China Arnold: Murder by Microwave
The microwave China Arnold used to kill her baby Paris Talley.
In 2005, China Arnold killed her 28 day old baby by putting her in the microwave while fighting with her boyfriend over the child’s paternity.
Who was China Arnold?
A Photo taken of China Arnold in Court. Photo: Daily Mail
China Arnold was a 25 year old woman living in Dayton, Ohio at the time of the murder. China lived with her boyfriend Terrell Talley, Paris Talley’s father. The couple lived in a housing complex.
China had previously been convicted of several crimes including Forgery in 2002 and Abduction in 2000.
The Murder of Baby Paris Talley
Baby Paris Talley, before she was murdered by her mother, China Arnold, in 2005
On August 30, 2005, China Arnold and Terrell Talley rushed their daughter, Paris Talley, to Children's Medical Center, knowing that it would take a miracle to save her. Paris Talley had no pulse, no blood pressure, and her body temperature was 95 degrees.
Despite the efforts of doctors and nurses, all attempts to revive her were unsuccessful, and she was pronounced dead after 15 minutes.
China Arnold initially denied that her baby had been burned, but it was difficult to ignore the unusual burns covering baby Paris’ body. Further incriminating the parents, there were multiple injuries on her body, but her nightgown remained unsoiled by bodily fluids.
The medical professionals were perplexed by the circumstances surrounding Paris Talley's death, and the case initially remained a mystery.
Further Investigation into the Death of Paris Talley
While being interrogated at the police station, China Arnold and Terrell Talley maintained their innocence but provided inconsistent accounts of how their baby died.
Contrary to her earlier statements at the hospital, Arnold claimed that she fed Paris, changed her diaper, and fell asleep with the baby on her chest at 2:30 a.m. She alleged that she couldn't find her baby when she woke up in the morning but assumed that Talley had placed Paris in the bassinet upstairs.
Talley asserted that he arrived home between 3:00 and 4:00 a.m., slept on the couch beside Arnold, and discovered the baby was dead in the morning.
The police were aware that the baby had been burned, but they were uncertain about the cause of the burns. Initially, searching the couple's house and speaking with their neighbors didn't uncover any significant details about the baby's death or the mysterious burns.
After several days of investigation, China Arnold and Terrell Talley were released due to a lack of evidence to support their involvement in their baby's death. The couple subsequently left their residence, and the case appeared to be closed until a microwave left behind at their former home provided crucial evidence.
Another Baby Murdered in a Microwave
Initially, China Arnold and her boyfriend were able to evade suspicion because the coroner who examined their baby had no reason to suspect the baby could have been killed in a microwave.
In early 2006, another high-profile case of a baby being microwaved in Virginia made national headlines, bringing attention to the possibility of this method of killing. This development led investigators to revisit China Arnold's case and compare the injuries sustained by baby Paris to those sustained by the baby in the other case.
Through this analysis, they were able to identify similarities that helped them to crack the case. As a result, on May 18, 2006, investigators returned to the couple's home on Hall Avenue in Dayton, Ohio, to conduct a search for additional evidence that would confirm the validity of the evidence they had uncovered.
A microwave found in the home of China Arnold became crucial evidence in the case.
The Trials and Sentencing of China Arnold
China Arnold's first trial ended in a mistrial due to the emergence of new witnesses just before closing arguments. In her second trial, she was found guilty and sentenced to life imprisonment.
Before long the conviction was overturned by an appeals court on the grounds of prosecutorial misconduct and the trial judge's failure to allow a relevant witness to testify.
In 2011, the sentencing phase was postponed to allow for a mental examination of Arnold. Two psychologists who testified in court found no serious signs of mental illness or below-average intelligence.
Dr. Jeffrey Smalldon identified Arnold as having a chronic depressive condition, drug and alcohol abuse, and stated that he found nothing to justify the death of her child.
During the trial, Assistant Montgomery County Prosecutor Dan Brandt argued that there were no mitigating factors for Arnold's purposeful killing of her baby in the microwave. He further contended that Arnold's actions were more purposeful than using a gun or a knife to kill someone.
Defense attorney Kevin Lennen argued that Arnold's intoxicated state at the time of the incident should be taken into account when deciding her sentence.
He further noted that death or life imprisonment would be a harsh penalty and that the death penalty should only be reserved for the worst offenders.
In his closing arguments, Brandt implored the jurors to listen to the voice of the deceased baby and emphasized the purposeful nature of Arnold's actions.
China Arnold was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole.
