In a court appearance today, 37-year-old Paul Anthony Bateman admitted guilt in the death of a 10-year-old child before the 379th District Court in San Antonio. The child succumbed to blunt force trauma to the head and chest while under Bateman's care. Bateman received a 35-year prison sentence for the crime.
The incident occurred on August 6, 2018, when the child's parents entrusted Bateman with their two daughters temporarily. While the one-year-old remained unharmed, the 10-year-old suffered fatal injuries. Bateman informed the police that he had blacked out, discovering the child deceased, and had no recollection of the events.
In addition to the sentence for the child's death, Bateman was also ordered to serve five years concurrently for Assault of a Public Servant. He admitted guilt in a related Assault of a Public Servant case arising from the same incident. The court considered this admission in determining the overall sentence.
Notably, Bateman had previously been found not guilty by reason of insanity in a prior case, leading to a 10-year institutionalization in a state hospital. The issue of insanity, had the case gone to trial, would have played a role in the litigation.
