DAYTON, Ohio — An Ohio jury has spared the life of a woman who killed her infant daughter by microwaving her.
The jury told the judge Wednesday that it couldn’t agree on whether to recommend the death penalty or life in prison for China Arnold, 28.
Arnold now could spend between 25 years and the rest of her life in prison, depending on what Montgomery County Judge Mary Wiseman decides.
The defense had argued that Arnold was too drunk to commit the crime and that she had no motive. A forensic pathologist testified that Arnold had a blood-alcohol level nearly four times the legal driving limit.
Arnold’s lawyer also told the jury there was evidence that someone else was responsible.
Prosecutors called the crime “heinous.” Arnold was convicted Friday of aggravated murder for killing her daughter Paris Talley in 2005.
