A plea deal could be on the table for the Marana man who is facing charges in the tragic hot car death of his young daughter. The defendant recently appeared in a Pima County courtroom, where discussions for a possible plea agreement may take place.
Chris Scholtes, a man accused of committing first-degree murder and child abuse, is now facing charges in connection with the tragic death of his two-year-old daughter in August.
Scholtes appeared in court on Wednesday for a pre-trial hearing, during which both the prosecution and the defense discussed the possibility of a plea deal. A 10-day jury trial has been scheduled for September 2025.
According to court documents, Scholtes explained to the officers that he had taken his daughter along on some errands. Upon returning home, he found that she was asleep in her car seat. As a result, he chose to leave her in the vehicle while he went inside.
According to Scholtes, he had left the engine running and had the air conditioner on while he was away. However, when he returned to the car, he found it turned off and his daughter unconscious.
The girl was taken to a hospital in Tucson, where medical professionals declared her deceased.
According to officials, Scholtes’ account of the events did not align with the footage captured by a neighbor’s security video.
According to Scholtes, they arrived home at 2 p.m. However, the security video indicates that the vehicle actually arrived at 12:53 p.m. and remained there without leaving.
When Scholtes arrived home from work at around 4 p.m., she immediately inquired about the whereabouts of her daughter. Without wasting any time, both Scholtes and his wife rushed outside to inspect their vehicle.
The couple immediately dialed 911 and then rushed their daughter into their home, where first responders made every effort to revive her.
According to the initial complaint, Scholtes’ two children, aged 5 and 9, revealed that he frequently left all three of them alone in the vehicle. They mentioned that he would get distracted while playing his game and putting away his food, leaving their sister in the car.
As part of the ongoing investigation, authorities seized a PlayStation and various other electronic devices. Additionally, detectives confiscated a 2023 Acura MDX vehicle.
During the investigation, Scholtes admitted that he was aware of the safety feature in his vehicle that would automatically turn off the engine after 30 minutes. He had learned about this feature from a previous experience.
Scholtes has a court appearance scheduled for January 27, 2025.