DaytonDailyNews.com

DAYTON — China Arnold's baby daughter was placed inside a microwave oven for at least two minutes, and possibly several minutes longer, a prosecution witness testified Wednesday.

Robert F. Schiffmann, a consultant from New York who has worked with microwave ovens since 1961, said he used calf brains and chicken torsos during experiments to duplicate the injuries suffered by Paris Talley.

Arnold is charged with aggravated murder and could face the death penalty. Investigators believe she killed her 3 1/2-week-old daughter, Talley, by putting her in a microwave oven in August 2005.

Defense attorney Jon Paul Rion is contesting Schiffmann's status as an expert witness.

Schiffmann acknowledged during cross examination that he has no medical training or training in forensic pathology. Schiffmann also told Rion he knew of no other experiments using animal parts to approximate the heating of a child.

Earlier in the hearing, Schiffmann told Assistant Montgomery County Prosecutor David Franceschelli that he had refused to test on live animals.

"We couldn't use a living thing inside there," Schiffmann said.

Repeated experiments to duplicate the injuries to Talley's brain showed various times, but "it was never less than two minutes," Schiffmann said.

Also, based on his experiments with a doll similar in size to Talley, the baby "would really have to be crammed inside the oven," which had a width off 14.5 inches and a depth of about 10.5 inches.

Visiting Judge John Kessler did not issue a ruling on the hearing, which will continue Friday morning, as the prosecution will contest the expert status of two of Rion's witnesses.

Arnold's trial is set to start Jan. 28 in Montgomery County Common Pleas Court.

Contact this reporter at (937) 225-2057 or lgrieco@DaytonDailyNews.com.