The appeal of a 34-year-old Dayton mother convicted of killing her infant by burning her in a microwave oven in 2005 will not be heard by the U.S. Supreme Court.
China Arnold was convicted of aggravated murder of her 28-day-old daughter, Paris Talley, on Aug. 30, 2005. Arnold is serving life without parole at Dayton Correctional Institution in one of the highest profile and most graphic murder cases in recent Montgomery County history.
Montgomery County prosecutors said Arnold intentionally put the baby in the microwave after a fight with her boyfriend. Medical expert Dr. Marcella Fierro testified the baby died after her temperature reached 107 to 108 degrees. He said the child was probably in the microwave for more than two minutes.
CASE TIMELINE
- FIRST TRIAL: Mistrial declared Jan. 28, 2008.
- SECOND TRIAL: A jury found her guilty. She was sentenced to life without parole on Sept. 8, 2008.
- APPEAL I: Conviction was overturned by the Second District Court of Appeals on Nov. 5, 2010.
- THIRD TRIAL: On April 25, 2011, she was found guilty by a jury and sentenced to life without the possibility of parole.
- APPEAL II: The Second District Court of Appeals affirmed her conviction on Dec. 6, 2013.
- APPEAL III: In May 2014, the Ohio Supreme Court declined to hear her appeal.
- APPEAL IV: The U.S. Supreme Court declined to hear Arnold's appeal. That decision was announced Nov. 17, 2014.
In a statement, county Prosecutor Mat Heck Jr. said, “This defendant was found guilty by 24 jurors during two separate jury trials. This decision brings some closure to the surviving family and justice for the infant.”