GUILTY Arizona girl, 2, left in car by father on 109-degree day and is found dead #2 (guilty plea, father found dead 5 November 2025 before sentencing)

[steeltowngirl]

I wouldn't tell her, living in that house. Sounds like a recipe for getting spanked, sent to my room, and called a liar.

Kids in abusive households with a permissive/enabling parent learn pretty quickly what is safe and not safe to do and say. And these kids are very, very coached. The fact that one of them said something about it being 'hard for him to multitask' in their statements to the cops says it all. When did you last hear someone under the age of fifteen use the word multitask?

MOO

Agree. It is not a child's job to tattle on an adult in order to make them behave like a good parent.

JMO

 

[mickey2942]

Arizona Dad Whose Daughter, 2, Died in 109-Degree Hot Car While He Played Video Games Gets Plea Deal

Christopher Scholtes, 38, accidentally left his 2-year-old daughter in a hot car where the temperature reached 109 degrees as he played video games inside.

people.com

This article is interesting, states CS could have faced "life in prison or the death penalty". I don't remember anywhere that this was a DP case. Doesn't the state have to tell the defense of the death penalty intent? And the attorney needs to be "death penalty" qualified?

 

[abyquinn]

I appreciate that you have some compassion for him, but I’m not sorry if he suffers through withdrawal in prison.

He is the reason Parker suffered in that blazing oven of a car for hours.

He’s a grown man, he made his choices, and he’ll survive withdrawal.

Parker was two, had NO choices, and no chance to survive.

JMO but I detest him so much.

I should’ve worded that differently I was thinking what a rude awaking he’s in for adjusting to prison life where basically he’s going to be hearing No! all day, every day. My compassion is for those Corrections Officers having to put up with him and how much worse it will be if he goes through withdrawal. I see I didn’t come close to expressing that. Thank you for giving me a chance to correct it.

He makes my skin crawl. He not only murdered his baby daughter, who he immediately wanted to replace according to Grandma, he murdered their whole family. Tick tock Christopher, November 5 is right around the corner!

 

[abyquinn]

Arizona Dad Whose Daughter, 2, Died in 109-Degree Hot Car While He Played Video Games Gets Plea Deal

Christopher Scholtes, 38, accidentally left his 2-year-old daughter in a hot car where the temperature reached 109 degrees as he played video games inside.

people.com

This article is interesting, states CS could have faced "life in prison or the death penalty". I don't remember anywhere that this was a DP case. Doesn't the state have to tell the defense of the death penalty intent? And the attorney needs to be "death penalty" qualified?

Yeah, no one has mentioned this being a Death Penalty case, but it also says he’s turning himself in on Nov 3.

 

[abyquinn]

Another thought: if these two have been married for at least 10 years, in a divorce, I believe she may have to pay out the wahzoo to 'equalize' the standard of living in the 2 separate homes in which the children would live. This used to be true and standard practice but I don't know if it is anymore. In the past,he would be entitled to a portion of her higher income as a doctor because he "supported" her in completing medical school by being a full time stay at home parent. This was the way it used to work.

Could anyone familiar with more recent divorce guidelines weigh in on this?

According to Grandma she had only been a full fledged Anesthesiologist for a year when Parker died. I don’t know how they paid for their home, cars & vacations prior to this, maybe an inheritance? It does sound like Erika has always been the primary bread winner. Christopher was a bartender when he left DD#1 in the car while he worked.

 

[MsMarple]

Yeah, no one has mentioned this being a Death Penalty case, but it also says he’s turning himself in on Nov 3.

Yeah, even though Arizona has the death penalty I doubt the prosecution would have pursued it.

The one thing I’m worried about though is the possibility Chris will file for a petition for post conviction relief under Rule 32 of the Arizona Rules of Criminal Procedure. Even if the deal includes no appeal, under certain circumstances the convicted person could, if they had solid reasons.

He can’t file until he’s sentenced and then has 90 days to do so. Of course he’d have to prove that he had ineffective counsel or new evidence has been found.

The good news is that the standards for making such claims are pretty high so Chris would have to come up with some whopper errors.

Nah, I don’t think he’ll file and I doubt an appeals court would allow him to do so just to stall going to prison. JMO

Browse - Arizona Court Rules

govt.westlaw.com

Can You Appeal a Plea Bargain? - FindLaw

Appealing a plea bargain isn't usually an option unless you can prove ineffective assistance of counsel. Learn about appealing a plea bargain and more at FindLaw's Criminal Procedure section.

www.findlaw.com

 

[NuttMegg]

Yeah, no one has mentioned this being a Death Penalty case, but it also says he’s turning himself in on Nov 3.

His stupid uncaring arrogance cost him a nice big chunk of free life. I won't be excited if he gets 20, but it's a hefty number and,.....a precedent that might cause some of these scumbags to think twice and save some baby lives.

 

[NuttMegg]

Yeah, even though Arizona has the death penalty I doubt the prosecution would have pursued it.

The one thing I’m worried about though is the possibility Chris will file for a petition for post conviction relief under Rule 32 of the Arizona Rules of Criminal Procedure. Even if the deal includes no appeal, under certain circumstances the convicted person could, if they had solid reasons.

He can’t file until he’s sentenced and then has 90 days to do so. Of course he’d have to prove that he had ineffective counsel or new evidence has been found.

The good news is that the standards for making such claims are pretty high so Chris would have to come up with some whopper errors.

Nah, I don’t think he’ll file and I doubt an appeals court would allow him to do so just to stall going to prison. JMO

Browse - Arizona Court Rules

govt.westlaw.com

Can You Appeal a Plea Bargain? - FindLaw

Appealing a plea bargain isn't usually an option unless you can prove ineffective assistance of counsel. Learn about appealing a plea bargain and more at FindLaw's Criminal Procedure section.

www.findlaw.com

Well he turned down the "better deal was possible" so he probably won't use that.one. in the Watts case (CO) he had a big time hole to change his mind before sentencing. Crime Talk probably has a good explanation still on the SR site. Then he had a chance at a 35C, simiilar to what you posted. Unfortunately he had repeatedly said in court that he had no problem with his defense, even that they would have continued his defense any way he wanted. Unfortunately, for him, about 3 months after his sentencing he told LE that he accepted the plea because he didn't want to "lie to his defense attys" any more.

But I wouldn't put it past this particular baby murderer to slink around the sewer trying to get out.

 

[BrownRice]

.

 

[abyquinn]

She obviously knew. Didn't she mention him still drinking in some of her texts? I think she was lying to LE when she told them he had quit. But I also think he was purposefully trying to hide his drinking from her most of the time.

The ‘You always drink too much’ text was around March/April ‘24 - Erika told the LEO in her interviews on 7/10 & 7/11 that he had been sober for 3 months. That even if offered medication for his back injury he wouldn’t take it. Their life had been really good since he quit drinking. There had never been abuse but that when he drank he became *unpleasant”. Since it appeared he drank all the time he must have been a joy to be around day in & day out.

This from the forensic interview on 7/11
She stated things have been really good for her and Chris recently because he
quit drinking alcohol three months ago. She stated that there was never any
abuse, but if he would drink when they went on a vacation, it just was not a really great time.

It appears Christopher didn’t have access to cash, she kept him on a short leash to keep him sober. When the girls went to Elevate with the neighbors kids he gave the Grandma a credit card in case the kids needed anything. It probably never occurred to her that this Pillar of the Community would resort to petty theft to pay for his beer habit.

 

[abyquinn]

Do we have any local-to-them sleuths who might be able to attend sentencing? Because I have a feeling this is going to turn into a whole "He didn't meeeeeeannnn toooooo" fest and I would love for someone, anyone at all to be there for Parker.

I’m going to try to go. Fingers crossed nothing comes up between now & then.

It will be really satisfying to see Christopher sentenced to 30 years in prison. I hope while he is serving his time every day of every year after the first 10 feels like an eternity while he realizes he could’ve been walking free, if he had accepted the first plea deal. Personally I’m glad he didn’t. Especially after reading all his other bad acts. His thoughtless behavior cost Parker her life. It seems only fitting that he forfeits his.

 

[mickey2942]

The ‘You always drink too much’ text was around March/April ‘24 - Erika told the LEO in her interviews on 7/10 & 7/11 that he had been sober for 3 months. That even if offered medication for his back injury he wouldn’t take it. Their life had been really good since he quit drinking. There had never been abuse but that when he drank he became *unpleasant”. Since it appeared he drank all the time he must have been a joy to be around day in & day out.

This from the forensic interview on 7/11
She stated things have been really good for her and Chris recently because he
quit drinking alcohol three months ago. She stated that there was never any
abuse, but if he would drink when they went on a vacation, it just was not a really great time.

It appears Christopher didn’t have access to cash, she kept him on a short leash to keep him sober. When the girls went to Elevate with the neighbors kids he gave the Grandma a credit card in case the kids needed anything. It probably never occurred to her that this Pillar of the Community would resort to petty theft to pay for his beer habit.

True. I noticed the police listed CS account with an $11.00 balance.

I understand about fathers being a "Stay At Home Dad", my friend's husband does it now. He is great. I was a SAHM for awhile, but went crazy. I got a job.

Sounds like CS didn't want to work or be a stay at home Dad. Well, he won't have to do either one now.

I still think he should have been put in cuffs the day he pled guilty. It seems ridiculous to me that a man who has pled guilty to murder is just roaming around, perfectly free.

 

[OneLove]

I'm curious as to what kind of rationale ES uses to justify her claims that the EVIDENCE and witness statements released to the public and freely available online are just "noise". Sure, I understand her not *wanting* her mother and others in her sphere to read the embarrassing truth, but *noise*?? Seriously?

I am concerned for patients whose lives are in her hands daily.

 

[NuttMegg]

The ‘You always drink too much’ text was around March/April ‘24 - Erika told the LEO in her interviews on 7/10 & 7/11 that he had been sober for 3 months. That even if offered medication for his back injury he wouldn’t take it. Their life had been really good since he quit drinking. There had never been abuse but that when he drank he became *unpleasant”. Since it appeared he drank all the time he must have been a joy to be around day in & day out.

This from the forensic interview on 7/11
She stated things have been really good for her and Chris recently because he
quit drinking alcohol three months ago. She stated that there was never any
abuse, but if he would drink when they went on a vacation, it just was not a really great time.

It appears Christopher didn’t have access to cash, she kept him on a short leash to keep him sober. When the girls went to Elevate with the neighbors kids he gave the Grandma a credit card in case the kids needed anything. It probably never occurred to her that this Pillar of the Community would resort to petty theft to pay for his beer habit.

There had been no abuse, she claims. Well, verbal abuse is abuse. And if their vacations were so unpleasant because of his behavior, there had to be abuse. Imo

If she told him "how many times" not to leave their kids in the car and if he kept on doing it that's "abuse".

 

[steeltowngirl]

Yeah, no one has mentioned this being a Death Penalty case, but it also says he’s turning himself in on Nov 3.

“The death penalty has been on hold since early 2023 when Gov. Katie Hobbs ordered a review of protocols.

But if and when that hold is lifted, Pima County Attorney Laura Conover said her office will not seek it.”

13 CRIME FILES: Status of death penalty cases in Pima County

It’s been years since Pima County has sentenced anyone to death.

www.kold.com

 

[MsMarple]

The ‘You always drink too much’ text was around March/April ‘24 - Erika told the LEO in her interviews on 7/10 & 7/11 that he had been sober for 3 months. That even if offered medication for his back injury he wouldn’t take it. Their life had been really good since he quit drinking. There had never been abuse but that when he drank he became *unpleasant”. Since it appeared he drank all the time he must have been a joy to be around day in & day out.

This from the forensic interview on 7/11
She stated things have been really good for her and Chris recently because he
quit drinking alcohol three months ago. She stated that there was never any
abuse, but if he would drink when they went on a vacation, it just was not a really great time.

It appears Christopher didn’t have access to cash, she kept him on a short leash to keep him sober. When the girls went to Elevate with the neighbors kids he gave the Grandma a credit card in case the kids needed anything. It probably never occurred to her that this Pillar of the Community would resort to petty theft to pay for his beer habit.

“Good” for whom, Erika? Certainly not the children. Imagine going to a beautiful ski resort or to Cancun, where daddy drinks too much and becomes “unpleasant.” Then mommy gets irritated. How is that a fun time for the kids?

Kids sense when their parents are tense and it can easily flow through the family like molten lava. And I’d bet dollars to donuts that neither parent managed to hide the tension. Ugh, kids aren’t built to handle adult issues. JMO

 

[ErinC]

“The death penalty has been on hold since early 2023 when Gov. Katie Hobbs ordered a review of protocols.

But if and when that hold is lifted, Pima County Attorney Laura Conover said her office will not seek it.”

13 CRIME FILES: Status of death penalty cases in Pima County

It’s been years since Pima County has sentenced anyone to death.

www.kold.com

Tbh I'm not sure they could have gotten death on this one- I don't think he did intentionally cause her death in this situation. Her death was more a by product of his "I am the MIGHTY CS and NOTHING I DO is EVER wrong, therefore NOTHING can ever go wrong! And even if it does, I'm still entitled to do what I want!" mentality. So it might have been a little hard to argue for death, though tbf I don't know if Arizona statute requires intent or not. I'd just hate to see it turn into another Casey Anthony where first degree was an overcharge, jurors weren't offered any other options and so they wound up having to set her free. MOO OMO

 

[OneLove]

ES should have divorced him before the 10 year mark. They would all have been better off.

Sure would love to know how they met/ their "story". We know what he *didnt* have as a partner but what exactly DID he have?

The hold he has on her is very Svengali like, or maybe Rasputin is more like it.

She needs a deprogrammer.

 

[Charlot123]

This is based strictly off nothing but my own opinion…but I wouldn’t be surprised if the lack of care he gave for all these kids he supposedly wanted was because he wanted a son but kept having daughters.

Likely. However, before the son could be old enough to share "quality time", i.e. computer games + beer with his dad, he'd also have to survive being left in a car seat as an irritating distraction.

 

[Charlot123]

Has it been said how they actually met? She was already working as a doctor then, or was she still in school? Seems like they would have run in different circles then. Maybe she met him while he was bartending?

And where did "scientist" come from? One daughter said he doesn't work now, but he used to be a bartender and a scientist, but had to retire to stay home and take care of her and her sister. (paraphrased) (And I can't believe this is the story he told his girls, while they still must have been very young! Feeding his pretentious, self-inflating false narrative to his little girls even, really?? His ego is outrageous.)

Maybe his college major was something sciency? Did he ever graduate college?

To me ES resembles a hired nanny to a wayward son of a "good family", trying to keep him responsible, buying him toys and being upset that he doesn't "mature". I don't know what the underlining to their story is, but there must be something.