Soldier's trial
under way for
attempted murder
of son, 3

Ronald Betts held his son in scalding water, prosecutors say

By Linda Hosek
Star-Bulletin

A Schofield soldier scalded his 3-year-old son, Travelle, in a bathtub Sept. 22 because he was angry at him for a "potty accident," a prosecutor said this morning in the attempted-murder trial of Ronald A. Betts.

Deputy Prosecutor Lynne McGivern said Travelle's burn lines show that Betts intentionally held him in the water in his Mililani apartment, causing life-threatening injuries to the toddler.

She also said a neighbor tried to comfort the badly burned boy while Betts sat by the tub, not touching his son.

She said the neighbor said the boy's skin hung from his buttocks and feet, saying it was literally dragging in the water.

But Deputy Public Defender Susan Arnett said Betts, a father of three children in diapers, didn't try to kill Travelle and was shocked when he saw skin hanging from his body.

She said Betts, 24, had started a bath for Travelle, dirtied from playing with his diaper, and that he turned the water to cooler temperatures before he checked on his other two children that Sunday morning.

Arnett said tests of the tub's hot water show that the thermostat was set too high and could reach a temperature of 140 degrees in 42 seconds.

She said the kind of injuries Travelle suffered could have occurred in 30 seconds in water 130 degrees, and in five seconds in water 140 degrees.

"What occurred was a tragic accident," Arnett said. "No one feels more responsible than Travelle's father, Ronald Betts."

She said Travelle has recovered from his injuries and now runs and plays. She said the boy's genitalia didn't sustain permanent injuries, but he may need additional foot surgery.

The state has accused Betts of attempted second-degree murder, which carries a mandatory term of life in prison with parole.

McGivern said the neighbor who assisted Betts had heard a child scream for 15 to 20 minutes before the incident and that she had been concerned by the persistence and type of the screams.

She said the boy suffered burns over 20 percent of his body, including his buttocks, right leg, both ankles, feet, penis, scrotum and anus.

McGivern said Triple Hospital doctors said the burns were consistent with "forced-immersion burns" with defined water lines on the boy's legs.

"It showed the child was unable to react," she said.

Arnett said Betts, a North Carolina resident, said he heard his son's cries, but they sounded like cries of a boy who was in trouble for misbehaving. She said his quick reactions to call 911 helped save the boy from more injuries.