Wife stays by man's side after he left daughter, 2, to die in scorching 43C car
The wife of a man charged with the first-degree murder of his two-year-old daughter, whom he allegedly left to die in a hot car, has chosen to stay by his side while he awaits trial.
Christopher Scholtes, 37, is accused of leaving his daughter Parker inside a car in 190°F (87.7°C) heat outside their home in Marana, Arizona, in July 2023, as he didn't want to disturb her sleep. The pair had just returned from a shopping trip.
According to investigators, Scholtes left the vehicle running with the air-conditioning on, but the car eventually shut off while he became distracted playing video games on his Playstation.
Prosecutors allege Parker remained in the car for over three hours. His wife, who works as a doctor, came home to find a horrifying discovery - their daughter's lifeless body.
Baby girl dies alone in cot after dad neglects her to watch TV and play games
Despite facing a possible death sentence and rejecting a plea deal that would have reduced the charge to second-degree murder, Scholtes was granted a temporary change in bail conditions, allowing him to travel to Maui, Hawaii from May 1-9 with his wife, Dr. Erika Scholtes, and their two surviving daughters.
News of the court order shows the couple's marriage has remained intact despite a horrific tragedy prosecutors say was homicide.
The court order, issued by Judge Kimberly Ortiz over objections from prosecutors, stipulates that Scholtes must stay in contact with pretrial services and have no unsupervised contact with children during the trip.
The Scholtes family's continued public togetherness and support has drawn scrutiny. Erika, an anesthesiologist at the hospital where Parker was pronounced dead, has stood by her husband, describing the incident as a tragic mistake. During a hearing, she defended him, stating, 'This doesn't represent him.'
CCTV footage reportedly contradicted Scholtes' initial claim that Parker was alone in the car for less than an hour, showing she was left in direct sunlight for more than three hours. His older daughters, aged 5 and 9 at the time, told investigators he often left all three children unattended in the car.
Text messages revealed by prosecutors show Erika scolding her husband after the incident, writing, "I told you to stop leaving them in the car... we've lost her, she was perfect." Scholtes responded, "Babe, I'm sorry! How could I do this? I killed our baby, this can't be real."
Scholtes' trial, initially scheduled for September 15, has been postponed to October. If convicted, he faces life imprisonment or the death penalty.
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