SANTA FE (NM)
Santa Fe New Mexican
May 24, 2024
By Maya Hilty
ALBUQUERQUE — The look on the attorneys’ faces offered the first clue Friday that a plea hearing for a former Santa Fe priest accused of child sexual abuse would not proceed as planned.
Daniel Balizan was expected to plead guilty Friday morning to charges stemming from child sex abuse accusations brought by a former parishioner at Santa María de la Paz Catholic Community. But as news of Balizan’s death by suicide spread through the federal courthouse, it was clear there would be more shock than resolution.
“I’m stunned,” Balizan’s attorney, Dan Cron, said after the hearing.
As the proceeding before U.S. District Judge Matthew Garcia began, Assistant U.S. Attorney Jaymie Roybal said she had received news Balizan had died by suicide, which she verified with the FBI and local law enforcement. Balizan died in Springer, where he had been on home detention with electronic monitoring in the custody of his brother.
Cron said he first learned of Balizan’s death on his way to the hearing and did not know any details other than the suicide occurred “overnight.”
“Nobody looks forward to the prospect of going to prison,” Cron said in a later phone call. “Apprehension about that in and of itself is natural. But he gave no indications he was considering such a thing [as suicide].”
Springer Mayor Boe Lopez said in a phone interview the town’s police force was still working with the state Office of the Medical Investigator to confirm Balizan’s time and manner of death and should have a report with more details ready by Wednesday.
“It’s a sad day in Springer,” the mayor said. “It’s just unfortunate all the way around.”
“He was born and raised here,” Lopez added. “I’ve known him my whole life. He’s been good to us.”
Lopez said the child sex abuse allegations hadn’t changed his feelings about Balizan as a person.
“I didn’t know enough about either side of it,” he said. “As far as I’m concerned … through all of it he’s been the same guy I’ve always known, just a good guy.”
In a statement, the Archdiocese of Santa Fe expressed sadness over Balizan’s death, offering prayers for his family and “those who cared for him.” But it also addressed the case that prompted Balizan’s removal from his post at Santa María de la Paz in 2022, when the popular priest was accused in a lawsuit of sexually assaulting an unnamed 15-year-old parishioner in 2012.
“His tragic decision to end his life underscores the far-reaching and devastating consequences of the crime of child abuse — affecting victims, their loved ones, and even perpetrators themselves,” the news release said, adding the archdiocese has a “steadfast commitment to a zero-tolerance policy regarding the sexual abuse of children and adults.”
Bill Garcia, a 15-year active member of Santa María de la Paz, the large church on Santa Fe’s south side, said processing Balizan’s suicide will undoubtedly be difficult for members of the parish, particularly because they must contend with “two realities” surrounding the former priest.
“One reality is the beloved parish priest who delivered very engaging homilies,” Garcia said. “I remember one time he got so inspired, he jumped up on a chair, and everybody laughed — and that was just the way he was. He was very engaging.”
Garcia continued: “The other reality is the charge against him, which you know, people didn’t understand. It was a surprise to everybody. … It’s just almost too much to be able to reconcile, you know? And then the tragic ending … it’s a very sad day within the parish.”
From 2012 to July 2022, Balizan, 62, served at Santa María de la Paz, where he became a popular and familiar presence. Before that, he was stationed at St. Patrick’s-St. Joseph’s Catholic Church in Raton.
A federal grand jury indicted Balizan on a charge of coercion and enticement of a minor in June 2023 based on the allegations made in the civil lawsuit; the civil case was postponed until the criminal case was resolved.
An amended civil complaint filed in May 2023 alleged Balizan groomed the accuser while posing as a father figure after establishing a friendship with the accuser’s mother.
“I want to be faithful to my promise of celibacy, but desire to be more intimate with you,” Balizan was accused of writing in one of thousands of texts to the accuser.
Another text read: “Like I told you before, I only feel bad because of your ages. … If you were 18 or over, I wouldn’t feel bad at all because I do love you.”
In court documents, the accuser was identified only as John Doe. Prosecutors said the text messages exhibited “textbook grooming behavior” and “represent a gross misuse of position of trust to coerce John Doe into sexual acts.”
Court filings from earlier this month show prosecutors and defense attorneys had reached an agreement under which Balizan was expected to plead guilty to the federal enticement charge. He likely would have requested the minimum penalty of 10 years in prison.
Federal prosecutors planned to recommend more prison time — the precise recommendation was not specified in court filings — but had agreed not to charge Balizan with another crime that carried a mandatory minimum penalty.
Roybal said she will file a motion to dismiss the case after she receives law enforcement reports of Balizan’s death.
The mother of the man who made the allegations against Balizan was present in the courtroom Friday, where a small audience of five people sat together.
The man and his mother will submit written victim impact statements with Roybal’s motion to dismiss the case to ensure their voices are still heard, Roybal said.
Roybal called Balizan’s suicide “another form of trauma” the victim’s family must process.
Garcia, the judge, called the hearing “very somber” and repeatedly said he was “at a loss for words.”
- By Maya Hilty mhilty@sfnewmexican.comTop of Form
Phaedra Haywood contributed to this report.