A man who admitted to causing the death of his two-year-old daughter by leaving her in a hot car while watching adult content has died on the day he was supposed to go to jail.
The body of Christopher Scholtes, 38, was found by Phoenix Police Department officers around 6 am on Wednesday, November 5, the same day he was scheduled to be incarcerated before his sentencing hearing on November 21.
Pima County Attorney Laura Conover stated at a press conference that Scholtes had agreed to a plea deal for second-degree murder that could have resulted in a 30-year prison term. However, instead of showing up for court, it was revealed that he took his own life the previous night.
Addressing the complexities of the situation, Conover commended the prosecutors involved in the case and offered condolences to Scholtes’ family. She also conveyed a message of support and resilience to Scholtes’ two surviving daughters, who have suffered the loss of a sister and a father within two years.
Scholtes had previously struck a deal with prosecutors in October, admitting to the second-degree murder of his daughter, Parker, who tragically died from heat exposure in a car last summer. Despite facing a potential 20 to 30-year prison sentence, he had been out on bail until the day he was expected to be taken into custody.
Scholtes and his wife, Erika, had recently moved to a new home near Phoenix following the tragic incident involving their daughter. In court, Erika defended her husband’s actions, referring to their daughter’s death as a mistake. Scholtes had admitted to leaving his daughter in the car with the air conditioning on for 30 minutes, leading to her unconscious state when Erika found her.
Initially pleading not guilty, Scholtes later accepted the plea deal for second-degree murder and child abuse charges, which could have resulted in 20 to 30 years of imprisonment. He was also sued by his eldest daughter and wife for emotional distress, assault, battery, and fraud, with evidence suggesting a pattern of leaving children unattended in cars for extended periods.
Allegations from his daughters to the police indicated a history of being left alone in cars while Scholtes was distracted, further emphasizing the tragic circumstances surrounding the case.