Dante Arthurs

In June 2018, the 12th anniversary of Rodriguez-Urrutia Shu's murder, a public petition was initiated by Paul Litherland. Litherland, now a cyber safety campaigner, initiated the petition in preparation for Arthurs' first parole hearing scheduled in early 2019. On 26 June 2019, Arthurs would be eligible for parole, having served a 13-year minimum term of imprisonment. The petition addressed current Attorney-General of Western Australia John Quigley and called on support from the public for the non-release of Arthurs, regardless of his eligibility for parole. Within a few days the online petition had gathered 75,000 signatures, and over the following two weeks it grew to 100,000 signatures. The petition gained strong media attention in Western Australia and reflected public concern that Arthurs may be released prior to his maximum term of imprisonment having been served. Many members of the public were shocked that it had already been 12 years since Rodriguez-Urrutia Shu was murdered. The media attention drew public comment from Quigley, who stated "The wishes of Sofia's family will weigh heavily in any decision I might make regarding this shocking case."

On 20 June 2019, Attorney-General Quigley supported a recommendation by the Western Australian Prison Review Board that Arthurs not be released into the community.. Arthurs will not be eligible for parole again until the 26 June 2022.

In addition to the changes to murder legislation, Rodriguez-Urrutia Shu's family has worked to have the Western Australian Government introduce a public sex offender register. This would see the names and suburbs (but not addresses) of convicted sex offenders being made available to the public. Though public support was very strong for such a register, the government stalled on the legislation due to the concerns such legislation could cause to the safety of known sex offenders. Police in particular showed concerns for the fear of vigilante attacks against sex offenders who have been released after serving their time in jail. In November 2011 the government of Western Australia passed legislation in the lower house for a register. It is envisioned that serious and repeat offenders will have their names and suburbs published on a public website. Furthermore, parents will be able to check if people who have regular contact with their children are on the sex offenders register. This will be by way of providing the person's details to police. In June 2012, the Western Australian sex offender register was enacted as legislation. On 15 October 2012, the register went live.

Rodriguez-Urrutia Shu's small school community was devastated by her murder and set about to raise funds for a memorial to her at the school. Over A$ 250,000 was raised locally at the school for a memorial to Sofia and all Western Australian children who have had their lives stolen by criminals. The Chapel of the Innocents was constructed in 2008 and is the resting place of her ashes.

On 17 November 2007 Arthurs pleaded guilty to the charges of murder and unlawful detention and was convicted in the Supreme Court of Western Australia; he was sentenced to life imprisonment with a non parole period of 13 years. He is currently in detention in Casuarina Prison and was eligible for parole in 2019, however his parole bid was dismissed in June of 2019 and he will not be eligible for reapply for parole until 2022.

On 7 March 2007, after extensive psychological testing and discussions between prosecutors and Arthurs' defence counsel, Arthurs was required to enter a plea to the charges of wilful murder, two counts of sexual penetration of a child, and unlawful detention. He pleaded not guilty to all four charges and was remanded in custody. On 31 August 2007, Justice Peter Blaxell ruled that the bulk of the admissions made by Arthurs in a video recorded interview with police on the morning after the offence, would be inadmissible at his trial on ground of "persistent importunity, or sustained or undue insistence or pressure".

On 31 July 2007, Chief Justice Wayne Martin ruled that Arthurs would receive a bench trial. Martin said that the "extensive, continuous and in some respects extraordinary" pre-trial media coverage, the circumstances of the offence and the fact that a judge would provide reasons for his or her decision supported a trial by judge alone. Hence it was agreed that Arthurs would be heard by a judge alone and not a jury. In the meantime, discussions continued with the Director of Public Prosecutions and Arthurs lawyers regarding his plea status. In August 2007, Arthurs and prosecutors entered into an agreement that would see Arthurs plead guilty to the lesser charge of murder, instead of the current charge of wilful murder. On 17 September 2007, Arthurs pleaded guilty in the Supreme Court to charges of murder and unlawful detention. The two counts of sexual penetration of a child under the age of 10 were withdrawn because forensic analysis could not conclude if Rodriguez-Urrutia Shu had been sexually assaulted before or after she died.

On 7 November 2007, Arthurs was sentenced to life in prison with a non-parole period of 13 years. He was also sentenced to two years for depriving Rodriguez-Urrutia Shu of her liberty. Describing Arthurs' crimes as "so evil they shock the public conscience". Justice John McKechnie also advised Arthurs of the possibility that he may never be released as the release of offenders sentenced to life imprisonment must be signed off by the Western Australian Attorney-General.

At 4:00pm on 26 June 2006, Rodriguez-Urrutia Shu was at the Livingston Shopping Centre in Canning Vale with her uncle, sister and brother. While her family waited in the main area of the shopping centre, Sofia went down a corridor to go to the toilet. Arthurs, an employee at the shopping centre, followed her, and after she left the female toilets, grabbed her from behind, dragged her into the nearby disabled toilet cubicle, and locked the door.

Once the news of Rodriguez-Urrutia Shu's murder spread and information about her alleged killer was revealed, media organisations locally, nationally and internationally took great interest. The crime was described in many news reports as the most horrific murder in Western Australia since the David and Catherine Birnie murders in the 1980s. Western Australia police were required to quash strong rumours that Arthurs was one of the child murderers convicted of the murder of James Bulger in the United Kingdom in 1993. It was alleged that Arthurs was in fact Robert Thompson, who at the age of 10 years was convicted of Bulger's murder, given a new identity and then transported to Australia. Information was revealed publicly by the Western Australian and Australian Federal Police that Arthurs was not Thompson and the rumour gathered no more momentum. On 29 June 2006, the British High Commission in Canberra issued a media release stating "There is no connection between the man arrested in Western Australia and the individuals involved in the James Bulger case." Australia has not taken British convicts since 1868.

Further controversy arose when information was revealed in the local media that Arthurs had been investigated for a sexual assault 3 years earlier in 2003, against another 8-year-old girl. It was outlined in media reports and later confirmed by Western Australia Police Commissioner Karl O'Callaghan and the Director of Public Prosecutions, that Arthurs was in fact arrested for the assault, however charges were dropped due to insufficient evidence and incorrect police interviewing techniques. At the time of Rodriguez-Urrutia Shu's murder in 2006, the 2003 assault was re-opened to identify any possible links.

It was then identified that the shorts worn by Arthurs in the 2003 assault had traces of the victim's blood on them that wasn't noticed during the 2003 investigation. Western Australia Police received public condemnation for failing to have the shorts forensically examined, which could have secured the conviction of Arthurs for the 2003 assault and therefore could have avoided Rodriguez-Urrutia Shu's murder. It was also confirmed that after the 2003 assault, the Director of Public Prosecutions refused to consider charges against Arthurs because they considered that the police had been too robust in interviewing him and that a conviction was unlikely to be obtained. Though Rodriguez-Urrutia Shu's family were frustrated by this discovery, they publicly supported the police and understood that a successful conviction against Arthurs (if in fact it did occur) in 2003, would not have guaranteed their daughter would still be alive today.

After Arthurs pleaded guilty it was publicly confirmed that he was under investigation by British police for sexually assaulting another girl in 2001. Arthurs was never charged with this incident because he left Britain for Australia before an identity parade could take place.

Dante Wyndham Arthurs (born 8 August 1984) is an Australian murderer, convicted of the murder of Sofia Rodriguez-Urrutia Shu.

Many areas of the Western Australian and Australian community debated the re-introduction of the death penalty due to the emotion evoked by Rodriguez-Urrutia Shu's murder. The last person hanged in Western Australia was Eric Edgar Cooke in 1964 and the death penalty was repealed in that state in 1984.