AMARILLO — An appellate court this week upheld the intoxication- manslaughter conviction of Kendall Batchelor, who killed a Boerne resident in a head-on collision two years ago.
According to a release from the Kendall County District Attorney’s Office, both the 2022 conviction of Batchelor, 25, and her 20-year maximum prison sentence were affirmed by the 7th Court of Appeals.
Batchelor, the daughter of auto dealer Ken Batchelor, was driving while intoxicated on June 2, 2022, when her vehicle collided head-on with a car driven by David Belter, 48, investigators said.
He was pronounced dead at the scene.
The appellate court affirmed the original conviction in the 451st state District Court, rejecting the defendant’s arguments that she is entitled to a new trial, according to court records.
Batchelor’s defense attorneys claimed in filings “inflammatory” media coverage from the Boerne Star and the San Antonio Current, as well as material appearing on Facebook about their client, tainted the jury pool and prevented Batchelor from receiving a fair trial.
Batchelor was found guilty of intoxication manslaughter after driving with a blood alcohol concentration of 0.169%, well above the legal limit of 0.08%.
Prosecutors and investigators maintained the fatal crash occurred when Batchelor drove into oncoming traffic, in a no-passing zone, at 83 mph, resulting in the death of Belter, a Boerne High School Class of 1991 graduate.
He worked at the H-E-B in Bulverde for seven years, relatives said earlier.
The District Attorney’s Office in a Dec. 11 release said the defendant’s extensive law enforcement history, including prior interactions with law enforcement for driving while intoxicated, reckless driving, fleeing the scene of a crash, and minor in possession and consumption of alcohol, were considered during sentencing in May 2023.
“As a result, the Kendall County jury imposed the maximum penalty allowed by law, 20 years in prison. The appellate court’s decision to affirm both the conviction and the sentence is a testament to the court and prosecutors’ hard work during the trial,” the district attorney’s release said.
Prosecutors Manuel Cardenas and Gretchen Flader handled the case at trial and Bob Lipo prosecuted on appeal, officials said.
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