Kendall County jury finds Kendall Lauren Batchelor guilty of intoxication manslaughter in crash

A Kendall County jury took less than an hour Monday to find Kendall Lauren Batchelor, the daughter of car dealer Ken Batchelor, guilty of intoxication manslaughter, a second-degree felony, the Boerne Star reports.

Next, the 23-year-old will face a second trial to determine her sentence, which could range from two to 20 years behind bars, according to the Star. The same jury will undertake that deliberation.

Batchelor was accused of striking and killing motorist David Belter, 48, in a June 2, 2022 wrong-way collision on Texas 46. Batchelor was found to have had a blood alcohol concentration of .166, according to authorities. She also tested positive for methamphetamines, cannabinoids and opiates, a crash report states.

The trial was highly anticipated because of Batchelor’s family ties and questions about how Boerne authorities handled an earlier car wreck in which Batchelor was involved.  

Belter’s family has also brought a civil suit over his death.

The prosecution rested its case last Wednesday, according to the Star. During her time on the stand, Batchelor testified that she was intoxicated when she was traveling in her pickup and when she missed a turn she planned to make, the paper also reports.

“Kendall [Batchelor] never told you she wasn’t guilty. She never pled not guilty,” Louis D. Martinez, Batchelor’s San Antonio-based attorney said during his closing statement, the Star reports. “She took the stand. She told you where she was, what she had to drink, what she was doing … but she came up here and told you the truth.”

Whatever sentence the jury decides for Batchelor during the next phase of the trial, she’ll be required to serve half before being eligible for parole, according to the newspaper. 

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This article appears in May 17-30, 2023.