Dayton, Ohio – A woman suspected of killing her month-old daughter in a microwave oven pleaded not guilty to murder Tuesday.
China Arnold, 26, remained in the Montgomery County Jail for the video arraignment. Montgomery County Common Pleas Judge John Kessler kept her bond at $1 million.
Prosecutors, who plan to seek the death penalty if Arnold is convicted, had asked Kessler to hold her without bond, saying she has a criminal record and is a flight risk. Defense attorney Jon Paul Rion argued that the bond should be reduced, saying Arnold is a loving mother who has cooperated with police.
Arnold stood with her hands behind her back, slowly shaking her head during the arraignment. She winced when Kessler announced her bond.
The baby, Paris Talley, died Aug. 30, 2005. Arnold has three other children, boys ages 9, 7 and 4.
The coroner concluded that the injuries could have only been caused by the baby being cooked in a microwave oven, according to Montgomery County Prosecutor Mathias Heck Jr. Investigators have said evidence that includes high-heat internal injuries and the absence of external burn marks on the baby.
