The father of a Marana girl who died after being left in a car for hours pleaded not guilty Thursday in Pima County Superior Court to an elevated charge of first-degree murder.
Christopher Scholtes, 37, will remain out of custody. A grand jury indictment elevated his charge from second-degree to first-degree murder in the July 9 death of his 2-year-old daughter, Parker. He also faces a charge of child abuse.
Marana police arrested Scholtes after they say he left Parker inside his vehicle with no air conditioning for up to four hours until his wife arrived home to find the child unconscious in her car seat.
Paramedics reported that the girlβs body temperature had reached upwards of 108 degrees by the time they arrived to help her, according to an autopsy report that confirmed she died of heat exposure.
