Salem Woman Pleads Not Guilty to Murder of Her Child

A 23-year-old Salem woman waived a preliminary hearing and arraignment before entering a NOT guilty plea in Marion County Court Tuesday to two counts of first degree murder.

Christina Thomason is accused of causing the death of her three-month-old daughter Aribella Thomason last month by completely covering her with blankets and suffocating her.  

Judge Michael McHaney set a jury trial on the case for June 15. Thomason's next appearance in court will be a pretrial conference on May 26.

Thomason's public defender Matt Chancey informed the court he had discovered an estimated $18,000 life insurance policy and trust in Thomason's name. Chancey noted he didn't want to withdraw from the case; the money could potentially be used to allow Thomason to hire private counsel. McHaney took no action, but said Thomason could be asked to reimburse the court after the case concluded.   

Thomason remains in the Marion County Jail in lieu of $1,000,000 bond.