Illinois Prisoner Review board votes unanimously to deny parole for Curtis Brownell

By Kevin Haas
Rock River Current
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The Illinois Prisoner Review Board has denied Curtis Brownell in his 17th attempt to be released on parole.

Brownell, 69, has been in prison since 1978 for the rape and murder of Louise Betts of Loves Park in 1977. She was just shy of her 17th birthday. He makes periodic attempts at parole because he was sentenced under the state’s antiquated indeterminate sentencing rules.

The board voted 11-0 to deny parole during a hearing Thursday in Springfield. His last attempt in May 2022 ended with a 7-1 vote, and that was his first time getting a vote in favor of his release. The board decided he can seek parole again in four years. The maximum time is five years under state law.

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The board’s decision comes on the heels of two members of the 13-person panel, including the board chairperson, resigning this week after the board had allowed parole for a man who was then accused of attacking his girlfriend and killing her 11-year-old son in Chicago.

Brownell kidnapped Betts in September 1977 as she hitchhiked along North Second Street in Loves Park. He held a jackknife at her throat as he drove her to rural Boone County, where he raped her and strangled her to death. Her body was left in a cornfield, and she wasn’t discovered until April 1978.

“A few weeks after the crime, Curtis Brownell took his young daughter out for cornstalks for fall decorations. And where does he take her? To the place where he murdered Louise Betts and left her to decompose in a field,” Boone County State’s Attorney Tricia Smith said to the board. “What type of person do you have to be to return to the crime scene with your young daughter.”

Smith and Scott Robinson, an assistant state’s attorney in Winnebago County, attended Thursday’s hearing along with Gary and Barbara Betts to object to Brownell’s release. Winnebago County State’s Attorney J. Hanley previously planned to attend but stayed in Rockford after an attack here left four people dead. Hanley was providing updates on the attack during a news conference as the board was making its decision in Springfield.

Brownell abducted and raped another woman before Betts was found dead. He kidnapped a woman who was seven months pregnant from a Rural Oaks Shopping Center laundromat on Jan. 31, 1978. He raped her, pistol-whipped her and then ran her over with his car. She only survived because of the deep snow that was packed around her body. He had also admitted to other rapes for which he was never charged.

Prosecutors from Boone and Winnebago counties, as well as family members of Betts, have fought for years to prevent Brownell from being released on parole. They did so again Thursday.

More than 2,700 people signed an online petition asking for parole to be denied for Brownell and set his next hearing at the maximum five years out. The Betts family also gathered 1,000 hard-copy signatures.

Betts would be 63 today. Her brother, Gary Betts, previously said their family was robbed of the chance to learn what Louise — a fun-loving spirit who enjoyed singing and caring for her puppy — would make of her life.

“She was just beginning her life, and didn’t even have a chance to really start it,” he told the Rock River Current earlier this year.

Attorneys with the Illinois Prison Project represented Brownell and advocated for his release.

Brownell’s attorneys said he had attended sex offender treatment in prison and would be involved in those programs again if released.

Brownell, who is an Air Force veteran, said that if he was released he would live at the Haven House, an assisted living facility for veterans in Marion.

Family members told board members that Brownell has turned his life to God and he would not be a risk to reoffend. He also suffers from several health issues, including spinal stenosis, degenerative disc disease and osteoarthritis, his attorneys said.

“Mr. Brownell has sought out every avenue he could for rehabilitation, education, self-reflection and self-improvement,” attorney Annie Mose said. “Mr. Brownell does not pose a threat to society because he is invested in his personal growth, developed and maintained strong support networks and, at 69 years old, is suffering from degenerative conditions.”

Brownell was sexually abused by an older sibling when he was a child and grew up in a household with an alcoholic father, Mose said. She said that information was offered as an explanation of his history rather than an excuse.

Smith told the board that Brownell had a history of hiding his behavior and blending into society while committing heinous crimes. She said he had also tricked people into thinking previous counseling in the late 1970s had helped him reform his behavior.

Brownell will be eligible to attempt parole again in 2028.

This article is by Kevin Haas. Email him at khaas@rockrivercurrent.com or follow him on X at @KevinMHaas or Instagram @thekevinhaas and Threads @thekevinhaas