A woman has been given a life sentence for the death of her four-week-old daughter in a horrific incident. China Arnold, then 25 years old, was residing with her partner and children in Dayton, Ohio in 2005. She took her newborn daughter, Paris, to the hospital while intoxicated, where the baby showed no signs of life. Initially released due to lack of evidence, Arnold was later found to have placed the infant in a microwave oven after an argument with her boyfriend over paternity. Medical experts confirmed the child died from extreme overheating.
Arnold’s former cellmate disclosed that Arnold confessed to killing her daughter out of fear her boyfriend would discover her infidelity. Evidence showed the baby had heat-related injuries consistent with exposure to high temperatures. Despite defense claims of an alternative perpetrator, Arnold was convicted of aggravated murder in a trial that led to a life sentence without parole.
Psychological evaluations revealed Arnold to be of average intelligence with mild depression and substance abuse issues, but no severe mental illnesses. Despite appeals, she remains incarcerated at the Dayton Correctional Institution.