MARANA, AZ — Christopher Scholtes, the Marana father charged with murder for leaving his 2-year-old daughter in a hot car, has accepted a plea agreement.
In July of 2024, Marana police were called to a home for a girl in distress. Rescue crews attempted life-saving measures but the girl was pronounced dead at a hospital.
According to Marana PD officials at the time, the girl's father said he arrived at their home and didn't want to wake the sleeping girl, so he left her in the car for about 30 minutes to an hour before she was found unresponsive.
According to a social media post from the Pima County Attorney's Office, Scholtes pleaded guilty to one count of second-degree murder and one count of intentional/knowing child abuse under circumstances likely to cause death or serious physical injury.
Under the terms of the plea, the post said, the sentences given by the judge are going to run consecutively. Scholtes will face a range of 20-30 years of flat time. He will not be eligible for early release and he must serve the full sentence imposed by the court.
Sentencing will be determined by a Pima County Superior Court Judge on November 21, 2025.
