By JONATHAN ZWEYGARDT
Hays Post
A former Victoria resident, convicted of 10 child sex crimes, was sentenced this week to life without the possibility of parole for 50 years.
Daniel Betancourt, 38, was arrested in August 2021, on a 2007 arrest warrant and was found guilty by a jury in August of 10 felony counts.
According to the Ellis County Attorney’s office, the charges stem from child abuse crimes that occurred between February and March of 2007.
The complaint was filed in 2007 under former Ellis County Attorney Tom Drees, and an arrest warrant was issued for Betancourt. He fled to Mexico for 14 years, according to County Attorney Robert Anderson, before he was arrested on August 22, 2021.
Betancourt was charged with 10 child sex abuse felonies. All 10 fall under the Jessica’s Law statute.
According to Kansas law, a conviction under Jessica’s Law carries a lifetime prison sentence without the possibility of parole for 25 years if the defendant is older than 18 and the victim is younger than 14.
Betancourt was accused of assaulting the daughters of his girlfriend at the time. The victims were 7 and 8 years old when they were assaulted.
He was charged and found guilty of three counts of rape, five counts of aggravated criminal sodomy and two counts of aggravated indecent liberties with a child.
At Monday’s sentencing in Ellis County District Court, Betancourt argued the state did not do enough to prove that he was at the Victoria residence when the crimes occurred.
Betancourt and his defense team filed a motion for a new trial and for durational departure. Durational departure allows the judge to change the length of the prison sentence.
Ellis County District Court Judge Glenn Braun denied both motions.
During allocution, Betancourt asked the judge for leniency. His attorney also read a letter from Betancourt’s mother in support of her son.
The victim’s mother elected to address the court on behalf of her daughters.
She said Betancourt “knows what he did was wrong,” and the sentencing will, “let my daughters be at peace.”
Braun said during the testimony the victims, “gave some of the most concise testimony” he had heard and the girls, “did not waiver.”
Braun added the girls called Betancourt dad and, “you took advantage of that trust and stole their innocence.”
Braun sentenced Betacourt to 25 years without the possibility of parole on two counts of rape. Those are to run consecutively for a total of 50 years with the Kansas Department of Corrections.
Betancourt was also found guilting of the remaining rape charge, five counts of aggravated criminal sodomy and two counts of aggravated indecent liberties with a child.
Under Kansas law, only the first two sentences can run consecutively. The rest of the sentences must run concurrently with the first two.
While Betancourt was sentenced to life without the possibility of parole for 25 years on all 10 charges, he can only be sentenced to life without the possibility of parole for 50 years.
Betancourt’s defense team filed a notice of appeal before the sentencing hearing.
He was remanded to the custody of the Ellis County Sheriff's Office awaiting transportation to the Kansas Department of Corrections.