San Antonio socialite Kendall Batchelor’s intoxicated manslaughter appeal quashed in court

The daughter of San Antonio car dealer Ken Batchelor will remain behind bars after a Texas appellate court upheld her intoxicated manslaughter conviction on Wednesday.

Attorneys representing Kendall Lauren Batchelor, 25, argued that Kendall County 45th District Judge Kristen Cohoon wrongfully denied their client’s request for a change of venue during her initial trial.

Defense attorneys for the Boerne woman said “inflammatory” media coverage from the Boerne Star and the San Antonio Current, along with public sentiment expressed a Facebook group, tainted the jury pool and prevented a fair trial, according to court documents.

However, Amarillo’s 7th Court of Appeals denied the request, upholding Batchelor’s conviction and maximum sentence in a drunk-driving crash that killed 48-year-old David Belter more than two years ago.

“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 Kendall County District Attorney’s Office said in a written statement.

On June 2, 2022, Batchelor was driving her Ford F-250 pickup on the wrong side of the road while traveling State Highway 46 outside Boerne, according to a Texas Department of Public Safety crash report. Her truck slammed into Belter’s sedan, killing him, records state.

Batchelor had a blood alcohol content of 0.169%, or twice above the legal limit, according to court documents. She also tested positive for amphetamines, cannabinoids and opiates, the records show.

Belter’s parents filed a $1 million wrongful death suit against Batchelor in Bexar County in September 2022.

The June 2, 2022 incident marked the second time Batchelor faced criminal penalties for a crash in Kendall County. She also was involved in a December 2021 hit-and-run crash over which a responding Boerne officer recommended she face DWI charges. However, citing a lack of evidence, the Kendall County District Attorney’s Office declined to prosecute.

During the trial over the 2022 fatality, Batchelor’s then-attorney, Louis D. Martinez, argued that her history of substance abuse was trauma-induced and stemmed from the death of her mother, who was murdered when she was a child.

Batchelor is serving her time at the all-women’s William P. Hobby Unit in Marlin, Texas. She’ll be eligible for parole in 2033.

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This article appears in Dec 11-17, 2024.