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Texas 'affluenza' teen Ethan Couch to remain in jail

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  Texas 'affluenza' teen Ethan Couch to remain in jail "Hanging Tree" <hanging.tree@texas.com> - 2016-04-14 09:20 +0200

#139 — Texas 'affluenza' teen Ethan Couch to remain in jail

A judge on Wednesday ordered so-called “affluenza teen” Ethan 
Couch to spend two years behind bars — 180 days for each of the 
four people he killed in a fatal 2013 drunken-driving wreck.

That's likely to provide little comfort to the families of 
Breanna Mitchell, Brian Jennings, Hollie Boyles and Shelby 
Boyles , who already have spent more time without their loved 
ones than Couch is set to spend in jail.

“Never once has Ethan apologized in any shape or form,” Eric 
Boyles, whose wife, Hollie, and daughter, Shelby, were killed in 
the crash, told ABC in 2015.

Until Wednesday, Couch's only punishment for the 2013 crash had 
been probation, leaving families little recourse except to seek 
financial compensation. Eric Boyles filed one suit seeking more 
than $1 million and Mitchell's mom and Jennings' wife each filed 
their own lawsuits.

Two passengers in Couch's truck who were injured that night also 
sued him. One of those passengers, Sergio Molina, suffered brain 
damage and ultimately settled with Couch for $2 million in 2014.

Couch appeared in adult court Wednesday for the first time, as 
he is no longer considered a juvenile. He spent his 19th 
birthday on Monday in a Texas jail cell.

Judge Wayne Salvant sentenced Couch to four consecutive 180-day 
sentences (720 total days) – one for each victim he killed. It 
was not clear if that would include the time Couch has already 
spent in jail.

Couch was originally sentenced to probation for killing four 
people and seriously injuring two others in June 2013 when the 
then-16-year-old rammed a pickup truck into a crowd of people 
helping a disabled motorist. His blood-alcohol level was three 
times above the legal limit for adult drivers. Attorneys for 
Couch argued that his affluent life contributed to his wreckless 
actions, with one defense psychologist using the term 
"affluenza."

Couch, however, appeared to violate the terms of his probation 
when he was seen at a party where alcohol was being served in an 
online video. After the video became public, Couch and his 
mother fled to Mexico in December. He was eventually captured 
and returned to the U.S. in January.

Salvant told prosecution and defense attorneys they had two 
weeks to review the ruling and see if they could “change my 
mind” about the sentence.

The 2013 fatal wreck wasn't Couch's first run-in with the law.

At 15, Couch was given two citations after a police officer 
found him behind the wheel of a pickup truck next to a half-
naked girl, with an open vodka bottle on the backseat floor.

"I spoke with him at some length about the various consequences 
of his driving and drinking," a police officer wrote in a 
report, "such as effects on (his) driver's license and his path 
in life, especially DWI and even killing someone in a DWI."

Couch's father, Fred, runs a roofing and construction company 
and has faced lawsuits over a $100,000 debt and allegations of 
sexual harassment. Tonya, Couch's mother, has been charged with 
hindering the apprehension of a felon for helping Ethan flee to 
Mexico.

Dr. Dick Miller, the psychologist who suggested Couch had 
"affluenza," blamed Couch's parents at his sentencing for having 
"taught him a system that's 180 degrees from rational. If you 
hurt someone, say you're sorry. In that family, if you hurt 
someone, send some money."

http://www.foxnews.com/us/2016/04/13/latest-texas-affluenza-teen-
to-remain-in-jail.html
 

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