MIAMI — An Oklahoma pediatrician accused in the death of her 4-year-old daughter in South Florida has been ordered held without bond after pleading not guilty to a newly added second-degree murder charge.
Dr. Neha Gupta, 36, of Oklahoma City, was not present in a Miami-Dade courtroom Friday, but her defense attorney appeared via Zoom to enter the plea.
Prosecutors say the charge stems from the June 27 death of Aria Talathi at a short-term rental home in El Portal.
Aria was found unresponsive in the home’s pool, and Gupta told investigators the girl drowned. Prosecutors, however, allege the drowning was staged and that the child showed signs of “asphyxiation by smothering.”
Gupta was initially charged with first-degree murder days after her daughter’s death.
On Aug. 6, prosecutors downgraded the charge to aggravated manslaughter. But on Thursday, they filed the second-degree murder charge and dropped the manslaughter count.
On Friday, prosecutors told the judge they plan to seek an Arthur hearing, which is held when someone is charged with a non-bondable offense such as second-degree murder, which is punishable by life in prison.
The hearing would allow Gupta’s attorneys to argue for her release on bond before trial.
The defense formally opposed holding Gupta without bond, pointing to arguments already laid out in court filings.
“This is a life offense,” the judge said in court, ordering Gupta held without bond until the Arthur hearing can be scheduled.
The judge also canceled a hearing that had been set for Aug. 19. The Arthur hearing date has not been determined.
Pretrial dates were also adjusted, with a new hearing set for Nov. 13 and a trial scheduled for Dec. 1.
Gupta, who was arrested July 1 at her home in Oklahoma by U.S. Marshals and Oklahoma City police, remains at the Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center in Miami-Dade County.
Her attorneys maintain she is innocent and that Aria’s death was a tragic accident. They have accused Miami-Dade investigators and prosecutors of a “rush to judgment.”
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