Dad who left lady, 2, to ‘die in scorching automobile’ goes on luxurious vacation with two different children

Christopher Scholtes, 38, from Arizona, is set to stand trial later this year after he allegedly left his daughter in a hot car while he played video games

A father, who is currently facing charges for the alleged murder of his two year old daughter, has been granted permission to take a family holiday to Hawaii before his trial later this year.

Christopher Scholtes, 38, from Arizona, reportedly requested to travel to Hawaii with his wife and their two remaining daughters from 1 May to 9 May, according to court documents filed in Pima County Superior Court. On 3 April, Judge Kimberly Ortiz agreed to consider the request, and after a hearing on 15 April, she approved Scholtes’ petition.

This trip comes 10 months after the tragic death of Scholtes’ two year old daughter, who was allegedly left in his car while he was engrossed in video games.

According to a preliminary complaint, Scholtes’ wife discovered their daughter unconscious in the vehicle upon returning home three hours later. By that time, the temperature inside the car had soared to 43C (109F).

Scholtes reportedly told Marana Police detectives that after running errands that day, he left his daughter in the car with the air conditioning on while she slept in her car seat. He allegedly knew that his car’s engine automatically shuts off after 30 minutes.

Scholtes’ other two daughters, then aged six and nine, also reportedly told detectives that their father had previously left them alone in the car for extended periods. In a text exchange, his wife allegedly repeatedly warned him to stop leaving the children in the vehicle.

“I told you to stop leaving them in the car, how many times have I told you,” his wife furiously messaged, as per the court documents.

“Babe, I’m sorry,” Scholtes replied remorsefully. “We’ve lost her, she was perfect,” his wife wrote back, overwhelmed with grief.

“Babe our family. How could I do this. I killed our baby, this can’t be real,” he texted, consumed by guilt.

After scrutinising the case details, the Pima County Attorney’s Office slapped Scholtes with charges of first-degree murder and deliberate child abuse, reports the Irish Mirror.

At his initial court appearance, Scholtes pleaded not guilty to both counts. In March, Scholtes snubbed a plea deal from the prosecution that would have downgraded his charge to second-degree murder in exchange for a guilty plea.

Following his refusal of the deal, Scholtes petitioned the court for permission to take a family holiday to Maui. Judge Ortiz granted the request but laid down strict conditions, including sticking to all parole conditions and keeping in touch with pretrial services while on vacation.

He was expressly forbidden from any unsupervised contact with children, including his own.

The prosecution’s bid to have Scholtes surrender his passport before the trip was knocked back by Judge Ortiz.

Scholtes is now scheduled to face trial on October 27, after a delay from the initially planned September start. If convicted, Scholtes could be staring at a life sentence behind bars.

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