Food Network’s ‘Worst Cooks In America’ Champion Claims Murdered 3-Year-Old Drowned

A former champion on the Food Network reality series Worst Cooks in America told a bail hearing judge Friday that the 3-year-old girl in her custody died after drinking too much water.

Ariel Robinson, 29, and her husband, Jerry, 34, of Simpsonville, South Carolina, have been charged with homicide by child abuse in the death of Victoria Rose Smith on Jan. 14. The girl was a foster child in the Robinsons’ care.

The hearing judge denied the Robinsons bail request in the matter. “Based on the seriousness of the charges and the egregious nature of the allegations in this case, I do find the defendant in this case is a flight risk or does pose a substantial danger to the community, most particularly to the children who are in her custody, and potentially even to herself,” the judge stated.

The Worst Cooks in America winner claimed during the hearing that the girl drowned after drinking too much water. She also said bruises on her body were the result of a botched Heimlich maneuver she used in an attempt to save her.

A coroner’s report said the girl died from blunt force trauma and did not mention drowning. The Smith girl had deep purple bruising on her abdomen, back and legs, as well as abrasions on her face.