Arizona Dad's 'Big Mistake' Killed 2-Year-Old Daughter: Wife

this was a a big mistake and I think. that it this doesn't represent him a. father is accused of leaving his. 2-year-old toddler in a hot car asleep. and she dies why did this happen he's. charged with murder what's his defense. and by the way this apparently isn't the. first time he's done this either did he. just forget she was out there or did. something else happen Arizona attorney. Aaron Reed will help us understand this.

very very tragic case welcome to sidebar. presented by law crime I'm Jesse. Weber it was around 100 p.m. on July 9th. in Morana Arizona 37-year-old. Christopher schulties was running some. errands with his 2-year-old daughter. Parker let me emphasize that again I. want you to remember that age two years. old and like many children she'd. apparently dozed off in her car seat in. the back and when he pulled up to the.

house he claims he decided to leave the. air conditioning on and let her nap so. he reportedly goes into the house and. according to his other children he quote. got distracted by playing his game and. putting his food away we're talking by. the way about a PlayStation the gaming. console so what happened to Parker well. the car that she was in was parked in. direct sunlight temperatures hitting a. record setting 111°.

that day according to the National. Weather Service it would take about 20. minutes for a car to heat up to 140° and. 40 minutes to reach. 150° well over the next 3 hours a. neighbor's video surveillance cam. reportedly showed that Mr schulties. didn't check on his daughter once in. fact he allegedly forgot he left her in. the car because when his wife. 35-year-old Erica schulties came home. from her job as an anesthesiologist at. about 4 p.m. she asked where's Parker so.

her husband reportedly began checking. the rooms in the house and then realized. he' left Parker in the car went out to. check found the car wasn't running. anymore his daughter was in her car seat. unresponsive Erica apparently raced. outside performed CPR on the Todd the. toddler First Responders arrive but it. was too late Parker was pronounced dead. at the hospital 2 years old police they. searched the house they took the place.

station they found some other. electronics as part of this. investigation along with the car of. course in which Parker died they also. interviewed the other children by the. way ages 9 and five and they told police. their dad had often left all three of. them alone in the car and there were. text messages by the way between the. parents that we saw as was as their. daughter was on the way to the hospital. and apparently backed up what happened. we're going to get into those text. messages in a minute but shockingly. schulties even allegedly admitted that. he knew knew from previous experiences.

that his vehicle had a safety feature. that turned off the engine after 30. minutes Christopher schulties was. arrested by police he was charged with. second deegree murder and child abuse. that is what he's facing in a virtual. court hearing he plad not guilty and. then his wife Erica talked to the judge. where and this was astonishing she made. a heartfelt plea to let her husband come. home while awaiting his prelim hearing.

on August 1st so I'm just asking if you. can allow him to come home to us so we. can all start the greving process so. that he can bury our daughter with us. this upcoming week and that we can go. through this support process together as. a family this was a a big mistake and I. think that it this doesn't represent. him and 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 now outside of a DUI. charge from about 15 years ago schulties.

does not have or does not appear to have. a criminal record so the judge set a. $25,000 secured Bond refusing the. state's requests for a heftier $1. million but one of the conditions of. Shy's release was that he cannot have. unsupervised contact with children in a. police news report reads this incident. is a stark reminder of the dangers of. leaving children unattended in vehicles. the temperature inside a vehicle can. rise rapidly even on relatively mild. days leading potentially fatal outcomes.

within minutes now I want to welcome on. Arizona attorney Aaron Reed talk about. what is just an absolutely horrific and. tragic case um Aaron thank you so much. for coming on let me start with this. according to the national highway safety. administration in the United States. about 40 children a year die from heat. stroke in cars that's one child every 10. days so why are so many people leaving. their children in s is it that they have.

busy lives they get distracted is it. intentional why do we see what do we. see I think it's probably a a. combination of all of those things but. 40 children a year that's 40 too many. these are all preventable circumstances. these are all things that should never. happen they're children you're a parent. be a parent and take your kids out of. the car I know sometimes they're they're. sleeping or sometimes they might be. crying or sometimes it might be better. to and easier for you to keep them in. the car that doesn't mean you should.

you're their parent you know what's best. for them you need to be the person that. prevents this so I think it's probably a. combination of all of those things um. intentionally we don't really see that. happening too much although most people. can probably argue that doing this kind. of thing has some sort of intent to it. now we will get to that legal aspect and. there's a lot to get into with the legal. aspect but you're from Arizona you live. in Arizona we're I mean in New York it's. we're facing some really hot heat here. in in New York City but that is nothing. compared to what you're feeling in.

Arizona so just tell us if you can what. is it like those heat waves what is that. temperature like just so we can all. understand what we're talking about when. we say a 2-year-old was left in a. car so just the other day here it. reached I think 118 um here in the. valley Phoenix Valley and it is when you. go outside it just feels like when you. open the door of the oven and that kind. of hits you in the face it feels like. that but it's constant it's consist it's.

over and over again and and you don't. want to be outside the first thing you. want to do is get to where you're going. and get inside because it's so hot even. for adults we see adults that go on. hiking trails here in Arizona that die. every year of heat stroke and they're. adults they bring water there are things. that they they're prepared for that kind. of thing and they still pass away let. alone a child who has no ability to. prepare for this kind of thing and. they're at the whim of of their parents. yeah I uh I can't really like hide it. very well but these are the the toughest.

cases for me to cover and it's that idea. of helplessness I mean. especially in a situation like this. there was no way for her to escape um. and hearing those temperatures is just. really it's tough to visualize that um. but focusing on the law for a second so. Christopher schulties so he's charged. with second deegree murder and child. abuse talk to me about what second. deegree murder means in Arizona do you. think that murder charge is Justified. here so Arizona there's three different.

ways that a person can be charged with. second deegree murder um obviously. everyone knows first degree murder it's. intentional killing with premeditation. Arizona has an intentional killing. without premeditation which I don't. believe is what the state is trying to. um use in this situation another way is. a knowing knowing that the person's. conduct will cause the death of a person. engages in that conduct and the person. actually dies that is possible but I I. think the Third Way is going to be the.

strongest that the state has and that's. that has under circumstances that. manifest extreme indifference to human. life a person recklessly engages in. conduct that would cause the death of a. person and death ensued so I think in. this situation leaving your 2-year-old. in a running vehicle knowing that it's. going to turn off after 30 minutes at a. minimum Rises to a level of extreme. indifference to human life knowing that. they're a 2-year-old that can't get out. of their car seat they can't open the.

door for themselves to get out if they. need to I think that's where the state. would probably try to prosecute him. under and it sounds like they'll have a. pretty substantial case with with other. evidence that we have out there and when. you talk about other evidence I'm. assuming you mean the text messages. which are just kind of horrifying to. think about because uh Shy's wife had. texted him I told you to stop leaving. them in the car how many times have I. told you we've lost her she was perfect. and schulties apparently writes back.

babe our family how could I do this I. killed our baby this can't be real what. do you take away from that in terms of. Prosecuting this. case first and foremost as a father I. mean just it's absolutely gut-wrenching. to to to see and hear text messages like. that it's just it blows my mind but as a. prosecutor they're going to look at that. as extremely strong evidence um of a. pattern of behavior the per a pattern.

that he knew about that the wife knew. about and they didn't correct and now. the ultimate price was paid uh with the. death of their two-year-old daughter so. I think that is going to be strong. evidence that a prosecutor will use to. have a timeline of different events and. also to show the jury that this is not a. one-off this is not something that was a. mistake this is something that he knew. about and was warned by his doctor wife. his wife is a doctor and still didn't. bother to to uh to heed her her advice.

and and and just ignored everybody and. did it at his own uh Pace because of I. wanted to play Playstation or he wanted. to go clean the house or do something. and didn't want to disturb his. two-year-old child I think it's going to. be a very strong piece of evidence those. that text message and the other pieces. that they have let me ask you a question. so you mentioned there are three. different theories by which you could. get second-degree murder um depending. upon Which Way prosecutors argue the. case whether they say it was someone. engaging in Reckless conduct or um.

somebody knows that they're doing. something that could create uh death or. serious physical injury or you know. intentionally killing does that change. which way if the depending on which one. they argue does that change the. punishment because what my understanding. is what second degree murder carries 10. to 25 years in prison and correct me if. I'm wrong on that but depending upon. what they argue does that change what. the punishment can be if he's found. guilty that's a great question and the. the answer to that is no it doesn't so.

if they can convict him other under any. of those three subsections of that. specific statute then it carries with it. a conviction for second degree murder. which triggers the 10 to 25 uh year. range now at sentencing if a judge has. the full range of of of sentencing to. look at that judge can consider whether. it was Reckless and whether it was. intentional and go and weigh and balance. that when finding a a a year that their.

person's going to be sentenced to so I. think if it was more of a reckless thing. a judge might be more inclined to go. down to the lower end of the range if. they did show that it was some sort of. an intentional killing the judge might. be more inclined to go to the higher end. of the range that's probably something. that prosecutors would argue uh but that. is a great question it does not change. the outcome if he is found guilty it. doesn't change the range of punishments. that he's looking at what on Earth can. be a possible defense here if those are.

the three categories you know you might. be able to say if if it was only. intentional right you could say he. didn't intend to kill his daughter I. mean I'm sure there's a way to defend. that but this is I don't know based on. these facts what's more Reckless than. this I was thinking about this question. um reading through this case what would. a lawyer do how would you defend this. and and that's kind of what a lot of. defense lawyers do when they read things. like this but this is one where you.

would have to really get creative maybe. he has some mental health issues that. prevented him from understanding what. was going on or prevented him from. understanding advice or or not you know. knowing the gra the gravity of the. situation that could also always be. looked at in homicides and cases where. there's death um but as far as any sort. of justifications or accidents something. like that that that's going to be. something that um a jury is not going to. buy uh so. as a two-year-old you know that they're.

in the car you know where you left them. and sit there and come back and say oh. my God I. forgot that's not a defense so I think. they're going to have to use some sort. of angle maybe mental health issue that. they can bring up but I suspect that a. prosecutor uh that a defense attorney. would likely try to plead this case out. as fast as they can and I was G to ask. you if a plead deal should be on the. table here and listen to what I said. should be on the table why do I say that. this is a tough case for me to even talk.

about imagine having a jury sitting. through this and seeing the autopsy. photos and hearing this so I would. imagine sparing everybody what what the. details of this case are instead of. having to potentially force young. children to testify about their father. leaving them in the car um and the time. and expense of a trial do you think a. plea deal would be possible in a case. like this even though we are talking. about the death of a two-year-old that. should not have happened.

I think I think in most cases plea. Agreements are possible anytime you have. a death it's kind of reversed from what. we normally see it on our end and in. most cases you kind of get a plea. agreement you can negotiate and and try. to figure out a resolution but on death. cases a lot of the times prosecutors. will not offer them and you have to. provide them with information as to why. they should offer one that's probably. what I would do if was in the. prosecution's shoes because I understand.

you don't want to put the family through. a difficult trial those children. testifying could be extremely difficult. for them but you also have to have. deterrence as a prosecutor you have to. be able to look at a case and point and. say look this is what our standard is if. you guys are going to engage in this. kind of conduct this is what's going to. happen to you so don't do this kind of. thing I think there has to be some. deterrence because like you pointed it. out earlier 40 children a year that's.

just 4 too many that's a lot of children. that are passing away from something. that is senseless and stupid I I H I. hate to ask this question I have to ask. this question based on the text message. allegedly sent by Erica schulties did. she open herself up to any liability. that she apparently knew her husband had. been leaving the kids or or at least. this her daughter uh in the car before. and S and and look what happened look. what the allegation is he look he is. innocent until proven guilty but you.

know we talk about the evidence but. again I I think that does that open up. herself to any kind of. liability I don't think it'll open her. up to any criminal liability um. certainly when you look at Department of. Child Safety DCS investigations those. kinds of things whenever there's. children involved DCS will be uh. involved investigating that on their end. so there might be something where um DCS. could theoretically step in um but I.

don't know if she'll be charged I I. think there is a way to charge her with. some sort of crime uh for placing her. children in those kinds of situations. knowing that her husband had done that. in the past will they charge her. probably not U because I think the. prosecution would rather use her as a. witness uh if they if they can I know. there's some marital and spousal. Privileges and things like that that. might kick in but I think they would. rather try to use her as a witness than. prosecutor and to be very clear no one's.

advocating for her to be criminally. charged here but when I read that. message it was something that came into. my mind about you know this idea of. knowing that he had done this in the. past and the kids saying or allegedly. saying this as well but there was that. part right where she was pleading with. the court to let her husband come home. so he could grieve with the family and. you think about um the rest of his. children potentially without their. father what did you make of that um. which again the allegation is he was.

responsible for the death of one of. their children and yet she's asking the. court please let him come. home I I think that is a is she's an. extremely strong woman I think to be. able to have that kind of courage to go. into court um knowing that her. 2-year-old daughter just passed away. because of something her husband did I. think that's an impossible situation for. most people to understand and be in I. think her being there was a way of.

showing the court that yes he did do. something wrong he's alleged to have. been committed this crime but he's also. the father of my other two children I. want him home I need him home U and he. he deserves to grieve with his with all. of us I think that was that just shows. her true character of being just a. really tough strong willed woman to be. able to do those kinds of things and. have these tugging uh different emotions. pulling at her I think it shows a lot of.

strength and she told the court Erica. schulties that she's going to have to. take an extended leave of absence from. work to take care of her other children. help this family heal so again with him. uh not being around this puts an extra. emphasis on her our hearts and our. prayers go out to that family um it's a. tragic thing to think about but as we. talked about it happens so much but this. is just another example of an incredibly. sad case. that should not have happened um Aaron.

Reed thank you so much for coming on. appreciate you taking the time thank you. so much for having me all right. everybody that's all we have for you. right now here on sidebar thank you so. much for joining us and as always please. subscribe on Apple podcast Spotify. YouTube wherever you get your podcasts. I'm Jesse Weber speak to you next time. [Music].