Suicide of former priest stops federal child sexual abuse case

May 24 – A former Santa Fe priest who was arrested last year for allegedly sexually abusing a 15-year-old boy more than a decade ago took his own life shortly before a hearing scheduled for Friday morning, his lawyer confirmed.

Daniel Balizan, 62, a former pastor of Santa Maria de la Paz Catholic Parish in Santa Fe, was indicted by a federal grand jury in June for reporting a case of child sexual abuse in 2012, the indictment said.

Balizar committed suicide in his Springer home the night before he was scheduled to plead guilty in federal court to coercion and enticement of minors, Balizar’s attorney, Dan Cron, said.

Cron said he learned of his client’s death Friday morning while driving from Santa Fe to Albuquerque for the 10 a.m. hearing in U.S. District Court.

“I’m shocked by this,” Cron said in a telephone interview. “I’ve had no indication from him that he was considering this path.”

Balizan would have faced a minimum sentence of 10 years in prison under a settlement negotiated with federal prosecutors, Cron said.

Balizan fought a motion filed by U.S. prosecutors earlier this month calling for his detention pending sentencing.

In July, a federal judge ordered Balizan’s release under house arrest in Springer while he awaits trial.

The Archdiocese of Santa Fe issued a statement Friday expressing condolences to Balizan’s family.

“His tragic decision to end his life underscores the far-reaching and devastating consequences of the crime of child abuse – affecting victims, their families and even the perpetrators themselves,” the statement said.

“The Archdiocese of Santa Fe reaffirms its unwavering commitment to a zero-tolerance policy toward the sexual abuse of children and adults,” it said.

A Tennessee man filed a lawsuit in 2022 alleging that Balizan sexually abused him 10 years earlier, when he was 15. The alleged abuse occurred on the grounds of the Santa Maria de la Paz Church, where Balizan served as pastor from 2012 to 2022, the lawsuit states.

Due to these allegations, Balizan was relieved of his post as pastor in July 2022.

Balizan was arrested on federal charges on June 29 of last year. At his arraignment on July 3, about 50 people filled a federal courtroom in Albuquerque to show their support for Balizan.

Federal Judge Laura Fashing rejected a request by prosecutors to keep Balizan in custody pending trial.

Prosecutors presented text messages Balizan allegedly wrote to the 15-year-old boy in which he expressed his love for the teenager and his concern for his own reputation.

“I don’t want my name to be in all the newspapers or my reputation to be ruined because I fell in love with a minor,” Balizan is said to have written in a text message to the boy on September 4, 2012.

“Like I told you, I just feel bad about your age,” Balizan reportedly wrote in another text message in September 2012. “…If you were 18 or older, I wouldn’t feel bad at all because I love you.”

On May 17, federal prosecutors filed a motion to remand Balizan in custody while he awaits sentencing.

In his response, Cron wrote that Balazan had fulfilled all the conditions of his release during his eleven-month stay in Springer.

“During his house arrest, Mr. Balizan did accounting, housekeeping and gardening work at the small family hotel in Springer,” Cron wrote. “In addition, he visited and cared for his 89-year-old mother three days a week.”

This case was the second time since 2017 that the U.S. Attorney’s Office in New Mexico has filed charges against a priest or former priest for sexually abusing minors.

In April 2019, a federal court jury in Santa Fe found former St. Bernadette Parish pastor Arthur Perrault guilty of seven counts of aggravated abuse or assault of a 10-year-old boy dating back to the 1990s. Perrault, now 86, remains in federal prison.

Because the crimes were committed on federal property, including Kirtland Air Force Base, federal authorities had jurisdiction to prosecute them.