There was nary a dry eye in the courtroom Thursday evening as David Belter’s loved ones faced the 23-year-old woman convicted of taking his life in a drunk-driving wreck last June.
The family read statements detailing the loss they experienced as Kendall Batchelor, who received a 20-year sentence on a charge of intoxication manslaughter, remained stone-faced throughout.
Relatives and friends thronging the courtroom sobbed as Belter’s mother, Jeanette, addressed the defendant during the sentencing phase of the trial.
“My first thought (when told of the June 2 wreck) was, ‘No. Not David. He would never hurt anyone in his life,’” she said. “We talked often at our home and on the phone, and David always closed with, ‘I love you.’” Belter’s father, John, said their son moved to Boerne years ago to be closer to family and wanted to help his parents as they grew older; they said he was always willing to drop everything to help his family.
“David (Belter) missed our first large family gathering at Easter this year. David was always present for family gatherings,” the mother continued as the prosecutors by her side wiped tears from their eyes.
The two parents noted the tragic loss of their son, saying his untimely death changed their lives forever.
“He (Belter) never ended by saying goodbye. He always said, ‘I love you,’” Belter’s father said, fighting back tears. “Those were the last words I heard him ever say: ‘I love you.’” Belter’s father described his son as a gentle giant, standing 6-foot 4-inches tall, and became emotional when describing how he wasn’t able to see his son’s body after the accident on Texas 46 due to the disfiguration.
“The good die young, but what a better world this would be if this were not true,” Belter’s father said, closing out his address to Batchelor.
Belter’s sister-in-law, Veronica Brown, wiped her face of tears before approaching the bench to address Batchelor.
“I look over at that cross (on 46), and that is all that remains,” Brown said. “I try to be the rock to keep the family together but going through pictures before the funeral was the hardest.”
She added, “ My (post-traumatic stress disorder) that I have now is horrendous. Every car that passes me I think is going to hit me head on.”
Belter’s brother, Kevin, was too emotional to speak to Batchelor himself, asking a court staffer to read a written letter to her on his behalf.
The letter reads: “My brother was kind and humble, and because I know how good and kind my brother was, he would want Kendall (Batchelor) to know that she must embrace all of the consequences of this event and that he forgives her,” he wrote. “He would want Kendall to find the peace and strength of God to look at each and every one of her family members and tell them that she will ‘cowgirl up’ and be OK in prison and that she will never drink or use drugs again. And that she will bring goodness to everyone she meets for the rest of her life.”
Belter’s brother said he could relate to Batchelor, saying he too had struggled with addiction issues, but he called on her to do the hard work to heal.
“Kendall, you must do this for your family and for my brother whose life you took. But, most especially, do it for yourself,” his letter said in closing.
Batchelor was sentenced to 20 years in state prison and received a $10,000 fine for the second-degree felony. She will be required to serve at least 10 years before being eligible for parole.
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