Arizona girl, 2, left in car by father on 109-degree day and is found dead #2

[tlcya]

womp womp womp. Poor Chris has memory problems. You know what can contribute to memory problems? Excessive use of alcohol. Color me unimpressed. I agree, defense is all over the place because there is no legitimate excuse for this manchild's behavior. JMO So yes Spaghetti approach, toss it all at the wall, maybe something will stick.

 

[mickey2942]

The defense sounds like spaghetti being thrown against the wall to see what sticks.

Having CS testify is a bad idea. He isn't likeable. To anyone. The theft of the alcohol will come in, his treatment of his older daughter. Questions about his drinking.

His "memory" issues? Let's just makeup a disability day? Same as the plan for Kohberger, turning a serial killer into a babbling helpless baby.

It won't work. And if it does? Parker is still dead. Cooked in Sonoma desert summer heat. Everyone who lives there knows the heat is searing. What excuse did he have?? None. He brought in food before a child? And then "forgot" her in the car? Because he was drinking and playing video games? That will go over well with a jury.

No one else has been charged with murder 1? Well, let's just say that this is the most heinous. His own wife told him not to leave kids in the car any longer. Meaning he obviously had done it before.

 

[Herat]

Having CS testify is a bad idea. He isn't likeable. To anyone. The theft of the alcohol will come in, his treatment of his older daughter. Questions about his drinking.

His "memory" issues? Let's just makeup a disability day? Same as the plan for Kohberger, turning a serial killer into a babbling helpless baby.

It won't work. And if it does? Parker is still dead. Cooked in Sonoma desert summer heat. Everyone who lives there knows the heat is searing. What excuse did he have?? None. He brought in food before a child? And then "forgot" her in the car? Because he was drinking and playing video games? That will go over well with a jury.

No one else has been charged with murder 1? Well, let's just say that this is the most heinous. His own wife told him not to leave kids in the car any longer. Meaning he obviously had done it before.

The damming testimony that he did this repetitively and with purposeful actions, as documented by his wife and children should be paramount.

 

[tlcya]

I so hope he testifies. Prosecutors will have a shot at getting him to open the door to any evidence/info that has been left out. JMO

 

[duckduck]

TUCSON, Ariz. (KGUN) — In the first degree murder trial of Christopher Scholtes, the man who is charged with killing his two year old daughter by leaving her in a hot car, the defense attorney hinted at a rare and dangerous tactic: Scholtes may testify in his own defense
…
Scholtes’ defense attorney Marc Adair says he is developing information about other hot car deaths that may mitigate Scholtes’ situation. Adair says he has found only one other case of someone prosecuted for first degree murder when a child died in a hot car.
…
The defense attorney says he wants Scholtes to have a psychiatric exam after hearing family reports that Scholtes may have memory problems. He mentioned the psychiatrist he wants to use is an expert in cases of Guilty Except Insane, which under Arizona Law would confine someone to a psychiatric hospital instead of prison.

Dad in hot car death may testify in own defense

Christopher Scholtes, charged with killing his two year old daughter by leaving her in a hot car, the defense attorney hinted at a rare and dangerous tactic: Scholtes may testify in his own defense.

www.kgun9.com

Oh boy. More at the link. Wife and kids have been subpoenaed by the state, judge rejected motion by the defense for a continuance so trial is still scheduled for end of October.

Defense attorney still looking for a plea deal: Scholtes rejected a previous one for second degree murder.

Seems like the defense is all over the place. JMO

And this comment from the defense attorney in the above article:

“Erika Scholtes is not pushing for the state to prosecute her husband. This family is dealing with the emotional toll and is now going to have to gear up for a trial in this case and I don’t know why the State has had to criminally subpoena Erika and the two children in this case. I don’t think she is being very cooperative with the prosecution.”

 

[ChatteringBirds]

What can he possibly even say about his memory? He already said he left her in the car on purpose (with the air conditioning on).

He wanted me-time, IMO.

Erika Scholtes is not pushing for the state to prosecute her husband. This family is dealing with the emotional toll and is now going to have to gear up for a trial in this case

As if family decides whether someone is prosecuted! But the defense attorney has to try to garner sympathy for them. And I do actually have it for E. and the other children.

 

[MsMarple]

Having CS testify is a bad idea. He isn't likeable. To anyone. The theft of the alcohol will come in, his treatment of his older daughter. Questions about his drinking.

His "memory" issues? Let's just makeup a disability day? Same as the plan for Kohberger, turning a serial killer into a babbling helpless baby.

It won't work. And if it does? Parker is still dead. Cooked in Sonoma desert summer heat. Everyone who lives there knows the heat is searing. What excuse did he have?? None. He brought in food before a child? And then "forgot" her in the car? Because he was drinking and playing video games? That will go over well with a jury.

No one else has been charged with murder 1? Well, let's just say that this is the most heinous. His own wife told him not to leave kids in the car any longer. Meaning he obviously had done it before.

It may be a first for Arizona but there are cases in Texas and Florida where caregivers were indicted for first degree murder.

So which is it? Memory problems, insanity? He told the police that he left the a/c on and didn’t know it had stopped. That’s extreme indifference as far as I can tell. He purposely left Parker in that car.

Good luck with either defense. Yeah, he’s crazy all right, sure.

 

[mickey2942]

Did the police ever publish a BAC on CS?

Father may have been distracted by PlayStation when toddler died in hot car

A 2-year-old girl died last week after she was left in a vehicle in Arizona. Now, authorities say her father, 37-year-old Christopher Scholtes, may have been playing a video game when his daughter died.

www.wlbt.com

I can't find anything. But this article mentions a DUI 15 years ago. I don't give anyone a pass for a DUI. MOO is that people who got a DUI, probably drove drunk many times before finally be charged. In Montana, courts pretty much let it slide several times, but finally they do charge a person with a DUI after several other times they let it go.

 

[steeltowngirl]

Scholtes’ defense attorney Marc Adair says he is developing information about other hot car deaths that may mitigate Scholtes’ situation. Adair says he has found only one other case of someone prosecuted for first degree murder when a child died in a hot car.

Adair better do better with case preparation. There are at least 4 others that have been charged with first degree murder in hot car deaths. JH (who also alleged memory problems) was the most notable, as he was convicted and sentenced to LWOP. He served 10 years before the conviction was overturned.

https://www.cnn.com/2022/06/22/us/hot-car-death-georgia-supreme-court

https://www.wfla.com/news/florida/florida-father-charged-with-1st-degree-murder-in-toddlers-hot-car-death/

North Texas mother tried to cover up her son's hot car death, went to McDonald's on the way to the ER: Affidavit

Vanessa Esquivel, 27, is facing a first-degree murder charge.

www.cbsnews.com

Athens, Tennessee, man’s charges upped to first-degree murder after infant found dead in car | Chattanooga Times Free Press

An Athens, Tennessee, man has been charged with first-degree murder in the death of his infant daughter, who was left in a car for hours in August while he worked nearby.

www.timesfreepress.com

 

[abyquinn]

- I think his attorney really has his hands full with these two. I’m sure he has given his best advice. Do not testify! But Christopher is smarter than most of us and used to getting his own way, one way or another. No money for beer? No problem! He just drinks it in the convenience store restroom (allegedly). Erica doesn’t want it to go to trial? She should’ve thought of that when she left him alone with those little girls. She was aware he was driving under the influence (dui) with the kids in the car. She knew he would speed with the girls in the car >130mph just weeks before Parker’s death. She knew he left the kids in the car alone, for years! DD#1 was 5 or 6 yrs old when he left her in the car while he worked 10 years prior to Parker’s death! How many times did she tell him not to do so?! If my husband had pulled any of those things I wouldn’t tell him twice! After the first time, had he done it again he wouldn’t have had the opportunity to do it a third time. Maybe it was his bad memory that caused him to forget he was told not to leave the girls in the car! Maybe it was the alcohol causing him to be forgetful & not to do those things! I don’t actually care if he was forgetful! If he brought Parker in the house when he got home he wouldn’t have to remember to go get her in 20 minutes or so before the car stopped running! But then he wouldn’t have been free to drink, play video games & watch just like most parents with a toddler in the house!

- He lied! He lied about the amount of time she was in the car! He knew he was lying! When asked how long she had been in the car he replied; “I want to say it was not more than 30 or 45 minutes!” Of course he wanted to say 30 or 45 minutes! But the truth was it was over 3 hours and he never checked on her to see if she was asleep or if she was awake! He lied about checking on her too. Ring cameras showed he never went back out after letting the girls into the house.

- It was 109* outside! If you’ve never experienced that kind of heat, opening the door of an air conditioned house is like opening your preheating oven. The heat sucks the air out of you.

He was telling the LEO he usually left the kids to sleep in the car with the car in the garage. I seriously question the truth in that too. Our garages are attached to the house, with a door from the garage into the house. The garages here are insulated just like the house. Even the garage door that lifts up is insulated, it doesn’t matter, inside the garage the air doesn’t move, it’s a dry heat, hotter in there than outside. IMO

I’m sorry for this long rant. I’m just so angry at what he did, repeatedly to 4 little girls, now trying to get away with it! He was irresponsible the day Parker died and he hasn’t changed a bit.