the jury how Victim could have bled to death from a spanking that did not break the skin. We believe that the autopsy photos showing the bleeding deep in the tissues of Victim’s legs were probative as to the cause of death and probative as to whether Robinson spanked the child in a manner ‘manifesting an extreme indifference to human life.'”