GREENVILLE COUNTY, S.C. (WSPA) – Jerry Austin Robinson was sentenced Thursday afternoon to 20 years for his role in the death of his 3-year-old foster child.
We previously reported that Robinson, 34, pleaded guilty in April to aiding and abetting the crime that killed his foster child Victoria Rose Smith on January 14, 2021.
Jerry Robinson testified against Ariel Robinson.
Robinson told the courtroom that his wife had a history of using a belt or paddle to punish their then three-year-old foster daughter.
He claims she would get mad at Victoria if she ate too slow or used the bathroom too long.
On a January day in 2021, he claimed he heard Tori (Victoria) crying inside and Ariel yelling at her to eat quicker.
Robinson also said he could tell Tori was getting hurt but let it go on for about an hour.
He said on the day the alleged crime was committed, he was outside doing yard work when he heard Smith crying and screaming from inside the house.
He told the courtroom when he went inside the home, he saw Smith covered in bruises and his wife, Ariel Robinson, with a belt.
“I told her she had gone too far this time, I should have stopped it,” Jerry Robinson said.
His wife, 29-year-old Ariel Robinson, was found guilty of homicide by child abuse during a week-long trial in May.
She was sentenced to life in prison.
