In the weeks after Arshi was at home, she picked up at least nine other violent felony cases including a death penalty murder case, two other murders, three robberies and two assaults, according to court documents.
Arshi, who has been with the circuit attorney’s office since November 2017, could not be reached for comment.
Her resignation adds to the list of more than 90 prosecutors who have quit the circuit attorney’s office since Gardner began her first of two terms in 2017. Some left for better jobs in the legal world while others have said they became disillusioned with what they believe is a dysfunctional office.
A spokeswoman for Gardner said she could not comment on personnel matters. She also did not clarify Gardner’s statement nor explain why Arshi had picked up additional cases during maternity leave. It was unclear whether Gardner’s office assigned them to Arshi without her knowledge. Three defense attorneys in cases assigned to Arshi told the Post-Dispatch they had not communicated with her about those cases since she began leave.
Court cases are starting to move forward at a faster pace, after a pandemic slowdown over the past year.
According to court records, Arshi entered her appearance May 18 as co-counsel in the 2016 murder case against Philip Cutler, an alleged hit man in the shooting death of Jocelyn Peters in her Central West End home. Peters, a St. Louis elementary school teacher, was pregnant at the time.