Arizona Father Accused in Daughter’s Hot Car Death May Accept Plea Deal

Christopher Scholtes, a 37-year-old father from Arizona, may be facing a plea agreement in relation to the untimely death of his daughter, a 2-year-old girl, who was abandoned in a hot car while he was playing video games inside his house. According to FOX 10 Phoenix, the defense and prosecution are negotiating the plea agreement. Scholtes first stated that on July 9, 2024, he left his daughter in the car while the car was running and the air conditioner was on after they had run errands together and she was asleep. But when his wife returned home, she discovered their daughter unconscious, and the kid died in the hospital from heat-related injuries.

Additionally, home surveillance footage from neighbors contradicts Scholtes’ timeline of events, showing his vehicle arriving home at around 12:53 p.m., with no subsequent departures, whereas Scholtes claimed they arrived home around 2 p.m. Court documents cited by AZ Family also show Scholtes was aware his vehicle had a feature that would turn off the engine after 30 minutes, which contradicts his statement that he left the car running intentionally. According to reports, his two other children, ages five and nine, informed investigators that their father had been preoccupied with his game and putting food away at the time of the occurrence and that being left in the car was not unusual.

Investigators have constructed a case showing differences between Scholtes’ testimony and the evidence after seizing Scholtes’ 2023 Acura MDX and confiscating a PlayStation along with a number of other equipment. Scholtes made an appearance in court on Wednesday. Scholtes is currently being charged with first-degree murder and child abuse. His 10-day jury trial is set for September 2025, and negotiations for a plea agreement are still going on.

Scholtes’ next court date is January 27, 2025, although the plea deal talks could lead to a change of the planned jury trial for next year, as the local community struggles with the upsetting nature of this issue.

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