An Arizona dad played his PlayStation while knowingly leaving his two year-old daughter in a hot car to die, it has been claimed.
Christopher Scholtes, 37, was arrested on Friday and has been charged with second-degree murder and child abuse over Parker’s death. The games console was seized during a search of his home in Marana.
Scholtes told police that he left his daughter in her car seat inside the vehicle because he did not want to wake her up, according to a criminal complaint obtained by DailyMail.com.
He said he’d left her in the family’s Acura for around 30 minutes after arriving home at 2:30pm, it is alleged.
But new evidence put forward by prosecutors suggests the little girl was actually in the car for three hours. The weather outside was 120f, with the car parked in direct sunlight.
Christopher Scholtes, 37, was arrested on Friday and has been charged with second-degree murder and child abuse over Parker’s death. He is seen with Parker, her two older sisters and his wife Erika
Scholtes’ doctor wife Erika arrived home around 4pm, asked where Parker was and found her dead in the car, it is claimed.
As Parker was transported to the hospital, Scholtes’ wife Erika Scholtes texted him saying: ‘I told you to stop leaving them in the car, how many times have I told you.’
She later added: ‘We’ve lost her, she was perfect.’
Scholtes replied: ‘Babe I’m sorry! How could I do this. I killed our baby, this can’t be real.’
Scholtes’ two other children, aged nine and five, told police that Scholtes had left all three siblings alone in the vehicle regularly
And Scholtes’ two other children, aged nine and five, told police that Scholtes had left all three siblings alone in the vehicle regularly.
The kids reportedly added that Scholtes ‘got distracted by playing his game and putting his food away’ on Friday as Parker died in the car.
The father of three told police he left the air conditioning in the Acura running but was aware it would automatically shut off after about 30 minutes based on previous experience.
While he told police that he had arrived at home with Parker at about 2.30pm, nearby surveillance footage showed his vehicle arrived at the house at about 12.53pm.
It was not until just after 4pm when Scholetes’ wife arrived at the home and asked where Parker was that the toddler was found in the car.
A 911 call was made at 4.16pm, when the reported temperature was 109 degrees.
A PlayStation and other electronics taken by authorities, as reported by KPTV.
On Monday, Erika Scholtes, an anesthesiologist, called her daughter’s death a ‘big mistake’ as she begged a Tuscon judge to reconsider holding her husband until his next hearing in August.
A 911 call was made at 4.16pm, when the reported temperature was 109 degrees. Parker is pictured
Parker was left in this blue Honda Acura SUV seen behind the police tape earlier that same day. The conditions of his release include that he stay away from alcohol or illegal drugs, as well as any firearms
Erika Scholtes, 35, works as an anesthesiologist at the same hospital her daughter was rushed to on Tuesday. She successfully called for her husband’s temporary release on Friday, hours after his arrest. He is charged with murder
The judge upheld the doctor’s request – agreeing to release the suspect until his next hearing next month so he can ‘start the grieving process’ with his relatives.
‘I’m just asking if you can allow him to come home to us so we can all start the grieving process,’ said 35-year-old Erika during a remote appearance at her husband’s scheduled hearing.
She explained it would be ‘so that he can bury our daughter with us this upcoming week, and [so] that we can go through this poor process together as a family.’
Scholtes told cops that when he arrived home, Parker (pictured together) was asleep in the back seat and he didn’t want to wake her, making him elect to leave her in the car despite the extreme heat
‘This was a big mistake and I think that it doesn’t represent him,’ the mom-of-two continued.
‘I just want that the girls to see their father so that I don’t have to tell them tonight that they’re going to endure another loss.’
The defense proceeded to point out how Scholtes lacked a criminal history – aside from a DUI charge from 15 years ago.