Judge orders China Arnold case files removed from Montgomery County web site
Posted by DarthDilbert at 1/19/2008 12:46:00 AM
Casual followers of the China Arnold aggravated murder case will no longer be able to check online for new developments and public records. Visiting Montgomery County Common Pleas Judge John Kessler issued a decision Wednesday that ordered Clerk of Courts Greg Brush to remove case documents from the court's online imaging system.
Arnold, 27, is accused of killing her baby daughter in a microwave oven and if convicted, could face the death penalty. Her trial starts Jan. 28, and court officials are preparing for the biggest criminal trial in years.
"Due to the publicity in this case, the Court must take additional safeguards to ensure that the Defendant receives a fair trial from an unbiased jury," Kessler wrote, adding that he wanted "to prevent putative jurors from being able to circumvent this court's admonitions against conducting outside research on this case."
Public court records are available on the clerk of court's Web site, including copies of all documents filed. Kessler's order removed the documents, but left the basic information. The documents can still be viewed at the clerk's office.
Arnold's 3 1/2 week-old daughter Paris Talley died on Aug. 30, 2005. According to Dayton police, Arnold told investigators she was so drunk that she didn't know who caused the baby's fatal burns.
Dayton Daily News
