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Dad Watched Adult Videos While 2YO Daughter Passed Away In Hot Car, But Jury Will Never Know It
A concerning detail surrounding 38-year-old Christopher Scholtes, the Arizona father accused of leaving his toddler to perish in a hot vehicle, has now been confirmed:
He was browsing explicit content on his PlayStation while his 2-year-old daughter, Parker, was locked inside a 2003 Acura in 109-degree heat.
Prosecutors had previously suggested the detail, but a newly filed court motion now officially verifies that Scholtes accessed adult material during the exact window Parker was left in the vehicle parked in the family’s driveway.
Highlights
- An Arizona father is accused of leaving his 2-year-old daughter to perish in 109°F car.
- Newly filed court documents confirm he was browsing adult material on his PlayStation during that time.
- A judge ruled jurors won’t hear about the PlayStation activity when the trial begins October 27.
Scholtes is facing two charges related to the incident. But despite confirmation of his activity, a Pima County judge has ruled that jurors will not be allowed to hear about it during the trial.
RELATED:
A father who left his daughter to perish inside a hot vehicle was watching adult content when it happened
Image credits: Chris Scholtes
Parker’s mother, Erika Scholtes, discovered her daughter unconscious in the family’s vehicle around 4 pm on July 9, 2024. By then, the child had been locked inside for over three hours.
Christopher Scholtes told responding officers that Parker had fallen asleep on the way home from running errands. He claimed he didn’t want to wake her and left her in the vehicle with the air conditioning on while he went inside to “unpack groceries.”
Image credits: Pima County Jail
After being questioned, he was forced to admit to police that he was aware the engine would automatically shut off after 30 minutes, disabling the airflow. He argued he had “become distracted” and forgot the child was outside.
Image credits: Law&Crime Network
Parker was rushed to Banner University Medical Center, the very same hospital where her mother, an anesthesiologist, worked. She was pronounced deceased shortly after arrival.
As emergency responders attempted to revive her, Erika allegedly sent her husband a chilling text:
“I told you to stop leaving them in the car. How many times have I told you?”
Prosecutors have been barred from using the concerning detail during the suspect’s upcoming trial
Image credits: Law&Crime Network
According to a motion filed by the Pima County Attorney’s Office, data from Scholtes’ PlayStation console confirms that he accessed adult-oriented material while his daughter remained trapped outside.
Image credits: jjbolter
Image credits: JaneJetson58
Prosecutors argued the information was relevant to his mental state and level of distraction. However, Judge Kimberly Ortiz ruled that the court would exclude the evidence, stating:
“The State is precluded from any eliciting testimony in its case in chief regarding the Defendant looking for [explicit content] on the PlayStation.”
Witnesses have also been instructed not to reference it.
Image credits: Chris Scholtes
Prosecutors say that while inside, Scholtes also consumed alcoholic beverages and played video games.
Surveillance footage from earlier in the day reportedly shows him leaving Parker alone in the car on two other occasions: once at a gas station, and again at a grocery store where he allegedly stole beer.
Supporting their mother’s previous text, Scholtes’ two surviving daughters, aged 6 and 9, told investigators he had left them in vehicles before.
Scholtes’ case mirrors a similar tragedy in July, when a couple of toddlers were left in a scorching car by their mother
Image credits: COURT TV
Despite the severity of the case, Scholtes rejected a plea deal earlier this year that would have reduced his charge to second-degree. Days later, the court approved a controversial request allowing him to travel to Hawaii with his wife and surviving children ahead of his trial.
He has pleaded not guilty to both charges. His trial is scheduled to begin October 27 in Pima County.
Image credits: man41203362
Image credits: SouthrnBeachGrl
The case has been compared to a similar tragedy in Bakersfield, California, where a 20-year-old mother left her 1-year-old and 2-year-old sons in a car while undergoing a cosmetic procedure.
Only the older child survived.
Image credits: Erika Scholtes
In both cases, the adults assumed the car’s AC system would stay on. In both cases, the system shut off automatically. And in both cases, a child paid for that mistake with their lives.
Image credits: COURT TV
Experts warn that a vehicle can become deadly in just minutes. According to Safe Kids Worldwide, a child left unattended in a car passes away from heatstroke roughly every nine days in the United States.
This is because children heat up far faster than adults, and their smaller bodies are less capable of cooling down. Once the temperature inside a parked vehicle begins to climb, it can rise 20 degrees in as little as 10 minutes.
“The cherry on top.” Netizens were baffled by the confirmation by prosecutors
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What do you think ?
FreeTheUnicorn 1 month ago
The rules of evidence are there to protect us all from persecution by the state. There are good reasons for not allowing evidence, and if this was not a legally sound decision it can be addressed on appeal. Though i fail to see why watching p**n is any better or worse than anything else while your child is dying. Maybe theres an argument that being ashamed of p**n affected his behaviour but really, he left his daughter to be cooked alive while watching videos, is there anyrhing that could make that better or worse?
Nova Rook 1 month ago
The jury may find his activities outrageous and be more inclined to find him guilty.
Load More Replies...
Pyla 1 month ago
Rage bait aside, this shouldn't matter. WHAT he was doing doesn't matter. He can't say he was having an emergency because then he will open the door for them to find out what is exactly going on during that time period.
BrunoVI 1 month ago
It goes to WHY he left her in the car to be able to forget about her in the first place. He chose to risk forgetting her. He says it was to allow her to continue her nap; I suspect it was so he'd have the empty house to himself to watch p**n.
Load More Replies...
Beth Wheeler 1 month ago
If me or my husband had ever left ours in the car when we got home we would have had a come to Jesus meeting with the other. It definitely wouldn't have happened more than once. I don't understand why that woman stayed with him especially since he kept leaving the kids in the car. I definately would have kicked him out the 2nd time and gone for full custody. He definitely wouldn't have them alone while they aren't old enough to get out of the car by themselves.
AtMostAFabulist 1 month ago
The "Adult Content" is not the greatest thing, but IMO the alcoholic drink and the fact that he has left his kids in the car before are more damning.
Robert Cosgrove 1 month ago
He deserves a life sentence for what he has done. But what does it matter for the purpose of his trial what he was watching? The content might enable a judgement of his character and make the case seem more sordid but does it worsen his culpability ? If he was watching Sesame Street would that make it less horrific ?
Sarah Ellison 1 month ago (edited)
That poor, beautiful little life is gone, and the worst part is it is due to PURPOSEFUL negligence, that the father has REPEATEDLY committed. Throw his a*s in jail for the number of years his daughter will never have.
Fellfromthemoon 1 month ago
Randomos2oh, the first original commenter, trusts her teenager kids more than her hubby, when it comes to the safety of the small one. Sad.
FreeTheUnicorn 1 month ago
The rules of evidence are there to protect us all from persecution by the state. There are good reasons for not allowing evidence, and if this was not a legally sound decision it can be addressed on appeal. Though i fail to see why watching p**n is any better or worse than anything else while your child is dying. Maybe theres an argument that being ashamed of p**n affected his behaviour but really, he left his daughter to be cooked alive while watching videos, is there anyrhing that could make that better or worse?
Nova Rook 1 month ago
The jury may find his activities outrageous and be more inclined to find him guilty.
Load More Replies... Pyla 1 month ago
Rage bait aside, this shouldn't matter. WHAT he was doing doesn't matter. He can't say he was having an emergency because then he will open the door for them to find out what is exactly going on during that time period.
BrunoVI 1 month ago
It goes to WHY he left her in the car to be able to forget about her in the first place. He chose to risk forgetting her. He says it was to allow her to continue her nap; I suspect it was so he'd have the empty house to himself to watch p**n.
Load More Replies... Beth Wheeler 1 month ago
If me or my husband had ever left ours in the car when we got home we would have had a come to Jesus meeting with the other. It definitely wouldn't have happened more than once. I don't understand why that woman stayed with him especially since he kept leaving the kids in the car. I definately would have kicked him out the 2nd time and gone for full custody. He definitely wouldn't have them alone while they aren't old enough to get out of the car by themselves.
AtMostAFabulist 1 month ago
The "Adult Content" is not the greatest thing, but IMO the alcoholic drink and the fact that he has left his kids in the car before are more damning.
Robert Cosgrove 1 month ago
He deserves a life sentence for what he has done. But what does it matter for the purpose of his trial what he was watching? The content might enable a judgement of his character and make the case seem more sordid but does it worsen his culpability ? If he was watching Sesame Street would that make it less horrific ?
Sarah Ellison 1 month ago (edited)
That poor, beautiful little life is gone, and the worst part is it is due to PURPOSEFUL negligence, that the father has REPEATEDLY committed. Throw his a*s in jail for the number of years his daughter will never have.
Fellfromthemoon 1 month ago
Randomos2oh, the first original commenter, trusts her teenager kids more than her hubby, when it comes to the safety of the small one. Sad.
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