A dad who left his two-year-old child for over three hours to die in a hot car while he played video games and drank beer has pleaded guilty to murder.
Christopher Scholtes, 38, entered guilty pleas at Pima County Court in Arizona on Wednesday to second-degree murder and intentional child abuse.
It came about after the father left daughter, Parker, inside his 2023 Acura MDX parked in the driveway of his Tucson home after getting back from shopping on July 9 last year.
He claimed it was only for 30 minutes and the air conditioning was on to counteract the searing 109-degree temperature that day, insisting he left her there because he didn’t want to wake her.
But court documents later revealed Christopher had been inside for over three hours – allegedly searching pornography on his Playstation, although the judge in the case issued an order stating this information could not be introduced at trial – before his wife, Erika, came home to find their daughter unconscious in the car.
Parker was pronounced dead an hour later at Banner University Medical Center.
Court documents showed Erika then sent her husband a flurry of texts alleging this has happened before, saying: “I told you to stop leaving them in the car, How many times have I told you?”
Christopher reportedly replied: “Babe, I’m sorry. Babe, our family. How could I do this? I killed our baby, this can’t be real."
He was arrested on July 12 and charged with second-degree murder and child abuse.
Investigators later interviewed the two surviving daughters, who were six and 10 at the time, and both alleged their father had previously left them alone in the car, according to the complaint.
Christopher initially rejected a plea deal in March, which would have only required him to plead guilty to the murder charge and meant he would have faced 10 to 25 years in prison.
Then on Wednesday, just days before the trial was due to begin, he entered the two guilty pleas and will now face 20 to 30 years in prison, without the possibility of early release.
A trial could have resulted in a life sentence or even the death penalty, according to People.
The Pima County Attorney’s Office said in a statement: “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.
“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.”
Christopher was reportedly released after the court appearance this week and must turn himself in to authorities on November 3, ahead of sentencing on November 21.