Prosecutors claim Christopher Scholtes searched for porn and played video games as his 2-year-old daughter sat in a hot car for hours and died — before, as the girl was rushed to the hospital, his wife texted him, “I told you to stop leaving them in the car, how many times have I told you?”
An Arizona father whose 2-year-old daughter died after he left her in his car, while it was 109 degrees outside, has accepted a plea deal in the case.
According to the Pima County Attorney’s Office, Christopher Scholtes entered a guilty plea this week on one count of Second-Degree Murder and one Count of Intentional/Knowing Child Abuse under Circumstance Likely to Cause Death or Serious Physical Injury.
He was previously charged with felony first-degree murder and felony child abuse.
Per the attorney’s office, Scholtes will be sentenced on November 21 and faces a sentencing range of 20 to 30 years of flat time, which the office explains means he won’t be eligible for early release and must serve the full sentence given. The sentences must also run consecutively.
“We are grateful for the hard work and dedication of our prosecutors, victim advocates, and staff for their collaboration with local law enforcement on this complicated and high-profile case,” the office added in a statement. “This is yet another reminder to the community that the Pima County Attorney’s Office will do everything we can to get justice for victims and prosecute those who have caused harm to others, especially those who are most vulnerable.”
Details of the Case
Scholtes’ daughter died on July 9, 2024 from being left in a car in extremely high temperatures, according to a press release shared by the Marana Police Department at the time.
Authorities said Scholtes told them he left his daughter in the car because she was sleeping and he didn’t want to wake her, claiming he left the air conditioning on in the vehicle. When Scholtes’ wife came home “approximately three hours” later, the car was off and the 2-year-old was unresponsive. After first responders performed “life-saving measures,” the toddler was rushed to the hospital, where she was pronounced dead. Scholtes was arrested and charged.
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According to an interim complaint obtained by local Tucson outlets KOLD and KVOA, one of Scholtes’ kids told authorities he had left them alone in the car on multiple occasions in the past. And when his daughter was sleeping in the hot car on this instance, his other children said, “He got distracted by playing his game and putting his food away.”
A PlayStation and the vehicle, a 2023 Acura MDX, were taken by the Marana Police Department, KOLD reported.
Prosecutors hoped to introduce evidence showing Scholtes’ allegedly searched for pornography on the PlayStation during the time his daughter was in the vehicle. The judge, however, denied that request, saying in court docs that “the State is precluded from any eliciting testimony in its case in chief regarding the Defendant looking for pornography on the PlayStation before [his daughter’s] body is discovered,” while also barring any witnesses from mentioning “Defendant’s two-minute search for pornography on the Playstation on July 9, 2024.”
While their daughter was being taken to the hospital, Scholtes and his wife also exchanged text messages about the incident, which were featured in the interim complaint. “I told you to stop leaving them in the car, how many times have I told you?” his wife texted, per the document, to which Scholtes replied, “I killed our baby, this can’t be real.”
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Scholtes told authorities that he was aware that his car had a safety feature that could turn the engine off after 30 minutes, citing his previous experience, per KOLD. Detectives reportedly tested Scholtes’ vehicle and discovered it turned off after 20 minutes of idling.
His wife has stood by him through this ordeal, saying at one court appearance that “this was a big mistake and I think that this doesn’t represent him,” according to KVOA. “And I just want the girls to see their father so that I don’t have to tell them tonight that they’re going to endure another loss,” she added.
In May, he was allowed to go on a family vacation to Hawaii.
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