Does anyone else here also share the view that by giving this pathetic young man probation for taking 4 innocent lives, the judge is just as guilty as his parents in enabling him and therefore perpetuating his juvenile delinquency? The audacity of this judge, and the audacity of Texas' court system to allow such injustice.
3
What a disgusting family, this kid clearly learned all of his dysfunction from his parents, but he has to grow up and take responsibility for his pathetic life at some point. Throw them both in prison for a good long time. If this had been a poor, any other color but white kid, he's be rotting in jail or dead. This whole case makes me sick.
3
Utter nonsense. There is no excuse for killing these people, least of all mental illness because of being rich. I would say the same for someone claiming to be poor, middle class, black, etc. Too bad you don't want to face the music. There were lives lost. Guess he's not too ill to run from the consequences. Wonder how much they paid the government to hold them in Mexico.
1
Similar leniency was shown to Laura (Welch) Bush when she was a teenager, and to Teddy Kennedy. If you come from a good family and kill someone in a car accident, you basically get a pass. If you are poor and black and you sell loose cigarettes....well, we all know what happens.
10
Holding a going away party before jumping bail appears to be a new low in stupidity.
8
Leave them in jail in Mexico for awhile. Also, he is 18. Broke parole arrangements. He's an adult - believe me were he hispanic or black Texas courts would figure out away to throw is butt in jail for a long time. His mother too.
8
Affluenza--the perfect defense for the 0.1% of our population. First, he escapes any penalty for committing 4 homicides, other than getting a nominal probation. (They should monitor that judge's financial accounts.) But probation just seems too distasteful so the boy and his mother flee the country though first they have another underage drinking party to celebrate their upcoming escape. Now, they're caught in another country and will be sent back. Stay tuned for "Affluenza 2: The Party Continues".
6
TEXAS, WHITE, UNEDUCATED, probably REPUBLICAN, crashes PICKUP TRUCK ... put him in prison for life!
Kennedy, old money, Harvard, Boston, liberal, preppy, sinks his Oldsmobile ... not even a slap in the wrist, Ted becomes an eight-term U.S. Senator.
The hypocrisy and bias in this comment section is off the charts.
Kennedy, old money, Harvard, Boston, liberal, preppy, sinks his Oldsmobile ... not even a slap in the wrist, Ted becomes an eight-term U.S. Senator.
The hypocrisy and bias in this comment section is off the charts.
6
in many states, willful intoxication coupled with a killing occasioned by driving under the influence gives rise to a legal inference that one acted intentionally. in other words, the law infers intention to kill by virtue of the recklessness inherent in operating a vehicle while intoxicated. why this pampered punk wasn't tried as an adult is beyond me. hopefully wrongful death civil lawsuits will drain what's left of his dysfunctional family's wealth.
5
White boy with rich white parents in Texas or any Red Taker State.
2
Just think of the sentences some less well-off citizens have received for not putting on their turn signals, or had a broken headlight. The truth is when it comes to crimes not all are considered equal.
5
Turn signal missed - dead in jail under suspicious circumstances. That is if you are any color other than white. So Texas.
4
I can't help but wonder if the commenters who want this kid in prison for the rest of his life weeped when Ted Kennedy passed away a few years ago. If we put Teddy in prison for the rest of his life after he sank his Oldmobile he never would have been your eight-term U.S. Senator. Something to consider, is all.
5
They'd probably like Teddy's liver enshrined at Kennedy Institute for the U.S. Senate and Rehab if'n a replica couldn't be etched on Mt. Rushmore.
3
Actually, the fact that Mary Jo Kopechne (sp?) was in the back seat sleeping was pretty clearly not known at the time of event.
That said, why do you think killing 4 people and crippling a 5th is excusable because someone else skated on a less egregious crime decades before in another state?
That said, why do you think killing 4 people and crippling a 5th is excusable because someone else skated on a less egregious crime decades before in another state?
4
Kat, no friend, no favor. Each state/DC metes out justice differently; elections demonstrate that.
2
I don't see any urgency to complete all of the extradition paperwork. An extra month or two of confinement in a Mexican jail is a better sentence than what awaits these two in Texas.
7
As a 30+ year resident, playing up the stereotypes to the hilt, we'd just as soon execute both of 'em.
3
Compare this with a black or Chicano youth caught with a small quantity of heroin in Texas (a victimless crime), and what might happen to him, if he even survives the arrest. It seems that guns, alcohol, and automobiles are sacrosanct in Texas, no matter how many victims, as long as you're rich and white.
5
Playing devil's advocate here, Couch didn't get away with murder, he got away with manslaughter. One may drink and drive, crash their car into an embankment and injure nothing more than their vehicle. Or one may collide with a school bus full of children, sending it into a river and killing all aboard. In both cases the action and intention were identical, but the consequences vastly different. What is the prescription for justice, then? Any legal scholars care to shed some light on how our judicial system decides? I'm genuinely curious.
2
Crashing into your hypothetical school bus full of kids while sober is one thing.
Crashing into it while drunk is quite another.
Crashing into it while drunk is quite another.
7
In civil law, the rule is: No harm, no foul. But if your negligent or reckless act causes harm to someone, you are liable to the victim. You might argue that's unfair, since two actors committing identical acts are treated differently, depending on whether it so happened there was injury. But that's life. We often get away with stuff -- but sometimes we don't.
Criminal law is not that different, except that the underlying act can be punished regardless of outcome. For instance, if you run a red light, you will get a ticket and a $500 fine, even if no one is hurt. But if you run a red light, smash into another car, or God forbid a school bus, and injure people, then you could be punished for some sort of vehicular manslaughter.
In both civil and criminal cases, when you act negligently or recklessly, you impose a risk of injury on other people. If the risk is realized, it's on you. As I said before, That's life. Complain to the gods. (Personally, I think this is a good way of handling things.)
Criminal law is not that different, except that the underlying act can be punished regardless of outcome. For instance, if you run a red light, you will get a ticket and a $500 fine, even if no one is hurt. But if you run a red light, smash into another car, or God forbid a school bus, and injure people, then you could be punished for some sort of vehicular manslaughter.
In both civil and criminal cases, when you act negligently or recklessly, you impose a risk of injury on other people. If the risk is realized, it's on you. As I said before, That's life. Complain to the gods. (Personally, I think this is a good way of handling things.)
6
What comes to mind is that a 12 year old black kid was summarily executed by the police for playing with a toy gun. A rich white kid gets probation for driving drunk, killing 4 people, and seriously wounding another.
11
Your comment best highlights the racial and socioeconomic inequality in this country. A more ugly truth is that if this young man were black and poor he would not be alive right now...
3
Now that is a face only a mother could love.
3
I read this article just after reading the one about the wealthy tax evaders. Talk about parallel universes!
6
So Mexican authorities track down and arrest these two in a couple of weeks yet they can't find El Chapo? Hmmm.
1
The lack of accountability in the US society in the past 15 years is quite scary. From politicians, to Wall Street bankers to government official and the likes.
Unfortunately we are slowly but surely turning into a Banana Republic where the 1 percentile is above everyone and all.
Extremely sad but true.
Unfortunately we are slowly but surely turning into a Banana Republic where the 1 percentile is above everyone and all.
Extremely sad but true.
12
Turning???!!!
We've been a banana republic ever since the supreme court appointed The Decider/Deserter president of the United States.
We've been a banana republic ever since the supreme court appointed The Decider/Deserter president of the United States.
11
I agree with AGM completely. Every day we see corporations and corporate leaders and managers committing criminal acts without the least fear of punishment.
For instance, Whole Foods in New York short-weighted thousands of customers. It was clear from the circumstances that the short-weighting was deliberate. In other words, Whole Foods was stealing from people by defrauding them. In the law that is called larceny -- a felony.
Chance of corporation being convicted? Zero. Chance of ordinary schmo being charged and convicted? Moderately high. Chance of young black man being charged and convicted of larceny? Certain.
At least part of this disparity could be lessened if local prosecutors had the motivation to charge malefactors of great wealth. But they don't. 99% of district attorneys and U.S. Attorneys (I am speaking of the bosses, not the deputy attorneys who must follow their orders) are in the business of protecting the wealthy and the middle class from the poor. Protecting the middle class and the poor from the wealthy is no part of their agenda. DAs and U.S. Attorneys are dogs of the rich. And apparently they don't mind.
For instance, Whole Foods in New York short-weighted thousands of customers. It was clear from the circumstances that the short-weighting was deliberate. In other words, Whole Foods was stealing from people by defrauding them. In the law that is called larceny -- a felony.
Chance of corporation being convicted? Zero. Chance of ordinary schmo being charged and convicted? Moderately high. Chance of young black man being charged and convicted of larceny? Certain.
At least part of this disparity could be lessened if local prosecutors had the motivation to charge malefactors of great wealth. But they don't. 99% of district attorneys and U.S. Attorneys (I am speaking of the bosses, not the deputy attorneys who must follow their orders) are in the business of protecting the wealthy and the middle class from the poor. Protecting the middle class and the poor from the wealthy is no part of their agenda. DAs and U.S. Attorneys are dogs of the rich. And apparently they don't mind.
3
Though money bought his conditional freedom for his care-LESS acts, his mother demonstratively encouraged this ongoing behavior when they both then fled to Mexico.
Because he was originally tried and sentenced as a juvenile there are legal limits as to punishments sentencing guidelines yet, would it be possible to go back and charge the parents as being partially responsible for his acts in '13?
This was visited before but, given the brazen and foolish disregard of the probation guidelines and attempt to shield her son, no doubt it will be discussed again, no?
Because he was originally tried and sentenced as a juvenile there are legal limits as to punishments sentencing guidelines yet, would it be possible to go back and charge the parents as being partially responsible for his acts in '13?
This was visited before but, given the brazen and foolish disregard of the probation guidelines and attempt to shield her son, no doubt it will be discussed again, no?
6
He needs to be tried as an adult. And the privilege of having a drivers license must be removed forever.
4
If this family's wealth is the root cause, then a boycott of their sheet metal business would seem to be a logical step. Who are their customers, anyway?
3
One party in this "tawdry little affair," as another commenter has accurately termed it, who has received very little attention is the trial judge who permitted this defense to be raised. That is the person who bear's the lion's share of the blame for this ridiculous and tragic outcome. He or she should have denied the defense's request to raise it, which would then could have been appealed if couch had been convicted, so that an appellate court -- which one hopes would have acted more sensibly -- could have ruled on the legitimacy of such an outlandish defense.
18
She. And there was so much outrage she did not run again to keep her judgeship. Be interesting to check her financials for links to the creep's family business.
4
Though this may sound like a cliché, it is true. I was wealthy. Though my parents were moral people, I believed that I was special and that money grew on trees. I was arrested for an attempt to buy opiates, lost everything I had to asset forfeiture and left the country quickly. I have now been working, but poor for years. My parents never, ever made me pay the consequences of any action. Who knows why. I spent almost three years in a state paid rehab where I live now, where everything was based on hard physical labor (unpaid obviously) and learning that every action has a consequence. Needless to say, I was jolted into reality for the first time and had a very rude awakening! I firmly believe that, as personal experience has taught me, until kids are shown by example that their actions both positive and negative, have consequences then we'll continue to have these kinds of things happen over and over again and someone else will pay the price for this.
20
Sanity finally and very few thumbs up!
4
Very interesting. Seems like another story that will never end.
What kind of people are these? There is no justification to the man's action. He stole, drove while being drunk, killed four people and left another one crippled for life, has a mother that never provided guidance, morals, sense of good and bad and yet a lot of people, including some of the comments here sort of justify him. He should be treated like an adult and send to jail, the mother should also be punished. If he was man enough to rob a store, get drunk, drive and kill people, he should be man enough to handle the consequences. This is disgusting.
15
Excuse me, he also has a father.
3
The boy, had several DUIs on his record - as fid both parents. He should not have had a license nor should his parents. All alcoholics. If his parents had had their licenses suspended after the 2nd DUI the son might have got the message.
But, they are white weakthy business people and it is Texas.
But, they are white weakthy business people and it is Texas.
2
The outrage directed at Ethan and his enabling mother is well-placed but detracts attention from the bigger culprit. The individual that eternal hell and damnation should fall down upon is the feeble minded judge that let this intellectually impoverished defense sway his\her decision.
The affluenza defense should have backfired. The judge should have cynically said: “We understand your irresponsible parents are incapable of instilling responsibility in, and holding, you accountable for your actions. Therefore, the judicial system will!”
The affluenza defense should have backfired. The judge should have cynically said: “We understand your irresponsible parents are incapable of instilling responsibility in, and holding, you accountable for your actions. Therefore, the judicial system will!”
17
Murder is murder. Let the punishment fit the crime. Should the parents also be punished for producing this spoiled brat? Of course, they should. Ten years probation does not send the right message....we are all responsible for our behavior regardless of our age and upbringing. The mother certainly belongs in jail for abetting her son's criminal behavior.
14
Thank you for publishing this article and highlighting the term "affluenza." This will bring out all the self-important bobos (see David Brooks's book) - the graduates of small liberal arts colleges or the Ivys with their pseudo-intelligencia soft and convenient socialism (I profess socialist values without having to live in an economy suffering from central planning). Wow. Look at the comments already - EVERYONE knows exactly what's wrong with the world and it happens that it is absolutely positively somebody else's lifestyle, values, or economic model!
3
The Affluenza kid is another prime exhibit of "Injustice". These stories are fertile material to "radicalize" the disgruntled "Injustice Collectors". The recruiters can point to the corrupted Americans and their culture and shout: Look at these people: immoral, drunk, drug addicts, let their children run wild, use their wealth to buy the judges and legal system, murderers. They are evil. What a crazy bankrupted society. "Our law and our God" is supreme. And so the religious zealots get all the help they need to groom home-grown terrorists and perpetrate endless cycles of violence. It helps that guns are easy to get. . The potential outcome so obvious. So sad.
3
This whole case is a disgrace to the very concept of criminal justice, in Texas or anywhere else in America. The judge who presided over the original verdict pf probation, for recklessly killing 4 people with depraved indifference, committed a travesty against decent, law-abiding citizens. Frankly, it's mind-boggling.
9
"Affluenza"? No, if your rich you can get away with murder.
2
I'm not suggesting that his life in PUerto Vallarta was in any way a satisfactory punishment for Couch, but it sure doesn't sound like fun: living confined it seems in a plain, obscure two-bedroom apartment and not going out, apparently at all, seems like a kind of self-incarceration to me.
Wow, what very stupid people.
1
"The Mexican immigration authorities were holding the pair in Guadalajara for being in the country illegally"
Now THAT's rich!!!
Now THAT's rich!!!
9
Haha. Yeah, I got a chuckle from that as well.
2
Hope he goes to big boy prison for a very long time.........he's a sociopath
5
This spoiled rotten punk and his instigating mom deserve as little comment as possible.
I will spend time thinking about this atrocity focused on the four innocent folks whom he murdered. May they Rest In Peace, and Justice be done.
DD
Manhattan
I will spend time thinking about this atrocity focused on the four innocent folks whom he murdered. May they Rest In Peace, and Justice be done.
DD
Manhattan
9
Whatever one may think of the judge's sentence, I think few would now argue that this man-child is a danger to society. Insofar as I know his case, he has never exhibited any malicious intent; but he has demonstrated that he is indifferent to the well-being of others. I leave it to psychologists and psychiatrists to label his disorder, and to predict the likelihood of a cure. As for myself, I would not feel safe knowing that Mr. Couch is able to roam free on streets I might travel. For that reason I hope he receives a prison sentence that keeps him away from the rest of us until such time as he can demonstrate that his behavior no longer poses any threat. I do not advocate locking him up in a supermax facility. Just somewhere that will keep intoxicants away from him and perhaps teach him he's no better than anyone else.
6
I'm confused: in the first half of your paragraph you wrote "...I think few would now argue that this man-child is a danger to society.". However, towards the end of your paragraph you wrote "...I hope he receives a prison sentence that keeps him away from the rest of us until such time as he can demonstrate that his behavior no longer poses any threat". So which way is it? Also, is a prison sentence only for those who don't pose a further "danger to society"? Isn't it also a punishment for one's actions and also a deterrent for others?
This kid will be punished simply because of his apparent nature. He won't do well in jail. In all likelihood that will be very dangerous for him. Probably any kind of restriction on his liberty will cause him to suffer. Chances are, he'll never survive lengthy probation. He'll end up in prison. Oh yes, he's going to receive punishment for what he did, but what about the mother. She made him what he is. Where's her punishment?
3
Believe me Mom's punishment is coming now and in the here-after!
3
So much of the discussion here centers on the question of whether we should hold an adolescent responsible for actions. In 1992 one of my sons , a college freshman, was arrested in a small town in Utah following a traffic stop for failing to give a turn signal. He and two classmates were returning from a concert in California. The car was searched, 'mushrooms' found on one boy but since my son owned the ancient Volvo, he too was arrested. Several hours later my first knowledge of this incident was a call from the father of one of the other boys to inform me of the event and to say "not to worry, I'm bailing all the kids out." Not my kid! I made clear that there were consequences and one of them was a night in jail, that this was a teachable moment. I was well aware that my son had flirted with drug use in high school.
All three boys were released the following morning and my son opted not to plead guilty but to go to trial. I will never forget the excruciatingly long drive with him several months later back to Utah. Watching him stand in court. The relief when the attorney he hired and paid for with his own savings proved the 'mushrooms" were in fact dried porcini, and the case dismissed.
That boy of mine, now the father of two and a responsible member of society has thanked me many times for that teachable moment in his life. I was raising two boys as a single mother. It was my responsibility to teach them that all actions have consequences.
All three boys were released the following morning and my son opted not to plead guilty but to go to trial. I will never forget the excruciatingly long drive with him several months later back to Utah. Watching him stand in court. The relief when the attorney he hired and paid for with his own savings proved the 'mushrooms" were in fact dried porcini, and the case dismissed.
That boy of mine, now the father of two and a responsible member of society has thanked me many times for that teachable moment in his life. I was raising two boys as a single mother. It was my responsibility to teach them that all actions have consequences.
17
That had to be incredibly tough for you to hold that higher ground. DId you worry that your son might not be able to make his case? I think this is what would have scared most parents--the worry that he might have a drug record that would haunt him in job applications forever. And not trusting that the jail experience would be a benign one.
1
Yes. I worried on all counts. He assured me that he did not purchase the 'mushrooms' but had known they were in his car. I was scared witless about what might happen to "college boys" in a Utah jail cell overnight. But I was even more scared that if my son was bailed out of this there would be no lesson learned.
3
These two are everything that's wrong with America -- spoiled, self-entitled, undisciplined, drug-addicted, poorly educated and proud of themselves. I hope they know the entire country wants them both to rot in jail.
6
A person suffering from affluenza can be cured. Send the boy to China for re-education. They still do it there and I hear with much success.
4
How about a different word? Narcissistic! (which cuts across income lines.
Here's an ikdea let's raise the driving age in TX-- In NYS it used to be 18-- and when the drinking age was 18.
I hope the mother goes to jail as well as the son.. This is far wrose than being an illegal immigrant or having some illegal drugs/meds in your pocket -- for which Ca. instated the 3 strikes and you're jailed for life AT TAXPAYER EXPENSE-- left that part out Law.
Here's an ikdea let's raise the driving age in TX-- In NYS it used to be 18-- and when the drinking age was 18.
I hope the mother goes to jail as well as the son.. This is far wrose than being an illegal immigrant or having some illegal drugs/meds in your pocket -- for which Ca. instated the 3 strikes and you're jailed for life AT TAXPAYER EXPENSE-- left that part out Law.
3
The best part of all this is that they are coming back to Texas. Law and order. Big rock into small rocks, the future for both of them.
2
When I first saw headlines about the "affluenza child, " I thought it was a story about a physically ill child and his parents who were defying medical authorities by not allowing their child to be treated for a contagious disease.
I decided to read this article. Wow! I've learned quite a bit and see that once again, the justice system is the larger enemy of those victimized by wealthy criminals.
I decided to read this article. Wow! I've learned quite a bit and see that once again, the justice system is the larger enemy of those victimized by wealthy criminals.
1
Contrast this case and the associated comments with any prison related NYT article on blacks and their incarceration rate. Without fail liberal commenters decry the fact so many young black males are in prison and insist that the prisons be emptied because it is all just so unfair. Also, there are many, many scolds on these types of articles that insist that we are not throwing enough money at rehabilitating prisoners. The net reaction here? Hatred, apparently because this kid is rich and white, and not a comment about "rehabilitating" him in sight. Consistency anyone?
1
Mommy to the rescue! And women complain about men--here's a big part of the problem. I see it over and over where I work--their little boys must never suffer consequences, nothing bad is ever their fault, and Mommy is determined to fix it and make it go away. And these 'little boys' are young men (and not so young men--in their thirties, some of them). It's sad.
6
Our DUI laws need to be tougher. Mandatory jail time (except rare cases if proven your drink was spike or you were unknowingly drugged/roofied).
-Loss of driver's license - one year first offense, fine, education course on DUI (at driver's expense).
-Second offense - permanent loss of license.
-If anyone is injured or killed as result of DUI - permanent loss of license, mandatory jail time.
We'd see declines in DUI and broader support for public transportation.
-Loss of driver's license - one year first offense, fine, education course on DUI (at driver's expense).
-Second offense - permanent loss of license.
-If anyone is injured or killed as result of DUI - permanent loss of license, mandatory jail time.
We'd see declines in DUI and broader support for public transportation.
4
They have the technology to make a car that is the mandatory car for 16 year olds, nationally. It should be blaze orange, seats 2, and is decorated with teddy bears. In order to keep the engine running, a sippy cup must be in the driver's mouth. At 6 pm, the loudspeakers begin to play the circus calliope music and at 11 pm, it begins to sputter and at 11:35, it turns off. Flashlights and good shoes pop out automatically. Even pop stars must drive this car until they are 17. At 17, the car is a bright yellow. It is festooned with figure skaters and...well, you get the idea.
3
I think it's time to take a different track here and actually encourage a larger scale journey abroad for Mr.Couch and mommy. May I suggest Angola? Togo, Democratic Republic of the Congo also come to mind. No drinking laws (or limited enforcement), pliable officials and like-minded drivers. The Couch's will fit right-in. Of course there are also criminal gangs, carjackings, assaults, etc. along with the occasional landmine in the road. But am sure that they will quickly adjust to such trivial matters. Best of luck and let the deportation procedures begin...
4
I would love to hear his and his mom's perspective on all the recent instances of poor black people being murdered by police for far less serious offenses. As they are rich, white, uneducated and from Texas I would bet they think Michael Brown got what he deserved.
5
Texas., the state where money buys happiness -- as long as the buyer refrains from rocking the boat.
As for affluence as a legal excuse for murderous acts by a teenager, despite appearance, the notion merits a closer look. Four people died when the Texas teenager, suffering from severe cases of affluenza and alcohol intoxication, operated a motor vehicle on a public highway. Faced with the facts and blessed with an intimate knowledge of the Texas judicial system in general and the trial judge in particular, the lawyer for the defense argued that the young man was not responsible for his murderous romp because his prior life as a sheltered, pampered scion of a rich family deprived the youngster of the opportunity to learn the difference between right and wrong. The judge agreed.
Did the lawyer speak the truth? Yes.
Should the lawyer have used the argument? Yes/No
Should the Judge have agreed? Yes/No
Should the judge have decreed probation? Hell, no.
Are the parents responsible for the killings? You bet
Should Texas have found a way, however tortured, to try the parents for the murders? Absolutely, and thrown them in prison and thrown the key away.
As for affluence as a legal excuse for murderous acts by a teenager, despite appearance, the notion merits a closer look. Four people died when the Texas teenager, suffering from severe cases of affluenza and alcohol intoxication, operated a motor vehicle on a public highway. Faced with the facts and blessed with an intimate knowledge of the Texas judicial system in general and the trial judge in particular, the lawyer for the defense argued that the young man was not responsible for his murderous romp because his prior life as a sheltered, pampered scion of a rich family deprived the youngster of the opportunity to learn the difference between right and wrong. The judge agreed.
Did the lawyer speak the truth? Yes.
Should the lawyer have used the argument? Yes/No
Should the Judge have agreed? Yes/No
Should the judge have decreed probation? Hell, no.
Are the parents responsible for the killings? You bet
Should Texas have found a way, however tortured, to try the parents for the murders? Absolutely, and thrown them in prison and thrown the key away.
2
Some victims of “affluenza” kill through negligence. Others aim at being president of the US.
7
Eric Garner was choked to death by police for selling loose cigarettes on the street. Ethan Couch got probation for killing four people and critically injuring another while driving falling-down drunk after stealing the inebriating beer.
Does anyone on the angry right understand why such gross miscarriages of twisted justice have spawned and nurtured the Black Lives Matter movement? I don't think so.
www.endthemadnessnow.org
Does anyone on the angry right understand why such gross miscarriages of twisted justice have spawned and nurtured the Black Lives Matter movement? I don't think so.
www.endthemadnessnow.org
19
Affluenza, a Whites Only Privilege. Black Tax, a Curse of Birth
Having lived in the Great state of Texas and working a contract for a wealthy business owner who came up to me out of the blue to say, "I do not allow anyone to tell me how to discipline my children" and then later that day, I witnessed his 11yo son doing wheelies in the kid's pickup around employees and their cars, no one allowed to say a word and keep a job. I worked my last half hour, terminated my contract and never bothered to answer any phone calls in the future.
I have met a few total brats in my day but few parents seem prepared to accept that I will tell them in a second that I am leaving the scene when spoiled brats are totally out of control, regardless of age.
Too many adults are so tolerant of misbehavior and it hurts all. John F. Kennedy is known for the indulgence that he allowed(insisted upon) for his kids and the Kennedy Compound is famous for the antics of the thrillseeking males. God rest Jackie's soul and young John but Jackie was firm in keeping him from piloting while she was alive. We all know the tragedy afterwards.
Is there too much Dr. Spock influence where these kids never learn respect for others as kids and continue that same behavior as business leaders? It does not take brutality to maintain discipline, mainly it takes a good example and tolerance of no less. Think what contributions to humanity young John Kennedy might have made to society.
Let's teach our kids, all kids.
Having lived in the Great state of Texas and working a contract for a wealthy business owner who came up to me out of the blue to say, "I do not allow anyone to tell me how to discipline my children" and then later that day, I witnessed his 11yo son doing wheelies in the kid's pickup around employees and their cars, no one allowed to say a word and keep a job. I worked my last half hour, terminated my contract and never bothered to answer any phone calls in the future.
I have met a few total brats in my day but few parents seem prepared to accept that I will tell them in a second that I am leaving the scene when spoiled brats are totally out of control, regardless of age.
Too many adults are so tolerant of misbehavior and it hurts all. John F. Kennedy is known for the indulgence that he allowed(insisted upon) for his kids and the Kennedy Compound is famous for the antics of the thrillseeking males. God rest Jackie's soul and young John but Jackie was firm in keeping him from piloting while she was alive. We all know the tragedy afterwards.
Is there too much Dr. Spock influence where these kids never learn respect for others as kids and continue that same behavior as business leaders? It does not take brutality to maintain discipline, mainly it takes a good example and tolerance of no less. Think what contributions to humanity young John Kennedy might have made to society.
Let's teach our kids, all kids.
12
Basically I agree with your post. I do however take exception to your remark re: Dr. Spock. I found his book on babies incredibly helpful when I was a young parent. Both my husband and I were very strict parents. All 3 of my sons were definitely not brats and are wonderful adults.
4
Two-tiered justice and white privilege summed up perfectly in one story.
26
The banksters, Wall Street swindlers, corrupt politicians and the tax-evading one percenters all seem to be afflicted by that same virus, Affluenza. Apparently their wealth and sociopathic self-interest gets them off the hook as easily a did little Ethan.
14
Now that these fugitives have been apprehended and the kids crime in the news again, I could get very angry but, this sordid episode is simply the justice U.S. justice system in a nutshell. Too big to fail, too young to jail - its all just a matter of scale.
7
So, can I say I suffer from regulenza because I live in a dysfunctional society with media role models like Walter White that teach me that producing meth is the way to deal with my money problems if ever I were to get arrested?
5
It seems that the maturity levels of American kids has been stunted.
Boomers and succeeding generations have infantilized children and stunted their maturity levels through over protection. The everybody gets a trophy mentality, and everybody is special has done great harm.
"Don't have the good sense", and "Clueless" are such a tired descriptions for young adults and their parents today.
I don't have the good sense and am clueless as to how to turn this around.
Kids in upper economic zones know that there are no consequences. Only do overs.
Boomers and succeeding generations have infantilized children and stunted their maturity levels through over protection. The everybody gets a trophy mentality, and everybody is special has done great harm.
"Don't have the good sense", and "Clueless" are such a tired descriptions for young adults and their parents today.
I don't have the good sense and am clueless as to how to turn this around.
Kids in upper economic zones know that there are no consequences. Only do overs.
5
Well, he should have plenty of time to fester in a prison cell, sober up and recover from his bout of affluenza. It seems that affluenza is contagious and that most politicians in the Senate and Congress have contracted it.
13
After reading this article, I am so thankful for my parents, who raised me with a strong moral compass and common sense.
10
You should call and thank them today!!
2
My work is in mental health/addiction treatment. My experience, 25+ years, has taught me that addiction is often and usually collaborative, i.e., family, friends, court systems, cultural norms. So along w/Ethan, who is, for me, the minor piece of this story, who else needs to be penalized. Given his "diagnosis" and its origins, Is there some surprise that he and his mother would behave differently? I'm intrigued w/the recent comment by the psychologist who testified on his behalf, that years ago we would have called these kids "spoiled brats." Where did his ethics go originally? Unless subpoenaed, we get to decline and even under subpoena, we need to be ordered. However, like everything else, we can be bought.
8
Wait, they are jail for entering Mexico illegally? If the US held to this standard we would have 20 million additional inmates.
4
Albert, I believe that in the US if you are caught entering the country illegally you are put into custody, like a jail. If we were able to catch 20 million illegal immigrants, this country would look and feel very different. Same standard, pal.
5
If "native americans" held to this standard, we would have 380 million additional inmates
3
Sheriff Anderson's comments at the end defending the extensive resources used to find this guy would be more convincing if he were facing meaningful punishment. Of course, this is not Anderson's fault.
3
Did the families of the dead and the injured teenager sue the Couches for wrongful death etc.? What is the statute of limitations? Is there a way to get at her money not just the kids?
8
There were either three or four settlements and a fifth is in litigation right now, I believe.
3
This is news because it is exceptional; indeed freakish. In a nation of 330 million, the media will find and publish news of the bizarre and unusual. Commenters in this space have correctly observed that the judge's ruling actually made some sense, given the boy's then-juvenile status. Then again, maybe it was a flat-out bad decision. Superficially, some want to believe that this is evidence of an unfair legal system that imprisons (or worse) the poor for doing nothing wrong while the affluent commit all manner of crimes and get a pass. That is the popular narrative, and we are voracious consumers of it, like all forms of entertainment.
3
Would the Texas justice system be so forgiving had the driver been a black or Hispanic teen of less economic stature? Probably not. Let's not forget this is a state where the Attorney General - a Ted Cruz protege and sycophant - has himself been indicted for three felonies. I guess those "lazy" and "rapist" Mexican authorities are, in fact, fairly competent; they did what Texas law enforcement couldn't: find a spoiled, rich, murderous teenager on the lam. Frankly, the kid should be thrown into a Mexican prison and left to rot for clearly Texas justice can be more easily be bought off than Mexican justice... now isn't that a stunning realization!
13
If a person such as Ethan Couch mounts a spoiled brat defense, the prosecutor should update his/her indictment and include the parents as co-conspirators in the original crime.
By his own claims, the parenting Ethan Couch received was deficient and made him unfit to live with innocent third parties. That deficiency was not addressed by the fact that he turned 18 a few months later. Therefore, it was reckless for the judge to turn the 'spoiled brat' over to his mother for more of the same parenting that had already resulted in the death of innocent people.
I don't personally buy into the spoiled brat defense, but if one does accept it, the implication is that mother and child should be separated and the child should have to undergo supervised professional care and therapy until his earlier 'disability' has been successfully treated -- even if treatment requires decades. Living in poverty during that period would help the young man cope with the damaging effects of his earlier affluence.
By his own claims, the parenting Ethan Couch received was deficient and made him unfit to live with innocent third parties. That deficiency was not addressed by the fact that he turned 18 a few months later. Therefore, it was reckless for the judge to turn the 'spoiled brat' over to his mother for more of the same parenting that had already resulted in the death of innocent people.
I don't personally buy into the spoiled brat defense, but if one does accept it, the implication is that mother and child should be separated and the child should have to undergo supervised professional care and therapy until his earlier 'disability' has been successfully treated -- even if treatment requires decades. Living in poverty during that period would help the young man cope with the damaging effects of his earlier affluence.
14
If "affluenza" is a condition of the rich, then the rich should not be trusted with political power.
16
I hope the voters of Texas will recognize the complete incompetence of Judge Jean Boyd, Mr. Couch's original sentencer, and remove her from office.
What she did was outrageous, to say the least!
What she did was outrageous, to say the least!
4
She is now retired. Hope she regrets her decision always.
If we're talking about trying to repair race relations in this country this sends a bad message to young people of color, especially in the wake of all of the tragic shootings by police in various cities. We can talk about Black on Black crime and violence but those aren't the stories that make it to the nightly news. It seems that regardless of what values our youth may be taught they are still capable of seeing what goes on in our society and draw their own conclusions. Gone are the days of being able to brainwash our kids into them believing what we want them to believe. There are good kids out there but we don't want them developing nihilistic attitudes because one population of youth are being shot to death because our police force "fears for their lives" whenever there's contact, but then a different population of kids gets their behaviors "expertly explained away" and gets a slap on the wrist, especially after killing people, and this just isn't this situation. A lot of other instances that involved youth killing others had one population's behaviors explained as "Mental Deficiencies" while the other population's behaviors are explained as "Criminal Activity". The hypocrisy will no longer fly with our young kids. They see right through it!
6
What do the 2 situations have to do with one another?
Ethan Couch is accused of unintentionally running over people while drunk, on a dark country road assumed to be empty. UNINTENTIONALLY.
What does that have to do with the trend of black youth being shot while confronting the police?
You seem to cry racial differences in treatment, when what I see is social class differences, in very different situations. The Couch family was able to buy expensive lawyers and experts, and plead for probation instead of prison, not because he was white, but because he had no priors, pleaded guilty to manslaughter, and had a good (read expensive) defense.
Any poor kid would have had a hard time getting the same defense, not just a black kid.
And another major difference is that, when arrested, he didn't pull out a toy gun or go for one of the Mexican cops' guns...
Ethan Couch is accused of unintentionally running over people while drunk, on a dark country road assumed to be empty. UNINTENTIONALLY.
What does that have to do with the trend of black youth being shot while confronting the police?
You seem to cry racial differences in treatment, when what I see is social class differences, in very different situations. The Couch family was able to buy expensive lawyers and experts, and plead for probation instead of prison, not because he was white, but because he had no priors, pleaded guilty to manslaughter, and had a good (read expensive) defense.
Any poor kid would have had a hard time getting the same defense, not just a black kid.
And another major difference is that, when arrested, he didn't pull out a toy gun or go for one of the Mexican cops' guns...
Effluent - surely that is the word ! :) Killing people, by reckless behaviour or any other way is a serious crime. He is 18 years and can be treated as an adult for his crimes. He will be 19 years next June. He is too old for juvenile services and, in any case, their interventions did not make any difference to his criminal behaviour. Bizarre family
9
Juxtapose this article with "For the Wealthiest, a Private Tax System that Saves them Billions" and it's clear that affluenza presents a clear and present danger to the United States. While only a tiny fraction of our population suffers from it, the rest of the country is suffering because of it.
24
That defense never worked in Atlanta. Rich white kids got as much time as poor blacks did. But there is another factor: Many judges and prosecutors and defense lawyers are alcoholics who drive drink. And have children who drive drunk. Too many people think that it is OK to drive drunk and that it's just tough luck for those killed by drunk drivers. Drunk drivers are so deadly to the innocents on the road.
12
You have statistics to support your otherwise baseless assertion concerning judges and prosecutors and defenses lawyers and their children?
Initially, when I read this story, I am angry, like the rest of you all. I practically shouted in my head for the lawyers to quit their jobs, and the family to get severely punished for this offense. Yet, hatred is not the answer. That said, I AM NOT CONDONING HIS ACTIONS, and people like him should be punished just like any other kid from any other background who commits a crime of the similar magnitude.
First of all, though however stupid his lawyers' arguments seem and however incredibly biased and expensive they are, we should still appreciate their work. Why? Because, defense lawyers are an integral part of upholding the law, since condemning criminals without justice only perpetrates crime and ruins justice. So, instead of mauling the lawyers who are only doing their job, we should applaud them.
Second, instead of focusing on the child alone, who at a young age was compassionate, like most people, and good at math, we must look at the process that turned him into this evil today. Though many assume the life of the affluent is heavenly, more care should be given to providing them with aid too, for studies have shown they are more likely to become depressed and suffer from anxiety.
Lastly, the justice system is broken because of loopholes depending on wealth and racial background. These loopholes need to be fixed for the advancement of a fairer and better society.
Let this sad story motivate change and reform, rather than hatred.
First of all, though however stupid his lawyers' arguments seem and however incredibly biased and expensive they are, we should still appreciate their work. Why? Because, defense lawyers are an integral part of upholding the law, since condemning criminals without justice only perpetrates crime and ruins justice. So, instead of mauling the lawyers who are only doing their job, we should applaud them.
Second, instead of focusing on the child alone, who at a young age was compassionate, like most people, and good at math, we must look at the process that turned him into this evil today. Though many assume the life of the affluent is heavenly, more care should be given to providing them with aid too, for studies have shown they are more likely to become depressed and suffer from anxiety.
Lastly, the justice system is broken because of loopholes depending on wealth and racial background. These loopholes need to be fixed for the advancement of a fairer and better society.
Let this sad story motivate change and reform, rather than hatred.
3
The guilty parties here are the judge and the mother. Either he goes to jail, or they should.
7
For some strange reason I think the "affluenza" defense will soon be a thing of the past in Texas -- although, Texas being Texas, given how Big Money runs it for its primary benefit, like a private fief -- you can't be too sure. About the timing, or the outcome.
5
I believe my home state tried its damnedest to try this "juvenile" as an adult in which case they would have sought LWOP or the death penalty for killing four innocent lives. If either of those scenarios have played out, the far left would have been screaming that Texas was being FAR too harsh.
Maybe a scornful glare and 15 minutes in timeout is enough?
Maybe a scornful glare and 15 minutes in timeout is enough?
I do not understand why this kid and his mother felt the need to flee. His only sentence was probation, not even prison time. I guess this guy just doesn't want anyone telling him what to do. He'll probably wind up in jail which he deserves, along with his mother who has a zero in the common sense department.
10
The judge in this case had a responsibility to the people of Texas to remove a clearly dangerous human being from society for as long as was possible. Instead, she put him back on the street ignoring the lives and safety of others. If she has not been investigated for extra money in her bank account then another travesty of justice will have occurred. Ethan Couch is another Robert Durst, Jr. - and we all know how that turned out.
Resign, Judge Boyd - you are an affront to society and you have tarnished your oath.
Resign, Judge Boyd - you are an affront to society and you have tarnished your oath.
8
Too late to call for Judge Boyd's removal -- she retired about a year ago.
I actually think Couch does suffer from Affluenza.
Only a kid with no boundries would spit in the court's face after being given the sweetheart deal of a lifetime. Clearly, Ethan's HORRID parents taught him that he has no responsibility for actions no matter what he did as money solves any problem.
But the fact that Ethan does suffer from Affluenza does not excuse him from criminal liability in the deaths he caused and that's where the court made its greatest mistake.
Although he will likely skate in this instance (probation violation/flight) he is only 4 months away from being a legal adult. If he screws up again after April 11 (which he will because he has never been taught boundries) he face major league punishment.
Mommy on the other hand, is in a lot of trouble.
Only a kid with no boundries would spit in the court's face after being given the sweetheart deal of a lifetime. Clearly, Ethan's HORRID parents taught him that he has no responsibility for actions no matter what he did as money solves any problem.
But the fact that Ethan does suffer from Affluenza does not excuse him from criminal liability in the deaths he caused and that's where the court made its greatest mistake.
Although he will likely skate in this instance (probation violation/flight) he is only 4 months away from being a legal adult. If he screws up again after April 11 (which he will because he has never been taught boundries) he face major league punishment.
Mommy on the other hand, is in a lot of trouble.
8
The brat killed 4 people after a robbery when he was 17 years old in Texas, but somehow gets to be adjudicated as a juvenile? There are younger kids serving life sentences having been tried as adults all over this country, for lesser crimes. It sure seems like that whole town was in cahoots to let that kid go with little to no punishment. Were the victims poor nobodys so the prosecutor could ignore their impact statements? I mean this is about money right, because you sure don't hear about poor people with dark skin ever getting off this easy. No sir, they wind up dead in police custody after having been accused of not using turn signals, mysteriously in Texas also.
11
I hope someone throws the proverbial book at both of them - let Mom spend a little time in prison.
17
All eyes on Texas. Is this a repeat of O.J. Simpson who got away once but never knew when to quit? Or Texas being Texas?
While everyone deserves second chances and do-overs, both mother and son - and probably the father for that matter - deserve what's coming to them. There are no go away parties in jail. There is only hellish reality. The duo had their chances but they thought they could defy reality. Sad, really!
While everyone deserves second chances and do-overs, both mother and son - and probably the father for that matter - deserve what's coming to them. There are no go away parties in jail. There is only hellish reality. The duo had their chances but they thought they could defy reality. Sad, really!
6
"Texas being Texas?" I just moved from TX to the northeast. The Hyper-mom phenomena does not appear to be restricted to the Lone Star State.
1
This is endemic of of American society: rich people using their money to get out of punishment for breaking rules. Like Tom Brady...
I do not know Texas law, but here in New York a probation violation of any sort can lead to the probationer being resentenced on the original charge to any allowable punishment for the initial offense, including prison time. I hope that is the case in Texas and that he does some real time for his crime, as well as his unlawful flight to avoid prosecution.
22
If a 16 year old driver is not mature enough to be held responsible for killing four people with his car after drinking, than perhaps the legal driving should not be so low.
107
In Brazil, where I live, it is 18.
He was illegally driving one of his dad's vehicles when he was 13 years old. This boy has no respect for the law.
Too big to let fail...bail them out,
Too rich to be punished...let them out,
Too cold to be man made climate change...let it burn,
What's next?
Too rich to be punished...let them out,
Too cold to be man made climate change...let it burn,
What's next?
24
No, bust him for killing people and for being stupid, and maybe for looking that dumb, but don't bust him for his money. I don't believe he ever earned any on his own. That mother needs the sort of public embarrassment that the liberal media excels at.
And somebody cut his hair for him!
And somebody cut his hair for him!
2
What's next is, you're here illegally, no problem here's your drivers license.
The irony is that they are held in Mexico for being in the country illegally. You can be sure Mexico isn't so silly as to provide illegal aliens with drivers licenses.
The irony is that they are held in Mexico for being in the country illegally. You can be sure Mexico isn't so silly as to provide illegal aliens with drivers licenses.
1
Actually, since he was 16, he didn't drink three times the legal limit of alcohol—he drank infinity times the legal limit.
39
Arrested in Mexico for entering the country illegally? Too rich!
51
Not the first parent to create a sociopath out of their child, unfortunately. Every single one does the same things, no boundaries, no rules, the child runs the household, while the parents ensure the child never faces the consequences of their actions, from the mildest infractions of the toddler to the inevitable crimes committed by the teenager.
Some people should not be parents, as they destroy so many lives, including that of their children.
Some people should not be parents, as they destroy so many lives, including that of their children.
49
Another perfect example of the lunacy of American life. Start with "A 16 year old boy", change the words that follow and there is no consistency to responses.
A 16 year old boy...
1. got drunk and killed four people with a gun.
2. got drunk and killed four people with a car.
3. took drugs and killed four people.
4. who is (any minority) killed four people.
5. who is Black killed four Black people.
6. who is Black killed four white people.
7. who is Muslim killed four people.
8. who is White killed four Black people.
9. who is from a wealthy family killed four people.
10. who is from a poor community killed four people.
The real issue is that all lives matter and until there is a universal outcry from the citizenry and authorities alike and all killers are punished equally we are doomed.
A 16 year old boy...
1. got drunk and killed four people with a gun.
2. got drunk and killed four people with a car.
3. took drugs and killed four people.
4. who is (any minority) killed four people.
5. who is Black killed four Black people.
6. who is Black killed four white people.
7. who is Muslim killed four people.
8. who is White killed four Black people.
9. who is from a wealthy family killed four people.
10. who is from a poor community killed four people.
The real issue is that all lives matter and until there is a universal outcry from the citizenry and authorities alike and all killers are punished equally we are doomed.
16
Not only do the rich have a private tax system, they have their own private legal system too.
Will the young Mr. Couch have VIP status when he returns to court?
Will the young Mr. Couch have VIP status when he returns to court?
23
Mr Couch should be left to rot in a Mexican jail. Or a Texas Maximum Security facility - let us see if he can be cured of affluenza.
Mr Couch's mother should have the book thrown at her as maybe a stint in Jail will cure her of her affluenza.
The Judge who presided over his case and the lawyer who posited Affluenza as a defense should lose their law license.
The Psychologist that issued the ridiculous opinion that his upbringing was an excuse for his reprehensible behavior should lose his/her license.
Unarmed people of color get murdered by cops who do not get punished, this little spoiled rich brat gets away with killing 4 people and we are supposed to believe justice was served?
Mr Couch's mother should have the book thrown at her as maybe a stint in Jail will cure her of her affluenza.
The Judge who presided over his case and the lawyer who posited Affluenza as a defense should lose their law license.
The Psychologist that issued the ridiculous opinion that his upbringing was an excuse for his reprehensible behavior should lose his/her license.
Unarmed people of color get murdered by cops who do not get punished, this little spoiled rich brat gets away with killing 4 people and we are supposed to believe justice was served?
44
The Couch's escape caper certainly seems to validate one aspect of the 'affluenza' defense, which is that the behavior of the son, in this instance fleeing to avoid a court hearing, was encouraged and enabled by the doting of the mother. However, is this really an instance of an exercise of wealth and privilege, or just the biological impulse of every mother run riot?
4
If some guy can get paid to come up with "affluenza" as a viable defense and then win with it (in a case where the defendant not only murdered four people but had been drinking and driving many times before), what does that say about the competence of the rank and file public defender in this country? Heck, of our public prosecutors?
10
Saw a "Dateline" or "20/20" hour on this case a few months ago. Little shocks me, ever, anymore, but this one did. To learn that the victims and their families got ZERO justice after such grievous harm ... it seemed inconceivable, and beyond that, just wrong. Morally and emotionally wrong. Maybe this re-arrest and future court sessions will provide a setting and opportunity to right some of the wrong.
This kid clearly is unable to think for or handle himself. He needs someone other than 'Mommy' to step in and oversee him. And maybe with serious, meaningful judicial intervention now, he might still have a life ahead to live with some pride, dignity and a sense of purpose. Which still makes him the 'lucky' one, and is more than any of the victims can hope for or expect.
This kid clearly is unable to think for or handle himself. He needs someone other than 'Mommy' to step in and oversee him. And maybe with serious, meaningful judicial intervention now, he might still have a life ahead to live with some pride, dignity and a sense of purpose. Which still makes him the 'lucky' one, and is more than any of the victims can hope for or expect.
14
Next time I'm stopped it's ADHD: Affluence Deficiency Hypo-finance Disability.
20
Judges don't teach lessons. Parents do.
Wouldn't things be different if parents were held criminally liable for their delinquent children? Something to think about.
Wouldn't things be different if parents were held criminally liable for their delinquent children? Something to think about.
23
"Affluenza" isn't recognized in the DSM, so it's not a pathology, a psychiatric malady, nor does it even find significant support as a phenomenon by the medical & academic communities (I hold a MS myself in computational neuroscience, so I am, in the least, familiar/current with the literature).
So the brat child got off because some craven individuals, albiet with degrees but (I presume) without a mote of any integrity or morality, pitched some contentious hypothesis as a pardon for all the lives and families he ruined, despite being able to of be cognizant of so much? (Whether he's a moral cretin or not is quite another matter, and irrelevant to the process.) Please, please do tell me otherwise.
It's only fitting then that Ethan, with his established special-privilege status under the "law", recieve special treatment---effort and resourcess spent by the law enforcement agencies involves---in his pursuit and arrest, despite his juvenile standing, no? I have hope that some decades in the prison yards with his peers might alleviate him of his vexing affluenza.
So the brat child got off because some craven individuals, albiet with degrees but (I presume) without a mote of any integrity or morality, pitched some contentious hypothesis as a pardon for all the lives and families he ruined, despite being able to of be cognizant of so much? (Whether he's a moral cretin or not is quite another matter, and irrelevant to the process.) Please, please do tell me otherwise.
It's only fitting then that Ethan, with his established special-privilege status under the "law", recieve special treatment---effort and resourcess spent by the law enforcement agencies involves---in his pursuit and arrest, despite his juvenile standing, no? I have hope that some decades in the prison yards with his peers might alleviate him of his vexing affluenza.
20
There is always revolution as an alternative to the stratification of social injustice.
Of' purse, the tools of social and crowd control have now become much better than what they were during the American and French Revolution.
Of' purse, the tools of social and crowd control have now become much better than what they were during the American and French Revolution.
5
I knew, going into this article, that the comments would be most entertaining part of the show. I assumed few NYT readers would hesitate to offer a considered opinion.
My prediction was spot on, of course. No?
My prediction was spot on, of course. No?
5
The wealthy. His mother is clearly the problem here. This guy has never received one ounce of discipline.
11
And the father.
From D Magazine: "One day, when Ethan was 13, Anderson [a school administrator] noticed that [Ethan had] driven himself to school. She was concerned and talked to Fred [Ethan's father] about it. The father didn’t react well. 'He told me that Ethan was the best driver he knew,' she says. 'He was adamant that Ethan was going to drive to school. He believed his son was better. His son was more talented. He was the golden boy.'
"Fred told her that Ethan didn’t need college anyway, that he’d take over the family business soon. According to court documents, his response to the confrontation was something along the lines of: I’ll buy the school.' In the end, Fred pulled Ethan out and enrolled him in a homeschool co-op program in Watauga. But by the time he was 15, he was done with that, too."
From D Magazine: "One day, when Ethan was 13, Anderson [a school administrator] noticed that [Ethan had] driven himself to school. She was concerned and talked to Fred [Ethan's father] about it. The father didn’t react well. 'He told me that Ethan was the best driver he knew,' she says. 'He was adamant that Ethan was going to drive to school. He believed his son was better. His son was more talented. He was the golden boy.'
"Fred told her that Ethan didn’t need college anyway, that he’d take over the family business soon. According to court documents, his response to the confrontation was something along the lines of: I’ll buy the school.' In the end, Fred pulled Ethan out and enrolled him in a homeschool co-op program in Watauga. But by the time he was 15, he was done with that, too."
17
Parents and kid should each be sentenced to living for 10 years surviving on a minimum wage salary job.
42
Yes. I suppose a punishment like that would befit a fellow who, by his decision to drink and drive, took four lives and permanently paralyzed another. Living on minimum wage is not a punishment!
Where is the outrage at the judge who made this horrible precedent? Why are we not seeking to defrock that fool?
Where is the outrage at the judge who made this horrible precedent? Why are we not seeking to defrock that fool?
If/While out on parole, both should be forced to work at least 4-days per week in a soup-kitchen open to close.
This reminds me of that flight attendant who told off all his passengers and then fled down the emergency escape onto the tarmac.
4
Stiffer and more serious punishment is surely possible. All the judge has to ask is what would we do if his name was not Ethan Couch, but Uthman Al-Goutta. Doubt there would be any leniency due to minor age then. The Texas law would immediately find a loophole to keep him behind bars.
15
The juxtaposition on the home page of this story and the one about how the very affluent have manipulated the tax code to their advantage says it all.
Another comment refers to the tumbrels. The myth persists among the middle class (what's left of it) that a place for them among the affluent awaits only their hard work and the absence of government interference. Let the plutocrats beware: if that myth dies out, the tumbrels may roil. If that happens, they will be impelled less by envy than by contempt and anger over the great deception.
Another comment refers to the tumbrels. The myth persists among the middle class (what's left of it) that a place for them among the affluent awaits only their hard work and the absence of government interference. Let the plutocrats beware: if that myth dies out, the tumbrels may roil. If that happens, they will be impelled less by envy than by contempt and anger over the great deception.
33
Yes, the myth of the American Dream (which George Carlin memorably noted is nothing but a dream) does an excellent job of shoring up the status quo.
12
The tumbrels may "roil" the 1% or roll?
1
George Carlin said they call it the American Dream because you'd have to be asleep to believe it.
15
He's a child of alcoholics. Raised to by a woman who lived in denial or didn't care about her own disease while making a baby or two and drinking on. Tangled in the family disease - controlled by it - selfish and self centered - run by a big ego and not much else. He should have been put into mandatory treatment for months and removed from her influence and been seriously taught about her disease, the family disease and if he has the disease. Children from alcoholic homes spend a lifetime getting loaded or getting well.
But no one talks about the cause - and it would help if our society would start doing that.....The USA of denial.
But no one talks about the cause - and it would help if our society would start doing that.....The USA of denial.
11
" Children from alcoholic homes spend a lifetime getting loaded or getting well."
Priceless.
But their sickness does not erase their guilt or their responsibility.
Priceless.
But their sickness does not erase their guilt or their responsibility.
11
The drama is the drama - its the details of all the messy stuff - the wreckage of alcoholism. This story is not extraordinary - same disease - different details. Nobody gets well talking about the problem. Solution works better.
2
so this is th natural outcome of money worship
8
Yes, that must be why all children of the wealthy kill people while driving under the influence. I'm being sarcastic, of course. But it does explain Ted Kennedy.
2
Once Ethan Couch turned 18, his continuing crime of parole violation and flight from justice was criminal activity undertaken as an adult. For those, he should be tried as an adult.
10
Who goes on the lam with Mommy when he's 18?
I guess this way Mommy might end up with the bigger sentence, which, in the greater scheme of things might be fitting justice.
I guess this way Mommy might end up with the bigger sentence, which, in the greater scheme of things might be fitting justice.
20
One would assume the mother purchased his alcohol and whatever vices he was into. She's more at fault than he is. He wasn't even mature enough to drive. Not excusing what he did, but those parents have blood on their hands.
14
Loeb and Leopold also suffered from "affluenza" back in the early 1900's when they killed Bobby Frank for sport.
22
I would encourage people to watch the Netflix documentary Making a Murderer. What was most stunning to me is that judges don't seem to have much accountability. They can hand down unreasonably harsh sentences as well as ridiculously light ones. And the whole process clearly favors someone represented by a well connected lawyer. When I had a minor legal issue, I did my research and found a lawyer through a politically influential business associate. And in fact, the judge happily acknowledged his respect for my lawyer, and the outcome was good. I've often wondered if it would have been different if I hadn't had such an influential connection.
16
And, for some bizarre reason, local news stories rarely name the judge.
So, we the people have no way of keeping track of the incompetents. Sometimes, they do something so absurd they are held to account by the people who elect or appoint them or the state supreme court disciplinary board.
But, from the messes that keep happening, that doesn't happen nearly enough.
So, we the people have no way of keeping track of the incompetents. Sometimes, they do something so absurd they are held to account by the people who elect or appoint them or the state supreme court disciplinary board.
But, from the messes that keep happening, that doesn't happen nearly enough.
1
The name of the judge is readily available to anyone who has the initiative to use google. But it's much easier to complain about a non-existent problem on the NYT comment board, isn't it?
I'm talking about the minutae that goes on in the courtroom, what the judge allows and sustains and what the judge overrules in the hours and days and weeks that a trial goes on, and how their bias can clearly show over time which can influence a jury, prevent the admission of evidence, and lead to a sentence that was probably in mind at the outset. I didn't make all that clear in my original comment. I've been on juries. You can tell who the judge favors. I remember my own lawyer hoping we got one particular judge over another because there was more goodwill between them (and we did). But do I have time to sit in a courtoom and follow cases and see this happening to people over and over? No, and neither do most other people. You have to be in it in one way or another there to realize how the system operates. TV generally depicts stern, fair judges. But they are just as fallible as people in any other profession, only people in other professions don't get to take away someone's freedom for years or life.
1
Somebody needs to find out if the judge who handed out the lenient sentence was bought and paid for like many public officials in Texas.
21
He will get a slap on the wrist for this episode. Legal analysts estimate that he will be out before Easter, if he faces any jail time at all. He is a menace to society and he will kill again.
Justice is for sale in America just like any other good or commodity.
Justice is for sale in America just like any other good or commodity.
22
I hope they send him to the toughest prison that Texas has. Most likely he will be serving time with people whose childhood was impacted by money, or rather the lack there of. When a poor person commits a crime they don't just give them a pass, so why should some rich kid get a pass. If there is any justice in this world, they will also send the mother away for 10 years.
22
The US justice system has not evolved since -lets say- 1878.
2
how about 1778
2
Disagree completely. This kid never would have received the sentence he did if this were 1878. I think our system has "evolved" too much.
6
If his victims were poorer or darker than him, the result would be the same in 1778, 1878, or 1978. The more things change...
5
If the mother, the enabler, serves more time than the son, perhaps that is the right message to send to parents.
18
There seems to be such a strong correlation between today's NYT articles on the rich manipulating the tax system to gain billions, the GOP, and Affluenza. If it was not for the Affluenza virus we would not be having Trump, Jeb!, and Romney seeking to be Presidents. After the G W Bush presidency disaster, nothing about Texas surprises me.
19
He killed four and paralyzed his friend so the six-second video surprises me: He has friends apparently equally irresponsible willing to get drunk with him once again. Did they go for a joy ride next? His mother is a waste, his 'friends' are identifiable in the tape. What are their parents doing about establishing responsible friendships?
28
Thank heavens this sociopath will face consequences now. I mean the damaged and heartless boy's mother, of course.
I doubt ten years in prison will convince this man of the need for conscience, however, ten years without mommy protecting him just might.
I doubt ten years in prison will convince this man of the need for conscience, however, ten years without mommy protecting him just might.
11
Poor Little Richie Rich. He got caught vamoosing with his mamma, Mrs Rich. Now where are they headed? To a five- star prison? After all they are infected with Affluenza. Four people killed and two injured? Who were they? Oh, I forget, they were dirt poor and inconsequential that it was deemed unnecessary to acknowledge and accord them the slightest bit of respect. News is when Richie Rich has Affluenza, a deadly disease indeed!
8
The "poor little rich kid" thing will help him a lot in the can.
3
Evil mothers, with the tacit permission of weak fathers tie their schizophrenic weak minded/immoral intellectually derelict sons to themselves so that they can never get away from them, like enjoying having a bird in a cage. Eventually they all melt down under enough stress, and it doesn't take much as most of it is their own doing. This is the same scenario for many of the mass shooters and domestic terrorists.
4
I'm no fan of the wretched spawn of the vile class. But a little Googling about this case reveals a pretty miserable instance of two utterly worthless parents destroying someone who started out as a nice, bright little boy who might, under other circumstances, have gone down an entirely different road.
This was much less a case of darling who could do no wrong and almost entirely a case of a mother using her child to fulfill all of her own emotional needs and eviscerating him in the process.
Really sad, for everyone.
This was much less a case of darling who could do no wrong and almost entirely a case of a mother using her child to fulfill all of her own emotional needs and eviscerating him in the process.
Really sad, for everyone.
17
Quite so, but the fact that others made him what he is does not change what he is. The misfortune of this creature's rearing does not mitigate his essential evil.
8
Realist: I don't think he*s evil. I think he*s empty. And that addiction to pills and alcohol by the age of 16--and perhaps a touch of FAE--with parents unable to guide him towards health--have put him behind a pretty big 8-ball.
4
The video didn't show him drinking. It showed him jumping on a table of beer. If his lawyers can get him off the first time, when he obviously was drunk and killed four, they can easily get him off for nothing more then a parole violation. The sad thing is that his lawyers will point out how historically the courts would handle a teenage parole violation. Drive drunk and kill four and get a special rich kids treatment. But then violate parole and get a poor kids treatment which is a slap on the wrist.
2
The real parole violation is skipping the country. I suspect that the parole terms included not being around alcohol at all, so just being in that environment may have been a violation, but again, he has hung himself by fleeing the country. Given the notoriety of this case, I think he has doomed himself, hopefully. He probably could get off with less visibility, but not under these circumstances.
Seems like the last thing the justice system should do with a kid who killed people because he had been coddled was to coddle him further and leave him on probation.
8
The judge that gave Ethan Couch a sentence of probation vs jail time is no longer a judge. http://2paragraphs.com/2015/10/ethan-couch-affluenza-judge-jean-boyd-no-...
5
Good.
I am too lazy to Google it, but as I recall, this "judge" had sentenced a black teen just prior to this case to some serious jail time for punching out and injuring someone in a fight.
I am too lazy to Google it, but as I recall, this "judge" had sentenced a black teen just prior to this case to some serious jail time for punching out and injuring someone in a fight.
3
off to jail you both go, and hopefully for a very long time. A Very Long Time.
9
I think that many people think (mistakenly) that the judge bought that lame defense. She did not. However, the defense itself? UGH! We should be shaming the defense attorneys--not the judge. In this case, money bought morons.
This whole things is a a perfect example of extremely poor parenting, coupled with unaccountability. This is as much about the parenting (or lack thereof) as it is the $$.
This whole things is a a perfect example of extremely poor parenting, coupled with unaccountability. This is as much about the parenting (or lack thereof) as it is the $$.
1
I've never heard of a drunk-driving accident.
Could you please explain how one decides to drink and then drive, yet any resulting crash is accidental, as opposed to, say, willful negligence?
Could you please explain how one decides to drink and then drive, yet any resulting crash is accidental, as opposed to, say, willful negligence?
20
Those who are raised in poverty do jail time or worse, while those "suffering" from "affluenza" get a free ride. Justice in America is a commodity like everything else.
10
Why don't impeach the judge whose awful ruling allow this loser get away with murder?
1
She retired right after the ruling.
In the Lone Star State if you're rich and white,
And it doesn't matter if you're not too bright.
Steal, drink, and don't care.
It's others that need to beware.
Think probation's unfair? Just take flight.
And it doesn't matter if you're not too bright.
Steal, drink, and don't care.
It's others that need to beware.
Think probation's unfair? Just take flight.
11
Couch violated his terms of probation by his actions and behavior. He should be treated as an adult who wantonly took the lives of four people who are still dead, for whom he shows no remorse. He needs to be incarcerated and to learn about "poorenza" from his future cellmate, "Bubba". And mom should be prosecuted for her aiding, abetting and facilitating her son's "escape" to Mexico, and serve her time with with "Bubbette" to learn about parental responsibility and real life for the rest of us mere mortals live.
12
Seems that justice is for those who are rich. No wonder minorities are screaming about the injustice of the courts and the police. Lets hope justice will win out finally.
12
We need more info on the judge. Was he elected? What is his record with non wealthy and non white defendants? Are judges in Texas held accountable by anyone?
1
It was a she, and she is no longer a judge. She did however convict a black 14 year old not stricken with "afluenza" to ten years in prison for one count of manslaughter.
17
Perhaps this was all planned by the Couch Family. He only has a few months left to be a juvenile. My suspicions are that they planned this so that a judge would force a prison/jail sentence in juvenile court, instead of the several remaining years of probation. I highly doubt the State of Texas has the authority to carry this over to adult prison. He committed his violation prior to the state being able to send him to an adult prison. I doubt he is that stupid. I predict there will be a loophole a high priced attorney found that will end both his jail sentence and his probation as a juvenile, never seeing a single day in an adult prison.
4
Shame on the parents. the attorneys and the judge. I hope you never feel the loss and pain of losing a loved one to a spoiled rotten rich kid. You all have made a mockery of our judicial system. Shame on you.
13
Don't forget the psychologist that made "afluenza". Smh
6
In reading through the comments and watching and reading the varied news reports about this case, I am concerned about the following possibility.
Tonya Couch will want to bond with her dysfunctional son even more. She will go the local store in Texas and purchase a couple of ARs, maybe a semi-automatic gun or two. This could become the Lanza case all over again, absent the diagnosis of disease other than "affluenza."
Tonya Couch will want to bond with her dysfunctional son even more. She will go the local store in Texas and purchase a couple of ARs, maybe a semi-automatic gun or two. This could become the Lanza case all over again, absent the diagnosis of disease other than "affluenza."
3
I'm thinking a little stretch in the Texas Department of Corrections will cure this feckless boy of his affluenza.
6
This young man will become a monster if he isn't appropriately punished this time. Or is the Texas justice system going to enable him once again.
4
Just wondering how accurate the statement is regarding outcome of most "non-violent, unintentional" juvenile crimes in TX. One of Ethan Crouch's attorneys states that probation is the usual outcome in such circumstances, according to this article. Could not the journalists responsible for this article done the research to verify or disprove this assertion? To ask other TX criminal defense attorneys (who represent juveniles) if the extremely reckless actions of Ethan Crouch are truly classified as "unintentional" and "non-violent"? I'm aware that in many states, someone has intoxicated as Ethan Crouch was is considered incapable of "intent" (as far as intending x consequences or intending an outcome) but non-violent? A vehicle can be a weapon.
But mostly, it'd be helpful to know if the criminal defense attorney's statement is accurate, or that had it been a black or Hispanic youth with low income parents at the wheel, 10 years of probation would've been the outcome then too.
But mostly, it'd be helpful to know if the criminal defense attorney's statement is accurate, or that had it been a black or Hispanic youth with low income parents at the wheel, 10 years of probation would've been the outcome then too.
6
The same judge gave a 14 year old black male (that wasn't suffering from afluenza) 10 years for one count of manslaughter.
15
Fortunately or unfortunately, the USA removed "hard labor" as a sentencing option. Even now, people in prison are not allowed to work or engage in any physical labor, thanks to, I believe the ACLU! Thus, they just seat on and on and watch TV hours after hours, and as one old timer told me, just simply engage in violence just as a way out of monotony! It sounds old and conservative and a "no no" in this society of "rights" (and no duties!), physical labor is a great antidote to anti-social and criminal and wayward thinking!
1
Not true ! Many prisons have work programs, which pay very little.
5
Tonya Couch was more than an enabler in her son's crimes; she was a participant.
5
@MMaurin,
No love for the mother, but a participant in his fleeing, yes. Original crime, only if she got him the alcohol!
No love for the mother, but a participant in his fleeing, yes. Original crime, only if she got him the alcohol!
How about some jail time for his mother, say as an accessory to manslaughter?
8
@M Riordan,
Accessory to murder would only stand if she was the one who gave him the alcohol in the original case. But I would assume she could be facing jail time in this instance, as she was caught with him on the run in Mexico!
Accessory to murder would only stand if she was the one who gave him the alcohol in the original case. But I would assume she could be facing jail time in this instance, as she was caught with him on the run in Mexico!
4
It would seem the Court and Mommy had and she still has a problem with right and wrong. This case needs a change of venue to protect the best interests of society. Junior needs to face the judge without Mommy there and Mommy needs a harsh wake up call. Ethan needs to be out of the gene pool for a good while to reduce the chances of another generational round of the likes of him.
5
Wow! This article and the other story about how the ultra wealthy avoid taxes.....What a messed up world we live in. I'm discouraged.
17
Mom seems to be a nitwit. Is there a nitwitenza defense?
24
What do the parents do for a living that the family is so rich?
4
Click on "concerned citizen" comment which includes a Dallas magazine link. It is near top of reader's favorite. Be prepared to be shocked.
3
The father owns a sheet metal roofing company. I had no idea such a thing was so incredibly profitable! the father comes from a working class background, is uneducated and somehow came into possession of this lucrative business (with no training, apprenticeship, experience, etc.) at age 21.
I am amazed nobody has ever looked in this, but that's the story. Mr. Couch Sr. is a multi-millionaire.
I am amazed nobody has ever looked in this, but that's the story. Mr. Couch Sr. is a multi-millionaire.
5
i bet his mother is also an anti-vaxxer, global warming denier, but regarding her son- "He's an angel, a good boy. He would never had done something like that. I raised him to be a good boy". Oh, the rich and well to do.. where is a barf bag when you need one.
I think the judge's name should be made public for all to know. It was a grossly irresponsible judgement, followed by a quick retirement.
6
It is she is no longer a judge.
The case perfectly illustrates the debased and feudal state of the nation.
As the lead story in the paper documents how a few thousand rich Americans sculpt the country's tax code to meet their specifications, we also read that the very concept of blind justice is mocked by a rich, white quadruple murderer who got away with it by pleading excessive privilege.
In ancient Rome, differential treatment for the rich (honestiores, "the more honorable") and the poor (humiliores, "those closer to the ground") was written right into the laws. The same crime incurred a fine for those in the upper class, and a beating with rods for the rest. The same held true for much of Medieval and Renaissance history, when aristocrats ruled the roost and fashioned law and society in their own image.
Equality before the law was considered a great stride forward in principle, but we all know that claim is a sham in practice, especially in these benighted days. Average citizens go to jail for inability to pay debts or fines, while Wall Street bankers pay themselves bonuses for tanking the global economy with their fraud. Enablers of torture charge $100,000 per speaking engagement. And now an a-moral child of privilege laughs at us all the way to Mexico - but throws a party first.
A long spell in Leavenworth among "those closer to the ground" might make this scoundrel a tad "more honorable."
As the lead story in the paper documents how a few thousand rich Americans sculpt the country's tax code to meet their specifications, we also read that the very concept of blind justice is mocked by a rich, white quadruple murderer who got away with it by pleading excessive privilege.
In ancient Rome, differential treatment for the rich (honestiores, "the more honorable") and the poor (humiliores, "those closer to the ground") was written right into the laws. The same crime incurred a fine for those in the upper class, and a beating with rods for the rest. The same held true for much of Medieval and Renaissance history, when aristocrats ruled the roost and fashioned law and society in their own image.
Equality before the law was considered a great stride forward in principle, but we all know that claim is a sham in practice, especially in these benighted days. Average citizens go to jail for inability to pay debts or fines, while Wall Street bankers pay themselves bonuses for tanking the global economy with their fraud. Enablers of torture charge $100,000 per speaking engagement. And now an a-moral child of privilege laughs at us all the way to Mexico - but throws a party first.
A long spell in Leavenworth among "those closer to the ground" might make this scoundrel a tad "more honorable."
20
IMHO, this whole family is a bunch of self-entitled spoiled brats. The father has a record, little Ethan kills 4 people & gets away with it & Mommy helps him escape when his continued partying surfaces. The only way anybody in this whole family will learn that actions have consequences is to lock 'em ALL up & throw away the key.
12
I think that jail time for juvenile offenders is rarely productive and should be a last resort. But it's not the job of the state of Texas to protect Mr. Couch and his mom from themselves. He should go to jail on the PV, as an adult, and get a serious extension of his probation.
3
He may indeed be a victim of bad parenting but I have a solution. Put mom in jail for a few decades and disbar the lawyer--for a lack of human decency, making such a scurrilous claim.
As for Junior, let him go. It won't be long before he crosses the line again and things will take care of themselves.
As for Junior, let him go. It won't be long before he crosses the line again and things will take care of themselves.
3
All very well, unless he gets drunk and kills someone else! Certainly doesn't seem to have learned any lessons....
6
Kudos to Sheriff Anderson for using every means to hunt down these two criminals. With all the bad news about cops and our dysfunctional justic system, this sheriff deserves credit for trying to get justice for the innocent victims.
22
I take comfort in the fact that this is almost certainly not the Justice system's last kick at Mr. Crouch. He'll be back on another charge in the not too distant future. Eventually his mommy or his money will run out.
Don't despair that he has corrupted the legal system. Being rich has long been a get out of jail free card. It's just not usually reported. I expect it's expensive too.
Don't despair that he has corrupted the legal system. Being rich has long been a get out of jail free card. It's just not usually reported. I expect it's expensive too.
4
Yes, but I shudder to think of the harm could he cause before he is jailed again. He needs to be locked up now, put in a treatment program and receive intensive counseling.
And this kid is only the one we know about! How about other privileged brats who's parents let their money raise them who have yet to kill, maim, etc., because their parents "protect" them from any form of discipline. Now what if his skin had been a different color? You can bet he would've been jailed for the rest of his life instead of going on a trip to Mexico with mommy.
7
When I was growing up there were two brothers a few years older than me who had been adopted by a very wealthy local family. One of them, the younger, was good as gold. The older one was bad seed.
From as early as I can remember he bullied me. I don't know how many others he did as well, but he was also a womanizer who impregnated several girls and a feared brawler who enjoyed sadistically pulverizing anybody who crossed him.
He also introduced a childhood friend of mine along the way to the joys of IV coke and meth use, an afternoon my friend has often rued in my presence, as it subsequently ruined his life and kept him in and out of prison ever since, where in fact he happens to be right now for another DUI of his own.
In spite of all these things the other guy was never punished for anything that I know of.
A year after high school graduation, when I was off at college, he was speeding down a country road in a silage truck during fall harvest, when the uncut corn at many rural intersections is so tall it makes seeing who is coming almost impossible. If you value your life you come to a near stop to look every direction before passing through.
A good friend of mine, a year younger than me, with whom I was exchanging letters from school, must have forgotten. Both were driving trucks. My friend was coming into town with a load, the vile one speeding back out to get another. There was a horrific collision and both of them were killed.
Evil can be so asymmetrical.
From as early as I can remember he bullied me. I don't know how many others he did as well, but he was also a womanizer who impregnated several girls and a feared brawler who enjoyed sadistically pulverizing anybody who crossed him.
He also introduced a childhood friend of mine along the way to the joys of IV coke and meth use, an afternoon my friend has often rued in my presence, as it subsequently ruined his life and kept him in and out of prison ever since, where in fact he happens to be right now for another DUI of his own.
In spite of all these things the other guy was never punished for anything that I know of.
A year after high school graduation, when I was off at college, he was speeding down a country road in a silage truck during fall harvest, when the uncut corn at many rural intersections is so tall it makes seeing who is coming almost impossible. If you value your life you come to a near stop to look every direction before passing through.
A good friend of mine, a year younger than me, with whom I was exchanging letters from school, must have forgotten. Both were driving trucks. My friend was coming into town with a load, the vile one speeding back out to get another. There was a horrific collision and both of them were killed.
Evil can be so asymmetrical.
13
Kudos to Sheriff Anderson for continuing to pursue probation violations against this spoiled brat for the four lives he took, those he injured and the many other lives impacted by his criminal actions. Justice will be served!
9
First of all this was the most disgusting defense I have ever could have imagined. It is just astounding. If he does go to prison, good luck but I can honestly say that is not a sincere statement. His parents did not "parent" and they also have responsibility. His mother goes to jail also, period.
These folks are simply disgusting.
These folks are simply disgusting.
4
Did they send Dog The Bounty Hunter down there to get him and his mom?
3
This is frightening.
Prosecutors and police should not have the right to "re-write" a legal judicial sentencing, even if it seems outrageous. Perhaps even more frightening is the baying of the public seeking "vengeance." They want to put this kid in prison for 10 years or more for a drunken driving offense when he was 16?
They've apparently forgotten the admonition, "There but for the grace of God go I."
Prosecutors and police should not have the right to "re-write" a legal judicial sentencing, even if it seems outrageous. Perhaps even more frightening is the baying of the public seeking "vengeance." They want to put this kid in prison for 10 years or more for a drunken driving offense when he was 16?
They've apparently forgotten the admonition, "There but for the grace of God go I."
2
A drunk driving offense where he killed four people!!
6
check out his mug shot. If he doesn't look stoned, then i need to get new contacts.
3
Drunken driving offense??? He killed 4 people and left a friend paralyzed for life. People across the country are routinely charged with vehicular manslaughter if they kill someone while driving drunk and children as young as 14 are routinely tried as adults for killing another person. Yet this kid was lucky enough to get off with probation and got to spend time in a cushy, high class rehab, and yet that is apparently too much of a burden for him. He violated his probation and then fled the country to try to escape punishment. You know what happens when people violate their probation? They go to jail. Lock him, and his parents, up and throw away the key.
10
Just like the Times other article today about how the ultra rich game the tax system, its obvious there are different financial and legal rules for wealthy Americans and the poor or minorities.
If this lowlife had been a poor black or latino person or an immigrant and had killed four and injured nine the judge would've locked him/her up and thrown away the key without hesitation.
If this lowlife had been a poor black or latino person or an immigrant and had killed four and injured nine the judge would've locked him/her up and thrown away the key without hesitation.
26
Honestly, I don't think it was about skin color. I think the Judge would have dealt harshly with ANYONE else -- who was not a millionaire. I have read about this, and given it some thought, and I believe the father used influence & money to "buy" a favorable decision. It is highly suspicious that the Judge RETIRED not long after the trial.
2
I'm not going to defend this kid BUT in our culture where we are fed a non-stop poisonous helping of KARDASHIANS/JENNERS and unlimited wealth being flaunted in our faces and perhaps most egregiously the total lack of respect for our president and system of government, is it a wonder that kids grow up and behave like this one? Let's not forget the legal system of the (great?) State of Texas that put him on probation and accepted his defense for his fatal drunk-driving accident. It's far too easy to demonize the kid and let EVERYONE ELSE off the hook. Sorry, ladies and gentlemen, but I'm not going to do that because there's PLENTY of blame to go around and the kid is just the result of what our country is becoming.
11
Say what you will about them, the Kardashians are not criminals. Annoying, yes, but certainly nowhere near the level of these people.
4
The Kardashians may be many things, but they are not criminals. This Couch guys is more asymptomatic of the rich white guy than any comparable group
5
I used the example of the KARDASHIANS/JENNERS as an example of the direction our country is going in terms of glorifying the unworthy and perpetuating the impression that wealth = entitlement. People who are famous for doing nothing perpetuate the "affluenza" syndrome. As to their not being guilty of committing any crimes, I found the episode involving Jenner and his driving while texting resulting in a traffic death disgraceful (although, questionably, no charges were finally filed). The fact that the institution of marriage was denigrated by Kim in her fake marriage "for profit" is another example of wealth and privilege seeming to fly in the face of respect and decency. I'm not blaming them for what this kid did - if anything I blame his parents and especially his MOTHER. Likewise, the criminal justice system of Texas is clearly broken beyond repair. The kid is a product of the system, not the cause of it.
9
I must admit, THERE is a new one: a "going away party", I believe, is intended for other purposes. Perhaps the message will get across THIS time............
3
Have the Mexican authorities hold him and his mother in one of the worst jails in their country, and lose the paperwork for handing them over to U.S. authorities for 20 years. Then bring them back and prosecute both of them, with "time served" not even a consideration.
12
I DO sincerely hope he runs out of places to hide........Or, does the old edict of the rich can get away with anything still hold....
2
Just another example of justice for sale. Just my opinion as an old white guy, but I think the inequity of the justice system based on wealth is a greater and more institutionalized threat to our way of life than the racism that gets so much attention. At least there are a lot of people trying to break the back of racism. How many do you know who are trying to get quality legal representation to the not-so-well-off or trying to stop the wealthy from buying the system? An untrue felony accusation will almost certainly bankrupt even a solidly middle-class family, let alone someone with no means at all. That has got to be fueling much of the anger in poor minority populations.
5
Ethan Couch apparently didn't fall far from his maternal tree. An apparent dysfunctional "tree" that clearly indicates his mother at least was an abject failure at her parenting duties. Duties which include teaching as well as modeling self-discipline, respect and responsibility. If people making factories (through neglect or abuse) end up producing "products" that threaten our society, or worse, were also found culpable when their products act out or cause the death of others, maybe more people making factories would take their significantly important roles and jobs that come with being a parent more seriously.
1
Glad they got him, and mom. But this story is nothing new - there are many examples, some even more shocking.
One of my "favorites" is the 2010 Colorado case where the billion $ Morgan Stanley money manager Martin Erzinger hit and runs a bicyclist, almost killing the guy. The charge was dropped to misdemeanor from felony because, according to the DA,
"Felony convictions have some pretty serious job implications for someone in Mr. Erzinger's profession, and that entered into it," Hurlbert told the paper. "When you're talking about restitution, you don't want to take away his ability to pay."
Would that be true for a plumber?
http://abcnews.go.com/Business/martin-erzinger-morgan-stanley-hit-run-co...
Think of this story in conjunction with the NYT piece today on the "separate" tax structure for the wealthy.
One of my "favorites" is the 2010 Colorado case where the billion $ Morgan Stanley money manager Martin Erzinger hit and runs a bicyclist, almost killing the guy. The charge was dropped to misdemeanor from felony because, according to the DA,
"Felony convictions have some pretty serious job implications for someone in Mr. Erzinger's profession, and that entered into it," Hurlbert told the paper. "When you're talking about restitution, you don't want to take away his ability to pay."
Would that be true for a plumber?
http://abcnews.go.com/Business/martin-erzinger-morgan-stanley-hit-run-co...
Think of this story in conjunction with the NYT piece today on the "separate" tax structure for the wealthy.
23
Since this offense occurred when he was 18-years-old, it should be moved to an adult court. He was given a second chance and blew it. Maybe spending a few years in prison will help him grow up since his parents aren't capable of doing so.
8
Maybe letting little Ethan and his mommy stew in a Mexican jail for a few weeks could cure some of that affluenza.
13
I would actually take my time in formalizing the extradition request. Let this kid spend some quality time in a Mexican prison, like weeks or maybe months.
11
The sleazy judge who gave us this Texas size injustice ought to be dragged out of retirement and into jail.
7
He may have gotten off lightly the first time but just imagine the consequences Ethan Crouch would have faced if he were an Oklahoma football player.
If Couch and his parents escape punishment through the criminal courts, perhaps the victims' families should seek recourse through the civil courts. A lawsuit against Couch for millions of dollars might do more to teach him and his parents a "lesson" than another stretch of probation will. I would think the victims' families have lawyers lining up on their front laws just clamoring to take this case.
10
According to an article in D magazine, there were multiple civil suits, with all but one settled via "group mediation" with --as so often happens now--a sealed settlement, so there's no way to know what the size of the settlement(s) was. There was apparently one other civil suit that wasn't part of that settlement, but the article didn't provide any information on outcome, and there might not have been a final outcome at the time of the article's publication.
No information I've seen on whether the settlement amounts (whatever they were) were actually paid.
No information I've seen on whether the settlement amounts (whatever they were) were actually paid.
3
I would reckon that Mr. Couch Sr. was willing to pay A LOT OF money to make this go away. Given the family wealth, the parent's culpability and the egregious actions of Ethan Couch -- a jury trial would have resulted in a HUGE settlement. To get the plaintiffs to settle early and secretly, it must have been a nice sum.
In the plaintiff's situation, I would have done the same. They got their money and fast, and without the stress and worry of a trial that would linger for YEARS and years, with attorney's delaying and delaying -- and the Couches seem like the kind who would hide their money, claim poor or (duh) leave the country. The plaintiff's did the smart thing.
In the plaintiff's situation, I would have done the same. They got their money and fast, and without the stress and worry of a trial that would linger for YEARS and years, with attorney's delaying and delaying -- and the Couches seem like the kind who would hide their money, claim poor or (duh) leave the country. The plaintiff's did the smart thing.
6
I would like to see the judge who let this kid off with just probation removed from the bench.
6
too late, the Judge retired
1
why does that not surprise me???
1
Wealth and privilege on steroids. I wonder if this story will be discussed in ANY of the upcoming Presidential debates?
2
Would this case be different if he were not white?
8
Today's racebaiters dishonestly blur the distinction between race and wealth.
3
Among the many disturbing things that follows and defines thus case and our American culture, the one jumping out at me the most today as I read comments sections from various news sites reporting on this case is this:
Ethan Couch is being universally referred to as a kid, a messed up kid, a brat, or similar. Trayvon Martin was and continues to be referred to as a thug.
Nation, heal thyself!
Ethan Couch is being universally referred to as a kid, a messed up kid, a brat, or similar. Trayvon Martin was and continues to be referred to as a thug.
Nation, heal thyself!
14
Even better is trying to rewrite Tamir (12 whole years old) as an adult because of his weight\height.
9
I can't even wrap my brain around it. I grieve so much for him and for his parents. I cannot begin to imagine their pain and grief.
1
Appalling, despicable and unworthy of words.
2
Anyone who has been casting around for the perfect definition of white privilege need look no further.
15
Don't fool yourself. It is money, not skin tone.
2
what's the big deal... we DO NOT send rich people to jaol..
1
Any of you commenters who think ten years probation is a slap on the wrist, try serving probation.
8
I'm sure it's a lot easier than lying in the ground rotting.
4
honestly, probation doesn't really look like it's that hard, at least judging from the video of the party Couch was at. But sure, Puerta Vallarta can be tough, what with the bad water and all...
8
@n.h.: Surely you jest. I really want to give you the benefit of the doubt and consider this as ineffectual snark.
Ethan is spoiled and apparently raised by unfit parents. Although, most parents would move heaven and earth to spare their own child.
The bigger issue is our increasingly unreliable judiciary. When the law cannot be relied upon to render reasonable and equitable justice, you really don't have a functioning democracy.
Should anyone respect the judiciary in this country anymore? From the local county judge to SCOTUS -- it's a mess.
The bigger issue is our increasingly unreliable judiciary. When the law cannot be relied upon to render reasonable and equitable justice, you really don't have a functioning democracy.
Should anyone respect the judiciary in this country anymore? From the local county judge to SCOTUS -- it's a mess.
20
Responsible parents allow children to make mistakes and allow the consequence to "teach" them that actions have outcomes - for good or bad. And then make reparations. They don't shield them from their own dangerous behavior until it spirals to the point of murdering others.
In Texas, judges are elected in partisan races which involve campaigns and, yes, campaign contributions. This is the very system which former Supreme Court justice Sandra Day O'Connor has devoted years to reforming since her retirement from the bench, and with good reason. My first thought in this case was how much mommy and daddy had spent to line the coffers of the judge when last he stood for reelection.
20
Actually, your first thought should have been to go to google. Had you done that, you would have learned that the judge (a) is a woman; and (b) retired shortly after this decision.
6
So I have since learned. Many thanks for the information, regardless of what my first thought actually was.
Affluenza definitely exists! Our bankers are so heavily infected that Obama's DoJ could not even come near them for fear of their very livelihoods.
5
"the sheriff adamantly defended the use of extensive resources, from multiple agencies, in an international manhunt for a teenage probation violator.".... Since the mother saw fit to help him flee, she should be billed for all the expense to find him.
34
She certainly should.
2
Apparently this kid's 'affluenza' was so severe he didn't realize how lucky he was to get just 10 years probation for killing a few innocent bystanders.
3
This example of individual pathological behavior can be attributed to a nation-wide pathology that needs an emergency treatment and cure. Of our presidential candidates, I only hear Bernie Sanders discussing the grave need to treat this illness.
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/12/30/business/economy/for-the-wealthiest-pr...
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/12/30/business/economy/for-the-wealthiest-pr...
11
One wonders if the parents, or at least the mother, could be charged with bad parenting enabling this behavior. No one I know was brought up this way, with an absolute lack of discipline and even supporting bad behavior. When that yields 4 dead, 2 injured, and 1 paralyzed, the parents must be held accountable in some way.
11
She's looking at 2-10 years.
4
Married to a teacher at an exclusive private school in NY, I certainly believe in the idea of "affluenza". What I fail to understand is how such an affliction might mitigate the seriousness or a crime or be a factor in sentencing leniency. A key function of the justice system is to provide accountability. Additionally, prisons keep dangerous people segregated from the populace. Lenient sentencing for sufferers of affluenza fail miserably on both counts. First, it reinforces a pathological sense of entitlement and exceptionalism, thereby worsening the condition. Second, it places the public at great risk. These folks think of people as servants at best, and subhuman beasts at worst. They don't have any concern for the welfare of others. As a result, they remain at high risk for engaging in reckless and lawless behaviors which endanger others.
Throw. Away. The. Key.
Throw. Away. The. Key.
41
under no circumstances should they be extradited to the US for trial.
let them rot in a Mexican prison.
The US legal system is way too good for them
let them rot in a Mexican prison.
The US legal system is way too good for them
13
The "affluenza" testimony was ridiculous; so was the overly-lenient initial sentence.
The mother obviously had much to do with raising such a son, but she lifted the concept of enabling to new heights when she took him to Mexico after he was outed for appearing to violate his parole. Having a going-away party before they fled is just another sign of how entitled she and her son think they are, and how much disregard they have for the laws that most of us follow.
Perhaps now the son will receive punishment commensurate with his crimes (theft of beer prior to his drunken drive, driving while under the influence, and and killing four people and leaving a fifth person brain-damaged). And perhaps mama will also receive her just desserts for aiding and abetting a fugitive from the law.
The mother obviously had much to do with raising such a son, but she lifted the concept of enabling to new heights when she took him to Mexico after he was outed for appearing to violate his parole. Having a going-away party before they fled is just another sign of how entitled she and her son think they are, and how much disregard they have for the laws that most of us follow.
Perhaps now the son will receive punishment commensurate with his crimes (theft of beer prior to his drunken drive, driving while under the influence, and and killing four people and leaving a fifth person brain-damaged). And perhaps mama will also receive her just desserts for aiding and abetting a fugitive from the law.
21
This guy's sentence is the equivalent of moral hazard. Why wouldn't he continue to behave badly after learning that there is no real price to pay for taking four lives? The judge who bought the "affluenza" argument encouraged this behavior and is sadly out of his league.
14
This kid reminds me of a client I had many years ago, when I was a deputy public defender representing convicted felons on appeal.
My client was serving a life sentence, having been convicted of a double murder when he was in his early 20s. He was a middle-class kid from a very rich family and had been indulged, indulged, indulged by stupid (or indifferent) parents. He was of slight build and rather handsome. He had never held a job. He simply hung out in a house his parents had given him, getting up at noon, shooting hoops with friends, getting stoned. The murder was a casual, spur-of-the-moment thing -- not because my client was angry -- but because the victims happened to be in his way and he swatted them aside. He never expressed the least remorse.
I met him in prison. He was rather cheerful. He told me he didn't like his first cellmate. He told the cellmate that if he didn't move out, he would kill him. The cellmate somehow got himself transferred. Now my client had a cellmate he liked.
He had no conscience and (in my opinion) would never grow one. Maybe I was wrong about that. And maybe in some sense he was not fully responsible because he had a screw loose. But plainly he was dangerous -- very dangerous. If this guy were held in prison till he was 90, when he got out he would be just as likely to shoot you down if you got in his way. I did my best to represent him on appeal -- but I lost. Thank God.
My client was serving a life sentence, having been convicted of a double murder when he was in his early 20s. He was a middle-class kid from a very rich family and had been indulged, indulged, indulged by stupid (or indifferent) parents. He was of slight build and rather handsome. He had never held a job. He simply hung out in a house his parents had given him, getting up at noon, shooting hoops with friends, getting stoned. The murder was a casual, spur-of-the-moment thing -- not because my client was angry -- but because the victims happened to be in his way and he swatted them aside. He never expressed the least remorse.
I met him in prison. He was rather cheerful. He told me he didn't like his first cellmate. He told the cellmate that if he didn't move out, he would kill him. The cellmate somehow got himself transferred. Now my client had a cellmate he liked.
He had no conscience and (in my opinion) would never grow one. Maybe I was wrong about that. And maybe in some sense he was not fully responsible because he had a screw loose. But plainly he was dangerous -- very dangerous. If this guy were held in prison till he was 90, when he got out he would be just as likely to shoot you down if you got in his way. I did my best to represent him on appeal -- but I lost. Thank God.
49
Why has the judge in the original case not been impeached, removed or disbarred? She was clearly tone-deaf in understanding the severity of his crime on the community as well as being totally bamboozled into the "affluenza" defense legitimacy from a legal perspective. Even worse, he could easily have perpetrated another drunk driving crime killing or maiming more people.
The judge should be held accountable and lose her job.
The judge should be held accountable and lose her job.
7
Public Service of cleaning toilets ten hours a day in prison. That might be a start for some constructive learning,, without parole.
15
So being part of the 1% is a sickness called affluenza? Wealth makes you sick? Seems like the best argument yet for taking that wealth away from these people whom it sickens. I mean if they're so sick they're killing the rest of us, indeed small group who are just trying to change a flat tire on the side of the road, it seems like the logical solution to the problem!
18
What an absolute idiot. The guy gets 10 years probation for killing 4 people. That was a gift.
7
Every attendee at the "going away" party should be arrested for aiding and abbetting, obstruction of justice and just being a [insert proper profanity here. ]
19
The Tarrant County authorities are to be applauded for every nickle they investigated in this apprehension. It will no doubt take much more than this to assure their local public that "equal justice under law" is more than a catch-phrase, but, in the absense of these apprehensions, a couple of "officer involved shootings," tec., could have easily become incinderary. And on a wide-scale.
And now, after hearing of the "going-away party," it seems that one is now truly in order. Specifically, to use these apprehensions most effectively in further some showing of "legitimacy" in the administration of criminal justice, I can can only hope that (A) there are separate and stiff federal criminal penalties for fleeing the country in order to avoid (i) submission to a lawful sentence of incarceration, and (ii) assisting others to do so, with the possibility of sentences going beyond what is available under state law, and (B) in the case of Mr. Couch, his sentence for flight (from whatever court) runs "consecutively" with that he ultimately serves for manslaughter, so the terms are spent "back to back."
And now, after hearing of the "going-away party," it seems that one is now truly in order. Specifically, to use these apprehensions most effectively in further some showing of "legitimacy" in the administration of criminal justice, I can can only hope that (A) there are separate and stiff federal criminal penalties for fleeing the country in order to avoid (i) submission to a lawful sentence of incarceration, and (ii) assisting others to do so, with the possibility of sentences going beyond what is available under state law, and (B) in the case of Mr. Couch, his sentence for flight (from whatever court) runs "consecutively" with that he ultimately serves for manslaughter, so the terms are spent "back to back."
11
You know something is wrong with the justice system when a 16 year old white rich kid only gets probation for killing four people because he's 'too rich to know right from wrong'. Meanwhile, 12 year old Tamir Rice gets shot dead by police officers for playing with a toy gun because 'he looked older than he was'. Point is, from the officers patrolling the streets, right down to the courts of justice, there is a serious bias against the poor and against minorities. It's supposed to be Justice for all, not 'justice' for the rich.
46
With this story of Mr. Couch walking away from 4 deaths and a brain damaged, paralyzed individual with mere probation, and with Tamir Rice's killer walking away from even an indictment, I think I have lost all faith in our so-called justice system.
26
reader,
Yes.
Yes.
3
This boy and his mother should be required to work in a mortuary with victims of car crashes. They should be required not only to observe the embalng process or which ever method is used to prepare the body, but also observe what the families endure as they prepare their loved ones for burial. The mother should share in whatever punishment is handed out for her sons wrong choices. After a year, MAYBE, their attitude of being "special" would be replaced by a compassion for those who suffer the consequences of their "privileged" lifestyle. The judge who thought an "afluenza" defense was acceptable should be right beside them. Unbelievable. Wealth is definitely not defined by a bank account. Shame on our society for portraying it as desirable.
10
No question this kid is a moron, and so is his mother...the apple didn't fall far from the tree, as a matter of fact it's right next to the tree trunk. What I find interesting in this story is that Mexico is extraditing this guy because he's in Mexico illegally...go figure, maybe we should do this with the illegals Mexicans in this country. Nothing against Mexicans, I travel there and love their warmth, hospitality and culture...but that doesn't mean I want my tax dollars paying their way when our country is FLAT broke.
Now...this kid. Bring him back, hit him with everything you can...mother included and put them behind bars where they belong. The mother is an enabling freak with no regard for others lives...the son, well, let's just say he's in a unique class all by himself...ultimate trash.
Now...this kid. Bring him back, hit him with everything you can...mother included and put them behind bars where they belong. The mother is an enabling freak with no regard for others lives...the son, well, let's just say he's in a unique class all by himself...ultimate trash.
9
I think a good defense would be a mother named Tonya Couch. But that guy could never hide his dead zone face under darker hair. Justice is served.
3
Here's the chorus to a little Merle Haggard ditty the young Mr. Couch might want to learn before he gets sent to where he should have been all along:
So I do life in prison for the wrongs I've done
And I pray every night for death to come
My life will be a burden every day
If I could die my pain might go away
So I do life in prison for the wrongs I've done
And I pray every night for death to come
My life will be a burden every day
If I could die my pain might go away
7
The whole story sounds as if it were written by Fitzgerald . . .
5
Millions and millions of Americans armed workingmen are extremely angry about stuff like this and the tax loopholes for the rich, and for corporate control of our "democratic" government. Millions of poor are angry too. Without strong reforms, revolution--or fascist dictatorship--is inevitable.
13
I can understand the teenager thinking that going to Mexico indefinitely was a plan. However, how does an adult parent have so little insight? Did she think she and her son could go on for the next decade or two undetected in various tourists spots? Most parents would escort their son to the probation officer to plead her son's case. She was partying with her son before they went on the run? Something weird about this relationship. This delinquent was in need of a parent. Whether you are rich or poor, seriously bad parenting can have poor results.
11
I fully disgusted and dismayed at this callous disregard for life this "youth" and his mother have shown. To mow down 4 people while drunk is murder, the fact that he was able to avoid punishment is beyond tragic,
Speaking as A Dad, who along with My Wife Raised our kids to be 4 young responsible adults, the anxiety we felt whenever our (admittedly) well off teenagers took the car for a night out was palpable, for no matter how many times We drilled them on Drinking and driving and a no ?'s asked policy on leaving the car and taking a cab home they are still Young and susceptible to bad Judgement or not thinking of consequences, We are fortunate that we never had to answer a phone call from the police or a hospital,
While the Couch's R poster Children for "white privilege" Don't be mistaken in the belief that if they were poor and or Black-Hispanic That they would be rotting in Jail. In today's NY Post detailing the story of Convicted felon Walik Williams, Who not once but twice had his illegal possession of a firearm tossed because the judge took the word of The con over cops, (and relished it), we forget the murder of 2 NY cops by a con who was free on a drug diversion program, by a well meaning prosecutor and Judge,
We as Americans always want to have it both ways, Strict Sentencing laws (Rockefeller) Jails too Minorities/poor folks, Leave it up to the judge and they Release these folks on us, Couch will rot in jail, But 3x loser Walik is free to wreck lives,
Speaking as A Dad, who along with My Wife Raised our kids to be 4 young responsible adults, the anxiety we felt whenever our (admittedly) well off teenagers took the car for a night out was palpable, for no matter how many times We drilled them on Drinking and driving and a no ?'s asked policy on leaving the car and taking a cab home they are still Young and susceptible to bad Judgement or not thinking of consequences, We are fortunate that we never had to answer a phone call from the police or a hospital,
While the Couch's R poster Children for "white privilege" Don't be mistaken in the belief that if they were poor and or Black-Hispanic That they would be rotting in Jail. In today's NY Post detailing the story of Convicted felon Walik Williams, Who not once but twice had his illegal possession of a firearm tossed because the judge took the word of The con over cops, (and relished it), we forget the murder of 2 NY cops by a con who was free on a drug diversion program, by a well meaning prosecutor and Judge,
We as Americans always want to have it both ways, Strict Sentencing laws (Rockefeller) Jails too Minorities/poor folks, Leave it up to the judge and they Release these folks on us, Couch will rot in jail, But 3x loser Walik is free to wreck lives,
3
Agreed. It's not white privilege or every white person would be free from punishment. The morons promoting white privilege ignore facts. It's not race but money that speaks. Sure some people are racist, but those people mostly have dark skin. Demanding justice based on race. I could care less what color this kids skin is, and neither could the judge. The judge who sentenced him mostly deals with white kids. Why not ask some of the white kids sitting in jail if their race helped them? The only problem in the entire case was the fathers money finding it's way to the judge. Race batters can get bent.
3
Two other stories ricochet about the online Times today. Actor Russell Crowe slams airline for hoverboard ban, and mega-wealthy SuperPac donors bend the tax code to suit their interests. And here we have a wealthy metal roofing contractor who managed to rescue his son from what should have been a 15 yr sentence, the now-18 yo son possibly having violated his probation, and the contractor's wife/boy's mother embarking on a futile journey--somehow reminding me of Humbert's--to escape justice.
A vast sense of self-importance is not the news here. It is that anyone indulges these narcissists. The judge who imposed a sentence of mere probation. A Congress whose members, flush with campaign cash, cannot do their jobs. And the general public who consumes voraciously the squealing of a famous actor objecting to, of all things, airline policy.
A vast sense of self-importance is not the news here. It is that anyone indulges these narcissists. The judge who imposed a sentence of mere probation. A Congress whose members, flush with campaign cash, cannot do their jobs. And the general public who consumes voraciously the squealing of a famous actor objecting to, of all things, airline policy.
14
He killed four people and was given a suspended sentence? The problem is not only that this spoiled brat needs a harsh lesson, but that the judge needs to be replaced.
6
I sure hope the judge that decides whether to move him to the adult court system isn't as swayed by his family's money as the sentencing judge was. This was a disgrace; he and his mom should both face heavy jail time for their flouting of the law. They need to learn that money can't buy your way around the law.
7
Hold Mom accountable, she has enabled this kid from birth. The recent car accident and the desperate escape into Mexico is simply the ripe fruit of her labor. Hold the boy accountable as well, he needs a long period of time away from society to sober up and reflect upon his behavior. The judge was simply dead wrong in his ruling. This kid was ruined.
9
To the Texas bashers and those condemning the judge who ruled in Couch's case: calm down. There was no true "affluenza" defense. It was an aside made by the psychologist testifying for Couch that made great headline click bait and took on a life of its own. The judge made it clear that Couch was responsible for his actions and ruled per Texas law by ordering him to in-patient treatment and probation for 10 years. That meant he would be under the thumb of the justice system for a decade. Under Texas law, unless juvenile offenders are at high risk of violence, they're supposed to be put into treatment. Kids who are sent to detention are more likely to be repeat offenders, while kids in treatment are more likely to clean up their act. I'm not defending the judge and I'd like to see Couch in prison, especially now. I also agree that the justice system isn't fair to poor and minority offenders, but this judge had ruled similarly in other juvenile cases. Just adding some perspective.
8
Sorry, but the fact is plenty of 16yos are deemed "adults" when it suits. A kid that is filmed drinking after so called rehab after killing 4 people and maiming another who is out and about with Mom and then who escapes the state of Texas indeed is being treated in a way many other kids would not be treated.
4
That would be rich white Texans getting tried and pandered to as juveniles. Not minority kids. Not ever.
4
I am surprised the police, or the court system, didnt insist on an electronic monitor. Some people are more equal than others?
10
Well the best form of justice will be to couple the jail time along with treatment of his original disease "affluenza". Court should order that all of their wealth be confiscated and divided between families of victims and treasury as reimbursement for the expenses paid to find him and his mother. Court should further bar his father, who was not complicit, from ever supporting these two individuals.
Once they have served time and affluenza is behind them, I believe they will be productive members of society.
Once they have served time and affluenza is behind them, I believe they will be productive members of society.
4
some of our Presidential candidates also suffer from affluenza and appear to be going not only unpunished but rewarded for their condition
14
Meanwhile, Kalif Browder spent months in solitary confinement in NYC for allegedly stealing a book bag. For all those wondering, this is what white (and class) privilege looks like.
29
I think this kid needed to go away, to jail or military school or another more disciplined environment.Two or three things are wrong with the probation. The first was not evaluating the home environment. The second was not punishing the boy for killing and maiming people and the third was limiting his ability to grow up by limiting his access to tools like a computer and car for ten years, enforcing his dependency on his parents and maintaining his childhood far too long. He may be a hopeless drunk, in which case nothing will change him and he might as well be mailed for twenty years to life to protect society. Or he may be a foolish kid with foolish parents, in which case separation from his parents and exposure to other people let him grow into a decent human being. Time for resentencing but not a lynching.
1
Isn't affluenza a life-long condition? What does the ADA say about that?
2
IF he dies his hair black to escape into Mexico - that makes him DEFINITELY aware of punishment regardless of his parents' wealth. BTW - MOM needs to go to jail too! The whole family should forego all of their wealth to the victims of his drunken murderous rampage
13
Ethan should be tried as an adult be given a sentence commensurate with vehicular manslaughter as an adult. Moreover, the Judge, the psychologist for the defense and his mother should all be tried as accomplices after the fact.
There are four human beings dead because of disregard for the law and there are no mitigating circumstances. Ethan's repayment for the non-sentence he was given was to flee to Mexico more evidence of his contempt for the law and human life.
There are four human beings dead because of disregard for the law and there are no mitigating circumstances. Ethan's repayment for the non-sentence he was given was to flee to Mexico more evidence of his contempt for the law and human life.
7
Affluenza is such a dreadful disease. How about a seriously progressive tax policy to cure it?
40
This is probably one story where most conservatives and liberals see eye-to-eye.
13
"the sheriff adamantly defended the use of extensive resources, from multiple agencies, in an international manhunt for a teenage probation violator."....
Since the mother saw fit to help him flee, she should be billed for all the expense to find him.
Since the mother saw fit to help him flee, she should be billed for all the expense to find him.
16
Well, they were certainly correct in that his parents clearly did not raise him right.
Oh, and yes, we like watching the pathetic plights of rich people as well as poor. Anything to make us feel superior. ;)
Oh, and yes, we like watching the pathetic plights of rich people as well as poor. Anything to make us feel superior. ;)
1
Whether this misbegotten teen or his sorry excuse for a mother would learn anything from prison time is doubtful. However, prison sentences for both would at least make the streets safer for a time.
Like too many of their class brethren, they have no respect for civil society: their wealth buys freedom from consequences. It's way past time to change that. Let's start with these low-hanging fruits.
Like too many of their class brethren, they have no respect for civil society: their wealth buys freedom from consequences. It's way past time to change that. Let's start with these low-hanging fruits.
10
This kid maybe be spoiled but it sounds like a pretty dysfunctional family. Just because he's rich (if they are), it doesn't mean he's had a good life. I'll bet there are considerably less wealthy people who, on the whole, are a lot happier than this crew.
4
He fled probation??? He's lucky he was rich and white or he would have been in Jail for the past two years.
I can't believe Dee Anderson has to explain herself for using extraordinary effort in bringing this drug-addicted, cowardly fugitive to justice. Kudos to you Sheriff! I can tell you honestly it isn't just people in your area that are outraged at the Judges leniency two years ago. (I wonder: How much did the Judge "earn" for that sentence?)
I also can't fathom how in the world there remains a question as to whether his flight doesn't automatically incur jail time?
All I can think is he's white, rich and purchased a very effective defense team to help him escape the justice anyone else would face. I mean - let's not forget this is execution-happy Texas where a lesser crime committed by any poor or brown-skinned individual would have garnered a cell on death row
I can't believe Dee Anderson has to explain herself for using extraordinary effort in bringing this drug-addicted, cowardly fugitive to justice. Kudos to you Sheriff! I can tell you honestly it isn't just people in your area that are outraged at the Judges leniency two years ago. (I wonder: How much did the Judge "earn" for that sentence?)
I also can't fathom how in the world there remains a question as to whether his flight doesn't automatically incur jail time?
All I can think is he's white, rich and purchased a very effective defense team to help him escape the justice anyone else would face. I mean - let's not forget this is execution-happy Texas where a lesser crime committed by any poor or brown-skinned individual would have garnered a cell on death row
17
Dee Anderson is a man.
1
White in America! If it had been a black boy, he would have been shot dead
11
I'm not sure this is the right case to make that point. (There are plenty of other cases that do make that point.) He was apprehended in Mexico, after all.
2
How does a 16 year old get an unrestricted drivers license? Texass!!!!
5
Horrifyingly, Ethan Couch has been driving since AGE 13!
His parents bought him his own truck. When school officials were shocked to see a 7th grader driving himself to school, they called his parents....who basically said "it's fine with us". It relieved them of having to drive their son to school and pick him up each day.
By the time Ethan was 15, he had a luxury upscale Ford 350 -- this is like a $50K truck -- with a fancy "Harley Davidson" upgrade package.
I assure you, Ethan has been driving while on parole before escaping to Mexico.
His parents bought him his own truck. When school officials were shocked to see a 7th grader driving himself to school, they called his parents....who basically said "it's fine with us". It relieved them of having to drive their son to school and pick him up each day.
By the time Ethan was 15, he had a luxury upscale Ford 350 -- this is like a $50K truck -- with a fancy "Harley Davidson" upgrade package.
I assure you, Ethan has been driving while on parole before escaping to Mexico.
And who was the judge in the case? I would really like the name of that outstanding jurist.
Another article about this case stated that the judge appeared chastened by the outcry on this sentence. Judge Jean Boyd started giving stiffer sentences in underaged drinking/driving cases afterward. (I took a quick look for the article and can't find it.)
1
Wow. Coming on the heels of the special investigative report on tax evasion strategies used by the wealthiest families in the US, this is quite something.
The nation that has always worshipped materialism is watching the impact of these choices and this promotion of greed over corporate and personal values hit home over and over this holiday season--at least here on the Times.
The mother sure hasn't done her son any favors by spoiling him to bits. It's bad enough when it's a toddler in full tantrum mode, but one expects that by the mid-to late teens the kid might have matured a bit.
The mother sure hasn't. What is it about money in this country that seems to make those that have vast wealth feel they are immune from the ordinary rules of civilization?
The nation that has always worshipped materialism is watching the impact of these choices and this promotion of greed over corporate and personal values hit home over and over this holiday season--at least here on the Times.
The mother sure hasn't done her son any favors by spoiling him to bits. It's bad enough when it's a toddler in full tantrum mode, but one expects that by the mid-to late teens the kid might have matured a bit.
The mother sure hasn't. What is it about money in this country that seems to make those that have vast wealth feel they are immune from the ordinary rules of civilization?
32
The wealthy believe they can just buy their way out of anything. Couch hired an expensive lawyer who basically got him out of serving time for murder.
Put them both in prison. Let them make new friends among the other inmates. Perhaps they'll learn something.
Put them both in prison. Let them make new friends among the other inmates. Perhaps they'll learn something.
3
The same judge had sentenced a juvenile to Juvie for drunk driving not a year before. Oh yeah, the kid was black.
17
Nah, it was because the juvenile suffered from pooruenza.
6
In Singapore, both mother and son would face the cane. Seems like a perfect case for that.
7
The mom does potentially face prosecution for interfering with his probation, btw.
3
This spoiled brat should be jailed for the rest of his life. It belittles my intelligence to read he has psychological problems because of his wealth - do you really think people will buy that?
His mother must have paid plenty - to the judge???? That mother is a disgrace - she is an enabler - not a parent and should be jailed as well.
His mother must have paid plenty - to the judge???? That mother is a disgrace - she is an enabler - not a parent and should be jailed as well.
4
Why is the judge in this case not named each and every time? "A judge" lets "the judge" off the hook. Name the judge. This is all his fault.
And I don't think the six second video actually shows Couch drinking. Not that it matters, but the truth does matter.
And I don't think the six second video actually shows Couch drinking. Not that it matters, but the truth does matter.
4
His parole violation for drinking at a party would have been at most a slap on the wrist. Instead, his mother ensured that he will wind up where he belonged in the first place. But still, I wonder: How many years of his ten year suspended sentence will he serve? I bet his family money will have him out of jail in three years or less.
3
Ethan Couch and Martin Shkreli are two sides of the same contemptible coin.
18
I hate to break it to the commenters below, but the Ft. Worth Star Telegram has reported that this will not affect his expected probation.
http://www.star-telegram.com/news/local/community/fort-worth/article5203...
http://www.star-telegram.com/news/local/community/fort-worth/article5203...
1
Yup, lets bring them home to face Justice. But who really needs to be on trial is the judge that let Ethan so easily. When somebody destroys and insults our sense of justice (and this is not Ethan or his lawyers who were only doing their job of defending themselves), but retired judge Jean Boyd --well, that person needs to be brought to justice.
Let's hear it for Judge Boyd giving up his 2011 silver gavel award, and habe the judge spend some time with Ethan --both as inmates in jail.
Let's hear it for Judge Boyd giving up his 2011 silver gavel award, and habe the judge spend some time with Ethan --both as inmates in jail.
5
If Ethan was not responsible for his actions because of the non-existent or dysfunctional parenting skills of his mother, then she should be on trial for manslaughter in creating a dangerous situation of 'enabling' an amoral adolescent drunk access to a car.
14
Well, if affluenza was an acceptable excuse when he killed four people with his car why shouldn't it be now? And apply it to the Mom too: it does sound like something that is contagious. If Texas lets them both off I'll at least respect them for being consistent in applying their legal principles.
10
..... "legal" principles. In this context , you need to have "legal" in quotes.
This should be interesting, now that his mother was arrested and charged with hindering the apprehension of a juvenile. She is this kid's pusher, enabler, and shield all in one. Now that she is very likely going to jail - I'm sure she'll get the maximum - he will be left to flail in the wind.
1
Judge Boyd who sentenced him to only probation retired soon after the trial. I wonder how she could afford to do that?
8
I had a case in NJ where the court clerk actually sent my forms to file back to me and refused to explain why when I called in to ask.
Then by accident of calling the wrong number I got a hearing by phone in the Court of Equity, which seemed to be ok then went south for no apparent reason 9 months later and the judge very retired soon after.
I am now firmly of the opinion that my case was recognized as a problem and I was short shrifted (term?SP?) to the phone hearing by a soon to retire judge so that that could happen. She literally gave me my ask as I worded it (it was a carefully worded request for records) to start and by the end she accepted as if it met her order explicitly and then said so, what the DAG had tried to pass off at the start. They had short circuited my search and now I have another legal obstacle to overcome if I ever manage to find the money to challenge the system again.
Anyway I think the use of soon to retire judges for "sensitive" cases may be a common tactic in all states.
Then by accident of calling the wrong number I got a hearing by phone in the Court of Equity, which seemed to be ok then went south for no apparent reason 9 months later and the judge very retired soon after.
I am now firmly of the opinion that my case was recognized as a problem and I was short shrifted (term?SP?) to the phone hearing by a soon to retire judge so that that could happen. She literally gave me my ask as I worded it (it was a carefully worded request for records) to start and by the end she accepted as if it met her order explicitly and then said so, what the DAG had tried to pass off at the start. They had short circuited my search and now I have another legal obstacle to overcome if I ever manage to find the money to challenge the system again.
Anyway I think the use of soon to retire judges for "sensitive" cases may be a common tactic in all states.
1
Gee golly gosh, I wonder that too.
Is nobody curious enough to follow up on this? see where she is living, and if it is at a level of affluence beyond what a judge might have in retirement?
Is nobody curious enough to follow up on this? see where she is living, and if it is at a level of affluence beyond what a judge might have in retirement?
1
I wonder if the affluenza defense will work a second time?
Nah.
Nah.
2
The word is "precedent," not "precedence." And no, it is not precedent because in her sentencing, the judge made it clear that she was NOT swayed by the affluenza defense. But hey, here on the NYT comment boards, facts don't really matter.
The real problem is that this was just a very, very, lenient judge
The real problem is that this was just a very, very, lenient judge
3
It would appear that parents bear a great deal of responsibility here. Clearly irresponsible behavior has been a totally acceptable norm. Not only does Ethan have to face the consequences of his actions, I think his parents do too. "Afluenza" is not only a ridiculous defense, the judge in agreeing that this is a valid reason ought to be disbarred and removed from the bench. So... here we have several adults that need tot ake some responsibility here, in addition to the child.
Seems to me our system of parenting and of justice is broken.
Seems to me our system of parenting and of justice is broken.
2
Ethan Couch is a legal adult; he is not a child.
3
I'm not positive about Texas's majority laws, but it's probable that Mr. Couch was a minor at the time he committed the crime.
Impoverished people, feel free to use the Poorfluenza defense if you find yourself in court. At least it makes more sense than this.
8
If you are fortunate enough to make it to the courtroom, that is.
3
Interesting story. Coupled with the Times lead story about the super rich getting billions of tax breaks I guess the moral of the story is that in America today it is better being super rich and mere rich. So those who are middle class and are going to vote for a Republican presidential candidate, at least one from the current batch of nuts, ought to think about how they can get to be super rich first.
8
I'd like to know if there are any consequences for the original judge, like censure or impeachment.
3
She retired after ruling on Couch's case.
3
If it's any consolation, her reputation has been ruined, pretty much the entire state disrespects her, and she hides from the media.
She failed to get this killer off the streets and away from his family. Her concern for poor little Ethan put the public at risk.
She failed to get this killer off the streets and away from his family. Her concern for poor little Ethan put the public at risk.
4
Well, to be clear, he was required to undergo rehabilitation at a facility to be paid for by his parents but entirely away from his parents. The judge did make an attempt to separate him from the influence of his parents for that period of time, anyway. Doesn't appear to have done any good, however. He was released from rehab and went right back into the viper's pit.
1
This is the stark example of how the Wealthy have gamed our System and Laws. That this news about Ethan Couch and NYT Special Report should come on the same day is in a way, Karma! Getting away, killing four(!) 'poor pedestrians' while drunk because of 'Affluenza'? Is that even a word in the dictionary, let alone a reason as defense? We know what happens to poor kids - Jail for Life or tried as adults and then get Capital punishment. It used to be a few rotten apples but now the entire system is rotten to the core, thanks to 'Rich' felons like Ethan Couch.
( Oh! I forget he has affluenza )
( Oh! I forget he has affluenza )
7
Further proof (as if any of us normal people needed it) that the judge was completely off-base in their ruling in this case. The kid should have gotten the 3rd degree immediately, along with his attorney, for such a ridiculous defense to begin with.
We (the sane ones) knew that this wasn't going to teach the kid anything and he'd continue on with the same behavior his parents allowed. Lo and behold, his mother was complicit with his escape.
Throw them both in jail. Life sentences for flaunting the justice system. While we're at it, boot the judge as well -- we can't have our justice system making such idiotic decisions.
We (the sane ones) knew that this wasn't going to teach the kid anything and he'd continue on with the same behavior his parents allowed. Lo and behold, his mother was complicit with his escape.
Throw them both in jail. Life sentences for flaunting the justice system. While we're at it, boot the judge as well -- we can't have our justice system making such idiotic decisions.
5
The judge retired almost immediately after handing Couch his ridiculously lenient sentence. The discretion for sentencing him began and ended with the original judge. Any judge that adjudicates the probation violation(s) and/or possible new charges are constrained largely by the terms of the original sentence ruling and laws pertaining to same. I fear, absent new charges committed after his 18th birthday, that this brat will see very little time by way of a jail sentence. His case is still within the juvenile courts, unfortunately.
3
He's 18 now. He turns 19 in April of 2016.
He violated probation after he turned 18.
He violated probation after he turned 18.
He violated juvenile probation. I am interested to see if they can find and will charge him with new crimes unrelated to the original 2013 matter, and which were committed by as a legal adult, thus placing him in adult court for prosecution and adjudication of such matter and would subject him to punishment under the adult sentencing guidelines.
Banks too big to fail, murderers too rich to go to jail. That is why they want our guys to protect these slimeballs from real justice. They need some good old American justice.
2
Lock up both him and his mother and throw away the key. It was outrageous 2 years ago and it's worse now.
2
I would have thought that the families of the victims would be able to strip the Couch's of their assets through civil court. How is it that they still have the means to fund an escape like this? No justice in civil court either?
3
Those types of lawsuits take years to resolve in most cases. Many years.
Texas limits punitive damages from $200, 000 - $750, 000. That's why.
All of the victim's families did sue, years ago, and previously settled all the cases
The mother has clearly committed multiple state and Federal felonies.
Will she now get probation on an affluenza defense?
Another Commenter (I apologize for not remembering the name) asked what were the odds that a Black kid holding up a liquor store would get probation with a "poverenza" defense. This reminds me of former Supervisor Dan White's successful "Twinkies made me do it" defense, after he murdered Mayor George Moscone and Supervisor Harvey Milk in San Francisco. while a guy who robbed a bank and said "capitalism made me do it" was not successful.
Will she now get probation on an affluenza defense?
Another Commenter (I apologize for not remembering the name) asked what were the odds that a Black kid holding up a liquor store would get probation with a "poverenza" defense. This reminds me of former Supervisor Dan White's successful "Twinkies made me do it" defense, after he murdered Mayor George Moscone and Supervisor Harvey Milk in San Francisco. while a guy who robbed a bank and said "capitalism made me do it" was not successful.
6
A black 12-year-old boy playing with a toy gun in a park in his neighborhood gets shot and killed for not knowing how to react perfectly and in a mere 2 - 3 seconds to having a police car speeding straight at him with an officer pointing a gun at him and barking commands through a rolled up window and what we get to hear a lot about is how Tamir Rice "looked much older" than his chronological age, as though that is a reasonable defense for his murder.
One justice system for all? Not even close. Too rich to be held responsible for stealing, drinking under age, taking Valium not prescribed to him, marijuana in system, driving intoxicated and killing 4 people, injuring 2 and leaving 1 paralyzed vs. behaving lawfully but looking older than your 12 years and ending up shot to death.
We are exceptional, or haven't you heard?
One justice system for all? Not even close. Too rich to be held responsible for stealing, drinking under age, taking Valium not prescribed to him, marijuana in system, driving intoxicated and killing 4 people, injuring 2 and leaving 1 paralyzed vs. behaving lawfully but looking older than your 12 years and ending up shot to death.
We are exceptional, or haven't you heard?
8
The Judge's name was JEAN BOYD. Funny, she wasn't 65 but retired after this case. Her wiki page says she's a REPUBLICAN. What compassion.
Mr. Couch and his mommy are in BIG trouble. GOOD.
Mr. Couch and his mommy are in BIG trouble. GOOD.
4
At least this mom didn't comfort him with an assault weapon, like the ones in Oregon and 'Conneticutt. We need a new organization, MASM, Mothers Against Stupid Mothers.
6
I've never seen a better example of the need for reinstating a very tough Estate Tax.
16
This case proves there are two systems of justice in the US. One for rich, white folks and another for the poor and minorities. What ever happened to 'equal justice under the law'?
12
So amusing yet predictably sad to see all the superior comments about "Texas justice" and its privilege for the rich - you know how those Republican states are, right? Of course, if we look at the decades long drunken and criminal antics of the Kennedy clan in Democrat stronghold Massachussetts or the coddling of rich celebs of all racial stripes in Democrat California as just two examples, I guess we're supposed to feel differently about it.
7
NYers don't even need to look that far. Sheldon Silver, Skelos, Coumo...
2
There are always so many Texas- and Texan-hating comments from New Yorkers on this website. It's really bizarre and completely hypocritical.
How are these commenters, who express such contempt and hatred for an entire state of people, any different from Westboro Baptist members? It's not okay for Westboro Baptist to spew hate against gays (or anyone else), but it's okay for New Yorkers to spew hate againt Texans?
What's funny, though, is how, whenever I am in NYC, people are very, very nice even after they find out I'm from Texas. I have never met even 1 rude/too hurried/abrupt New Yorker. I guess I must have had the good luck to only run into people like George S.
How are these commenters, who express such contempt and hatred for an entire state of people, any different from Westboro Baptist members? It's not okay for Westboro Baptist to spew hate against gays (or anyone else), but it's okay for New Yorkers to spew hate againt Texans?
What's funny, though, is how, whenever I am in NYC, people are very, very nice even after they find out I'm from Texas. I have never met even 1 rude/too hurried/abrupt New Yorker. I guess I must have had the good luck to only run into people like George S.
3
The current case of Sandra Bland to the current treatment of young Master Couch is the proper comparison, not yakking about rich Republicans and rich Democrats.
Vertical Justice as opposed to Lateral Justice for those with fat wallets.
Plenty of conservative Texans thought this Affluenza case was absurd.
Vertical Justice as opposed to Lateral Justice for those with fat wallets.
Plenty of conservative Texans thought this Affluenza case was absurd.
1
I hope both mother and son enjoy their sojourn in the Mexican penal system....the longer before the U.S. is able to extradite them, the better.
6
Don't you just love Texas? The judge who gave this idiot 10 years' probation retired shortly thereafter. I'm sure he was well equipped to do so after his ruling. I think if you will do some research, you will find that a few Texas judges retired shortly after granting a strong favor in the court. Not only do the rich not have to pay taxes, they also can kill and get away with it, or so it seems.
8
Liberty and justice... for those who can afford it.
That's what you get in a place like Texas (and far too many other states) where judges are elected and have to raise large sums of money. It's time to take money out of judicial selection and install merit selection/retention nationwide.
5
Although most Texan disagree with the sentence Judge Jean Boyd imposed, no one suspects her of corruption. She had a long career as a child justice advocate before becoming a judge. As a judge, she routinely sentenced youthful offenders to long probationary periods rather than to time in Texas’ notorious juvenile detention centers, which have a history of turning juvenile offenders into adult offenders. She was a highly respected judge and highly rated judge who was praised by the bar association.
2
Maybe we could delay extradition by about ten years and let mother and son languish in a cozy little Mexican jail.
14
"when a judge appeared to accept the argument, and sentenced him to 10 years’ probation, rather than prison."
this judge has demonstrated that he is unfit to wear the robes. he needs to be relieved of his job asap.
this judge has demonstrated that he is unfit to wear the robes. he needs to be relieved of his job asap.
6
Well it was a she, and she's retired. But I agree with the sentiment.
6
SHE is retired. You might want to get your facts straight.
3
She's retired.
6
Simply have had to keep the faith that habitual knuckleheaded behavior of junior and mom would eventually find them beyond the help of attorneys and on their way to the jailhouse, that was always their destination. (worked for OJ)
2
OJ was found innocent by jurors swayed by the corruption of the LAPD. it is not the same thing at all.
1
Ah, but it is exactly the same. The $ system gave OJ ( and Ethan and Mom ) the second chance at life he (they) did not deserve, but habitual despicable behavior got Orenthal the slam he was always bound for, and so Ethan and Tonya ! Keep the faith on these two birds for the cell that's still too good for the likes of them.
Mr Couch's 'affluenza' case became another one of those Only-in-America negative stories that crept into global media at the time, shining a spotlight - as though one were needed - on the American justice system.
Curiously enough, judges still seem disinclined to accept Poorfluenza as a defence in court, from people arguing that they're too hungry, indebted, or struggling simply to live (or for their kids to have food on the table, or a bed at night) to have the luxury of being able to distinguish between right and wrong. You say 'shoplifting', they say 'making sure we'll eat tonight'.
But, nope, Poorfluenza - despite being a global epidemic - isn't a defence in courts, but Affluenza? Yup, that's A Thing now, thanks to Mr Couch's antics - not to forget his mother, too, who had no small part to play in their going on the lam to Mexico.
Incidentally, one must also consider all the pals, hangers on and cronies of Mr Couch who were all present at his little soiree before heading south. Yes, yes, I can hear the cries of defence now - Hey, how were they supposed to know it was a goodbye bash, and they just thought it was yet another Couch party - to which everybody else immediately says: Really? Reeeaaalllllyyy?
Not one person at the party knew that Couch - responsible for the deaths of several people - was about to run off into a pampered sunset? Dear oh dear - it seems that Affluenza is very infectious. (At least within certain groups, and for all the 'right' people.)
Curiously enough, judges still seem disinclined to accept Poorfluenza as a defence in court, from people arguing that they're too hungry, indebted, or struggling simply to live (or for their kids to have food on the table, or a bed at night) to have the luxury of being able to distinguish between right and wrong. You say 'shoplifting', they say 'making sure we'll eat tonight'.
But, nope, Poorfluenza - despite being a global epidemic - isn't a defence in courts, but Affluenza? Yup, that's A Thing now, thanks to Mr Couch's antics - not to forget his mother, too, who had no small part to play in their going on the lam to Mexico.
Incidentally, one must also consider all the pals, hangers on and cronies of Mr Couch who were all present at his little soiree before heading south. Yes, yes, I can hear the cries of defence now - Hey, how were they supposed to know it was a goodbye bash, and they just thought it was yet another Couch party - to which everybody else immediately says: Really? Reeeaaalllllyyy?
Not one person at the party knew that Couch - responsible for the deaths of several people - was about to run off into a pampered sunset? Dear oh dear - it seems that Affluenza is very infectious. (At least within certain groups, and for all the 'right' people.)
12
How much do you bet that the party featured underage drinking?
4
I hope they don't forget to lock up his mom. She's the root of the problem.
Speaking of people with "affluenza" and a history of causing multiple fatalities and evading punishment -- exactly when does Dick Cheney go in the slammer?
Speaking of people with "affluenza" and a history of causing multiple fatalities and evading punishment -- exactly when does Dick Cheney go in the slammer?
18
Imagine that... murderous drug users from the United States crossing the border to live in Mexico. Perhaps they'll want us to build a wall.
17
We tend to send our worst elements in society down to Mexico's sunny beaches.
Thank you, Dagwood, for your incisive quote from Bob Dylan's "The Lonesome Death of Hattie Carroll." The parallels with this case and the timelessness of the problem are illuminating. For others who, like I was, are unfamiliar with the story, this article provides a good overview:
http://www.motherjones.com/politics/2004/11/legacy-lonesome-death-bob-dy...
http://www.motherjones.com/politics/2004/11/legacy-lonesome-death-bob-dy...
1
Illegal entry into Mexico is punishable by two years in Mexican prison. Maybe we should start there (for him and his mother), and then bring them back to face punishment in the U.S.
12
I'm quite sure Ethan Couch's father knew that his wife & son were together when they blew his probation & left the state or did he think his wife was out getting a very long massage & pedicure..
4
They divorced in 2007 and don't live together. Pls don't make stuff up. The story is bad enough as is and requires no embellishment.
6
They did divorce ... but REMARRIED. And built a huge new luxury home. They left Ethan behind, alone, in the old huge luxury home.
3
I am surprised the article didn't mentioned the name of the judge who originally let this kid off easy.
5
The Couch family is apparently not too bright, they went to Puerto Vallarta to hide out!
3
Ah! But they are too wealthy to understand smart!
They are certainly not too bright. A simple web search will find a list of countries that have no extradition treaty with the US. Many are not very appealing, but there are a few where one could lead a decent life in exile.
4
Pretty much anywhere in Mexico or Central America would be foolish. The people are not as backward and disconnected from the larger World as some seem to think.
3
Isn't Texas the same state that loves to execute people? And it let this creature get away with multiple murder? Let's start reforming the criminal justice system there first.
7
More likely manslaughter not murder.
http://www.nolo.com/legal-encyclopedia/homicide-murder-manslaughter-3263...
http://www.nolo.com/legal-encyclopedia/homicide-murder-manslaughter-3263...
1
“Being rich is now a get-out-of-jail-free card.”
It always has been. People are just now taking notice.
It always has been. People are just now taking notice.
9
It is actually true that the children of the wealthy and privileged are under a lot of stress to carry on the aforementioned privilege in which they were raised and th fulfill expectations of the same. Many are on stress medications . But to get away with 10 years probation for killing four people and sending a fifth to a life of quadrapalegia under such a pretense is astonishing. We really have become a nation of unaccountables
8
We are not a nation of unnaccountables Poor minorities are always held accountable, even when they shouldn't be...
4
It's nice to read that human waste like this is being served justice at the end of a tough year, riddled with bad news. I am putting this in my list of feel good December 2015 stories, along with the arrest of Martin Shkreli who jacked up the price of an Aids drug more than 5000% percent.
It's all not so bad after all. It's just too bad things like this ever occur.
It's all not so bad after all. It's just too bad things like this ever occur.
9
Why is the treatment of Mr Ethan Couch, who killed 4 people DWI, so much more lenient than that of young Tamir Rice, who was shot dead by the police while playing in the park?
13
It just occurred to me that a better way to deal with the Couch's would have been to allow them free rein to remain in Mexico.
Of course, all their access to the family's funds would have been frozen.
Of course, all their access to the family's funds would have been frozen.
6
Money talks everywhere, but especially in Texas. I lived in Houston when T. Cullen Davis was tried for hiring a hitman to kill his girlfriend and her young daughter. At his trial he claimed to have found Jesus, and a sympathetic jury acquitted him.
12
The poster boy for White Priviledge.
13
You're confusing events, issues and definitions. Please make an effort to learn what that phrase really means.
1
Kelly- Eric is spot on. White kid gets a baby tap for slaughtering 4 people down while being drunk and underaged and having prescription drugs. The other kid in his truck has brain damage now.
Judge buys a defense of "Mom Was Too Indulgent; The Real Victim is Mr. Couch Because He Was Being Raised To Be Special". The Couches decide they will flee to a resort in Mexico.
Judge buys a defense of "Mom Was Too Indulgent; The Real Victim is Mr. Couch Because He Was Being Raised To Be Special". The Couches decide they will flee to a resort in Mexico.
4
@Kelly: so you are the arbiter that defines "white privilege" and determines under which scenarios it is relevvant and applicable? I do not think it means just what you think it means.
Both appear. from this vantage point at least, to be sociopathic people and both need to be taken out of society for a while, and both need to have some sort of therapy.
On the other hand, simply incarcerating them for as long as legally permissible would probably work just as well, and possibly produce a more fruitful response.
These people are acting crazy - like foxes!
On the other hand, simply incarcerating them for as long as legally permissible would probably work just as well, and possibly produce a more fruitful response.
These people are acting crazy - like foxes!
5
The real travesty of this justice is that if Mr.Ethan was African- American or any other minority group, but particularly African- American, and the victims all-white, Mr. Ethan would have been "shot on sight" for refusing to do whatever pleases the police at that time!
13
"Too spoiled to know right from wrong" says it all really.
1
Come on NYT - his hair was DYED and not DIED! "The office released a photo of Mr. Couch, his blond hair, and red beard and mustache, died dark brown."
21
The path to justice for the murder of four persons and the paralysis of another, and now violation of his parole, should now lead to life in prison without possibility of parole. The sentencing "judge" is a disgrace to jurisprudence and should be de-benched. "Affluenza" indeed...
3
Once again, the Times refers to the perp as a "teenager," a totally useless word when used in the context of a young person who has engaged in heinous criminal conduct. In the United States, persons of 18 years old or older are subject to the constraints of criminal law unless they're mentally impaired. While Ethan Couch was younger than that when he engaged in his heinous conduct, he skipped out to Mexico as an adult. The Times' referring to him as "a teenager" does nothing other than obscure the issue. As an 18 year old, he's an adult in the eyes of the law. Referring to him as an 18 year old or an adult is fine, calling him a teenager is not; simply put, it's sloppy journalism at best. Nonetheless, the Times regularly describes 18 and 19 year olds' as teenagers. When criminal conduct is involved, that's just sloppy reporting and editingNext question, will The Times publish this comment? When it comes to being criticized, they're at times surprisingly thin skinned. perhaps I should complain to the public editor, instead.
7
It might be sloppy but it is factually correct. Maybe "adult-aged teenager"?
very true, in reporting on the middle east, palestinians who murder at the age of 18 are referred to as "boys".
4
Well, this is what happens when you let spoiled brats off for crimes that most people do hard time for. George Zimmerman has been in and out of court too.
Lock him up! He should be doing four consecutive life sentences for each of the lives he recklessly took. That is the sentence he would have gotten if he was some black kid in the ghetto.
Lock him up! He should be doing four consecutive life sentences for each of the lives he recklessly took. That is the sentence he would have gotten if he was some black kid in the ghetto.
8
What's the Matter With Texas Justice??
Sandra Bland refuses to put out her cigarette after a bogus pull-over, and the officer is so threatened that he ends up screaming, threatens to use a taser on her, and charges her with a felony- she is given a big bail, isolated in jail, and lots of people say that "she brought it on herself". This kid actually kills 4 people and is let off. Unbelievable.
Sandra Bland refuses to put out her cigarette after a bogus pull-over, and the officer is so threatened that he ends up screaming, threatens to use a taser on her, and charges her with a felony- she is given a big bail, isolated in jail, and lots of people say that "she brought it on herself". This kid actually kills 4 people and is let off. Unbelievable.
117
There is nothing wrong with Texas justice; the system is operating exactly as the wealthy and privileged Texans want it to operate.
9
reply to Kay Johnson: Your juxtaposition is profound- and painful. It has caused me to cry.
1
How rich is the Couch family? Not to worry young man. A top notch attorney will get you off, just like the last time. After all, $$$$ are what counts in the Great America that Trump wants to make Greater.
5
Natriley comments, "This is another black mark on the U.S. commitment to mass incarceration. Why doesn't the Times do a story on how Germany or Norway would treat such a calamity?"
In Norway, Anders Brevik murdered seventy-seven people, mostly kids, and was given a twenty-one year sentence, with a minimum of ten years. Would America really be better off adopting the Norwegian legal system?
In Norway, Anders Brevik murdered seventy-seven people, mostly kids, and was given a twenty-one year sentence, with a minimum of ten years. Would America really be better off adopting the Norwegian legal system?
10
Brevik didn't get ten years' probation, did he?
4
My favorite part of the story is that no one even mentions the crime of the theft of the beer. Contrast Michael Brown's theft of some cigars, which was widely cited as justification for hunting him down and shooting him.
728
Michael Brown was not hunted down and shot for stealing cigars and threatening a shop owner. That's totally untrue. Whatever you may think actually happened to Michael Brown, we at least know that it has nothing to do with what he did to the shop owner. Only people like you say that it's being used to justify his death. What it's being used for is to provide a more accurate picture of who he was - the good and the bad.
3
Neither should be thought of a saint and both are more than 50% responsible for their ultimate fate.
2
I'm not defending MIchael Brown in the least. But in addition to theft, he assaulted the store clerk, a very slight fellow compared to Brown. In no way am I suggesting he deserved to die.
2
Ethan Couch clearly is part of a milieu that will guarantee he grows up and becomes a Wall Street banker, with all the guarantees that insure against being held responsible and accountable for bad and illegal behavior.
21
Justice is blind? Yeah, right.
7
Apparently it actually is, although in a weird, bad way.
2
Not surprising that the mother picked an exclusive beach resort to hide out - only the best will do for Ethan.
15
When will I hear about Goldman-Sachs execs going to jail? Cheney? Rumsfeld? This is front page news? Give me a break. And thanks for the article today on tax evasion by the wealthy and the superb reporting on wealthy (problematic) foreigners purchasing (laundering/hiding their money) thru luxury real estate purchases.
But this kid? Really, who cares.
But this kid? Really, who cares.
8
"This Kid" killed 4 people, let's ask their families how they feel about it shall we? You sound like Hillary and Benghazi, "what difference does it make?"
A lot.
A lot.
4
If you want Ethan's mother to pay for raising him badly, you do realize that means every low-income mother of a gang member who kills and sells drugs will have to go to prison, too?
5
Apparently not, if the defense is that you Forgot to Raise Your kid While Rich.
I doubt some low-income gang kid gets to say his mom indulged him as a defense. Much less have it work like it did for young Mr. Couch.
I doubt some low-income gang kid gets to say his mom indulged him as a defense. Much less have it work like it did for young Mr. Couch.
1
The outrage that followed Couch's sentence is based on poor parenting and habitual bad behavior in spite of having every advantage in the world --financially, educationally, socially -- and squandering those gifts (none of which he earned) by getting so drunk at 16 that he killed four innocent people.
No, Honeybee, there is a HUGE set of differences between a rich white kid carelessly killing four people and the poor kids --with little chance of a decent education, no money, no social advantages, few prospects for a better life -- making equally bad and dangerous decisions.
Nice try, but rich white men --in this case boys -- are not a victimized portion of society.
No, Honeybee, there is a HUGE set of differences between a rich white kid carelessly killing four people and the poor kids --with little chance of a decent education, no money, no social advantages, few prospects for a better life -- making equally bad and dangerous decisions.
Nice try, but rich white men --in this case boys -- are not a victimized portion of society.
7
Actually, some form of holding the parents responsible might result in better-raised children. What, after all, was the defense that money had ruined the son other than an indictment of his parents? (And now his mother has further aided this criminal and should suffer for it.)
Remember that at the end of The Song of Roland not only is the traitor Ganelon pulled apart by horses but thirty of his relatives are hanged as well.
Remember that at the end of The Song of Roland not only is the traitor Ganelon pulled apart by horses but thirty of his relatives are hanged as well.
This social parasite and his BIG MOMMY should both be deported to the People's Republic of China for 30 to 50 years' hard labor and re-education in a Chairman Mao era Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution camp!
8
Other rich kids running stop signs in cars have killed people without doing jail time.
1963 Midland Texas. Laura Bush. Known to some neighbors for her 'two wheeling' approach to car handling. Teens being dumb with tragic results is not news. May we move on.
1963 Midland Texas. Laura Bush. Known to some neighbors for her 'two wheeling' approach to car handling. Teens being dumb with tragic results is not news. May we move on.
5
Really, really petty to try to link this to and disparage a teenage Laura Bush (who wasn't wealthy and wasn't a Bush at that time).
Ethan Couch hardly "ran a stop sign." He was drunk, speeding, had just stolen beer, had a long record of legal problems and plowed into a group of people, killing 4.
Ethan Couch hardly "ran a stop sign." He was drunk, speeding, had just stolen beer, had a long record of legal problems and plowed into a group of people, killing 4.
11
@Honeybee: Ethan Couch also had valium and marijuana in his system. His friends described him as completely drunk and unaware of his surroundings (yet got into a TRUCK driven by him!) and that he was going 70 mph in a 35 mile zone, on a residential street. He drove non-stop into a parked car (with a flat tire) and hit it SO HARD, that he did not merely kill those four poor souls -- the impact tore their bodies into pieces, leaving amputated limbs all over the street. The police report reads like a horror story.
There was no sign whatsoever that Ethan ever even put on the brakes to TRY and stop.
Frankly, I think Laura Bush, back in '63, deserved more of a punishment as well. But as you correctly say, she was NOT a Bush and not wealthy. I have no idea why she got off so easily.
There was no sign whatsoever that Ethan ever even put on the brakes to TRY and stop.
Frankly, I think Laura Bush, back in '63, deserved more of a punishment as well. But as you correctly say, she was NOT a Bush and not wealthy. I have no idea why she got off so easily.
1
Is "bad parenting" grounds for leniency in the case of non-white or non-wealthy offenders. I do feel for this young man, because clearly, something is deeply wrong with his parents. It is the reminder that every young person is shaped by the culture of their family. Should he get off? Of course not. But it means there is always more to our stories.
7
This guy you feel bad for has never offered an apology to the families of those he killed, paralyzed and otherwuse injured. Never. Not even a hint of one.
4
I have to wonder what the quid pro quo really was for the judge to accept the ludicrous argument that he was a spoiled rich brat and therefore should be spoiled some more with probation instead of a jail sentence. Nonetheless, now that he's broken parole I hope they throw the book at him, and his enabling mother, too.
12
I am not surprised the defense mounted such an outrageous excuse for criminal behavior. Defense attorneys do that all the time in most cases thinking it will not work but have nothing else to offer. I am stunned the judge was so easily duped into believing that, being wealthy, it was ok to commit crimes where people died. Either she really believes that the wealthy may act this way and are better than the middle class down, or she is truly mentally vacant beyond description.
6
Or the judge was paid off in ways either subtle or direct.
1
Have these "parents" been held accountable for there actions?
6
I'm all for locking this cretin up and throwing away the key and I'm all for punishing parents, too.
But how will you feel when low-income parents whose kids are killing people as part of gang activity in the inner city are imprisoned? Will you suddenly develop the leniency you loathe for this white person's parents?
But how will you feel when low-income parents whose kids are killing people as part of gang activity in the inner city are imprisoned? Will you suddenly develop the leniency you loathe for this white person's parents?
6
If a prosecutor could show that "low-income" parents had deliberately used power and money, repeatedly, to keep their child from facing responsibility for his/her crimes, sure, lock the parents up. But, oh dear, the whole point is that low-income parents haven't the means to enable their children in such a shameless way.
1
All their incarceration can stem from their flight not the original charge
Why haven't the lawyer and the judge been disbarred yet?
Guess the system is suffering from affluenza...
-dlj.
17
What did the lawyer do wrong? Defend their client?
The judge has retired.
The judge has retired.
3
The judge retired immediately after her decision to give probation rather than jail time.
1
More like "influenceza"
1
This so underscores the difference between the way the rich and white and the poor and black are treated in the US... supposedly this rich young man was raised in such a way that he couldn't have known the difference between right and wrong. So he gets off. But if he had been poor and black and had grown up in squalor with little parenting and direction, he likely also could say he had not been schooled in the rights and wrongs of society...but the book would have been thrown at him and having killed 4 people would have been jailed with no mercy...notice the number of juveniles in jail for decades for crimes committed in their mid teens. Its quite sickening. What a brutal society.
31
Poor whites are treated pretty badly too. As for your example I suggest that this being Texas the death penalty would have been on the table.
1
Whereas, even in war, we recognize child soldiers as being victims themselves...
If he had been a poor black 15 year-old who sold a $25 gram of crack to an undercover cop, he would have been put in an adult prison for five years.
3
2 years on he has shown he did not learn anything new. I say do what the sentence implied make him serve the full held back amount of prison time for failing to abide by the terms of the overly lenient sentence.
If anything his alleged "affluenza" more commonly known as being spoiled and not caring enough about others to be bothered by the effect of his actions on them, should have lead the judge to impose prison time so that he got to experience the consequences of his actions that his parents seem to have failed to teach him. That is a legit function of our justice system.
If anything his alleged "affluenza" more commonly known as being spoiled and not caring enough about others to be bothered by the effect of his actions on them, should have lead the judge to impose prison time so that he got to experience the consequences of his actions that his parents seem to have failed to teach him. That is a legit function of our justice system.
10
Had that judge sentenced him to some time in juvenile jail time rather than 10 years probation, he just might have learned something. Now, since he violated his probation and went on the run with Mom, and now that he is 18 years old, no longer a juvenile, I hope they try him in adult court and put him in big boy jail for the 10 years, if not longer.
1
How does it go? "For the wealthiest a Private Tax System that saves them Billions" and now Ethan Couch, the Affluenza Defense Fugitive who had killed 4 people while driving drunk, was shown leniency after a psychologist testified he had psychological problems stemming from his "family's wealth. My God, where does Justice begin for these privileged few?
312
Capitalism at its best.
What idiot tries to hide in a posh resort community full of American tourists? That's like hiding in the bathroom of a Pizza Hut.
18
The old town is what existed before the Love Boat condo complex was built and all that followed it out by the airport. It is the best part of town if you ask me.
Actually, the Pizza Hut bathroom might have worked better.
2
LOL. No one said they were smart, just "mysteriously wealthy".
4
This is a clearly defective individual whose wealth allowed him to avoid his fate, for a while anyway. Like Jared the Subway Pedophile, Mr. Couch has finally regressed back toward his mean. Jail is the right place for him for a decade or two.
13
Compare the Ethan Couch case with Rashad Owens, the young African-American man found guilty of capital murder after plowing into people at Austin's South by Southwest festival in Texas and killing four. He claimed he was drunk and confused by the street closures, and scared as cops chased him on suspicion of a traffic violation, and that he did not intend to hurt anyone. The prosecutors claimed he did it on purpose, that his intent was murderous. There was no affluenza defense for Mr. Owens. He faces four counts of 5 to 99 years in prison. http://www.statesman.com/news/news/crime-law/three-new-pieces-of-evidenc...
49
Not very many similarities here except for the number of dead and the fact that they were killed by drunk drivers. Everything else is these two cases is completely different.
It does make for the kind of gratuitous "Black V White" comparisons that get trotted out by cynical politicians and equally cynical NYTimes readers. Read the Owens story, read the Couch story. Both are tragedies, but of clearly different natures.
The issue isn't that Owens got punished--he rightly has been. It is that Couch did not--and he rightly should have been. Perhaps some measure of justice will be meted out this time around.
Trying to turn Rashad Owens into a victim is a pathetic, cynical ploy.
It does make for the kind of gratuitous "Black V White" comparisons that get trotted out by cynical politicians and equally cynical NYTimes readers. Read the Owens story, read the Couch story. Both are tragedies, but of clearly different natures.
The issue isn't that Owens got punished--he rightly has been. It is that Couch did not--and he rightly should have been. Perhaps some measure of justice will be meted out this time around.
Trying to turn Rashad Owens into a victim is a pathetic, cynical ploy.
2
Rashad Owens was 22-year-old adult while Ethan Couch was 16. Owens was convicted of murder. He had evaded a sobriety checkpoint, led police on a high-speed chase, and the prosecutor was able to convince the jury he intentionally drove into the crowd. He then fled the scene on foot and tried to escape before being caught by police. Couch was charged with manslaughter in what was obviously an accident. The prosecutors in Couch's case asked for the maximum 20-year sentence.
3
And Couch was driving over 70 mph away from the scene of his prior crime, that being the theft of alcohol in a store. There is a far more interesting way the prosecution could have approached charging Couch. "In the commission of a crime..."
1
My very good mother, who was very pretty, got my father out of Buchenwald in a way she never later talked about to anybody. Women do stuff for people they care about.
4
A. Stanton, I don't think the two situations are remotely comparable. You imply that your mother did illegal or arguably immoral things to save your father's life in wartime conditions in a country ruled by a vicious totalitarian regime. How is that similar to a privileged family, living in comfortable circumstances in a democracy, flouting the law in order to avoid some uncomfortable consequences of their own culpable behavior? If Ethan Couch's mother really cared about him, she would have taught him (a) how to behave responsibly and (b) to take responsibility for his behavior. Even if fleeing to Mexico was his own idea (which seems unlikely), a mother who truly wished to ensure her son's well-being wouldn't have assisted him in doing something so damaging to himself.
10
Presumably, your father was not in Buchenwald for any crime that he committed and was in considerably more danger than little Ethan would be for violating parole. BTW, your mom rocks.
6
You are comparing a woman having to deal with sociopaths in a war situation who is saving the life of a loved one to a present day woman freely choosing to raise a sociopath. Different trajectories of moral choice.
6
Reddit has some very interesting thoughts posted on this issue. I suggest that commenters here check it out.
https://www.reddit.com/r/news/comments/3ylug6/affluenza_teen_ethan_couch...
Consider: He violated probation BY RUNNING and not being locateable. He could have stayed to prove that he wasn't drinking in that video, but instead ran, cleaned out his house, changed his appearance and was caught (in a tourist town, no less). He violated probation and will now face the consequences of that, since the terms of his probation are such that violating them can't be disputed.
https://www.reddit.com/r/news/comments/3ylug6/affluenza_teen_ethan_couch...
Consider: He violated probation BY RUNNING and not being locateable. He could have stayed to prove that he wasn't drinking in that video, but instead ran, cleaned out his house, changed his appearance and was caught (in a tourist town, no less). He violated probation and will now face the consequences of that, since the terms of his probation are such that violating them can't be disputed.
11
If there's an ailment called affluenza there must be one called poorenza, though probably not as effective a defense in a court of law.
312
Hehe, perfectly stated.
1
Actually, in theory it should be an equally effective defense. But one problem is that poor people do not have the money to hire high-priced defense attorneys or pay for hired-gun "expert" psychiatrists who come up with such defenses. And, of course, there's the racism aspect that would not allow some judges to consider such a defense.
Excellent, Bello. I am so astonished by this defense I can barely speak.
And my biggest worry is finding means to pay an insurance deductible. Sigh.
54
Folks driving impaired are impaired, their reasoning facilities are impaired. Rich or poor it is still the same. The problem with driving while under the influence is that you truly believe you are fine and all is well because you are impaired.
Prison time is ridiculous for a first time offense. It is an accident, a horrible accident when cars collide and people get hurt or are killed. An accident. Unintended. Folks like to spin it to say "well you knew you were drunk when you got in the car" --when they should know that you did not know you were drunk or impaired when you got in car--in fact, you likely felt fine to drive (see impairment).
The long knives are out because he is rich; this is as bad as the long knives being out because he is poor or a minority. Folks need to sheath their resentments and prejudices and allow justice, true justice, to govern.
Prison time is ridiculous for a first time offense. It is an accident, a horrible accident when cars collide and people get hurt or are killed. An accident. Unintended. Folks like to spin it to say "well you knew you were drunk when you got in the car" --when they should know that you did not know you were drunk or impaired when you got in car--in fact, you likely felt fine to drive (see impairment).
The long knives are out because he is rich; this is as bad as the long knives being out because he is poor or a minority. Folks need to sheath their resentments and prejudices and allow justice, true justice, to govern.
4
He killed four people and disabled two more. He belongs in prison.
13
The long knives are out because his attorney attempted to use his rich status as a reason to justify what this kid-now-man did. I hope the victim's families are preparing a massive suit against this scum.
9
He had a long record of problems. This wasn't his first rodeo.
The judge failed the community and, most importantly, she failed the victims.
No one wanted him to rot in jail just so he could be punished; he needed to be off the streets until he could grow up, get a sense of self-control and sober up for several years. It's not only about punishment; it's also about public safety.
The judge failed the community and, most importantly, she failed the victims.
No one wanted him to rot in jail just so he could be punished; he needed to be off the streets until he could grow up, get a sense of self-control and sober up for several years. It's not only about punishment; it's also about public safety.
15
I bet if the tables were turned and some drunk teen driver mowed over her precious son on a dark highway, she would be the first one filing suit in a court, and the first one wanting to see the maximum penalty for the teen driver. She has created this kid, she is responsible for his lack of remorse, his entitlement, and for him thinking he is special, above the law and better than anyone else. Now he will sit in prison, and she should too, for their selfish, poor decisions. She is not a mother, she is an enabler, and just as guilty as he is.
41
Perhaps a reason Mexico might want to build a wall against American incursions. Who wants self-centered people like these in their country!
26
Having many teachers in enabling parents, high powered lawers, weak courtrooms, young master Couch has learned his lesson, all too well. As all of us know too well, who suffer from this rare affliction of affluenza, relapse is part of recovery.
5
The New York Times uses the word “after” to imply causation. According to the article, Ethan Couch “was shown leniency in the 2013 drunken-driving case after a psychologist testified that he had “affluenza,” or psychological problems stemming from his family’s wealth.” The truth is that the Judge Jean Boyd rejected the affluenza defense, telling Couch that he, not his parents, was responsible for his actions. Couch was show lenience because his case was assigned to a judge who was an ardent child justice advocate before she became a judge. She was a harsh critic of the Texas Juvenile Justice System who thought youths came of out the state’s juvenile detention centers worse than they went in. She had a history of sentencing juvenile offenders to long probationary periods rather than to prison. As his lawyer pointed out, under the Texas Juvenile Justice System, Couch probably would have been released after spending two years in juvenile detention. Instead, Judge Boyd sentenced him to 10-years of probation in a private rehabilitation center at his family’s expense. She had previously sentenced a 16-year-old juvenile convicted of killing a man in a fight to a similar probation in a rehabilitation center, but he ended up going to a detention center because no rehabilitation center would take him. He was released after serving four years. I’m not defending the judge’s decision, but attributing his treatment to the affluenza defense—even by implication, is inaccurate reporting.
31
You're right, but I have to tell you that as a teacher in a private high school, I have seen more than a few totally irresponsible kids who were defended by their enabling parents. They learned terrible life lessons that could well get passed on to their own little darlings.
10
What are your insights regarding his age (16 at time of crime, 18 at time of probation violation, turns 19 in April) and the new sentences he might face?
I agree about the irrelevancy of the affluenza defense. What's relevant is that the judge showed more concern for Couch than public safety. He killed 4 people; not sure how she thought he could come out "worse" than a killer. He needed to be away from the very parents who raised him and he needed to undergo forced sobriety that's only possible in a jail.
I agree about the irrelevancy of the affluenza defense. What's relevant is that the judge showed more concern for Couch than public safety. He killed 4 people; not sure how she thought he could come out "worse" than a killer. He needed to be away from the very parents who raised him and he needed to undergo forced sobriety that's only possible in a jail.
8
"Ethan Couch" is hardly the first, nor will he be the last snot nosed lily white kid raised by narcissistic, characterless parents who brazenly instilled in him his corroded sense of social 'entitlement' . I can just hear it now, the discussions in the kitchen when he came home from school with another behavior demerit. and his parents telling him it's 'the other person's fault'. Ugh. Another ten million and counting just like him being raised to repel accountability, personal responsibility. Too similar of a playbook to, ahem.. our modern screamer right wing talk radio bums and, who else, but our self-absorbed, whiny republican pols 90% of whom haven't worked an honest regular day job like everyone else in their entire lives. Manipulative kids like Couch aren't dumb. They've learned to lie, cheat, steal, and ultimately kill with impunity, from the best of 'em. So sad for his victims. What a shame.
16
You're correct in much of your post, though you really could leave out "lily white", for the rich of all races think they're privileged and seek to use that money and the power it brings to shield themselves. Making this a racial issue is silly.
The same for the injection of politics as some sort of causal factor - just one look at the Democrat icons in the Kennedy family, for example, for whom drunkenness, sexual abuse of women, etc., has routinely been covered up "because they're Kennedys".
The same for the injection of politics as some sort of causal factor - just one look at the Democrat icons in the Kennedy family, for example, for whom drunkenness, sexual abuse of women, etc., has routinely been covered up "because they're Kennedys".
2
A rich black kid is still just a thug to a cop. Your cry for fairness rings very hollow.
1
Next time a representative or candidate (usually of a specific, here unnamed party) cries "class warfare!" to shout down the most modest attempt to introduce some semblance of equity to our socio-economic and legal systems, remind him or her of who fired the first, second, and umpteenth shots (from today's NYT):
"Richest in U.S. Shape Private Tax System to Save Billions"
"Ethan Couch, 'Affluenza' Defense Fugitive, Arrested . . ."
"Richest in U.S. Shape Private Tax System to Save Billions"
"Ethan Couch, 'Affluenza' Defense Fugitive, Arrested . . ."
17
Unfortunately, unlike the flue, affluenza is not communicable. It can only be inherited.
The poorpox, however, can only be passed from individual to individual if there is lack of access to medical care and education, which is generally caused by lack of affluence, which is made possible by a combination of that lack, and discriminadementia, a mental illness of the affluenzaed whereby they persist in blaming the sufferer for suffering, apparently conflating in their tortured minds God’s Son’s own willingness to suffer on the cross, forgetting that the Son was guaranteed a free pass to Heaven for having had to put up with affluenzaed during His time on earth.
The best that can be said, then, is that the poorpoxed may actually end up going directly to Heaven, too, and for the same reason, and, thereafter, we will be able to capitalize the “P” in poorpox, whereas the affluenzaed will have to satisfy themselves during the trials of this life with a lower case “a”.
Quel dommage.
The poorpox, however, can only be passed from individual to individual if there is lack of access to medical care and education, which is generally caused by lack of affluence, which is made possible by a combination of that lack, and discriminadementia, a mental illness of the affluenzaed whereby they persist in blaming the sufferer for suffering, apparently conflating in their tortured minds God’s Son’s own willingness to suffer on the cross, forgetting that the Son was guaranteed a free pass to Heaven for having had to put up with affluenzaed during His time on earth.
The best that can be said, then, is that the poorpoxed may actually end up going directly to Heaven, too, and for the same reason, and, thereafter, we will be able to capitalize the “P” in poorpox, whereas the affluenzaed will have to satisfy themselves during the trials of this life with a lower case “a”.
Quel dommage.
3
I suppose there's no reason to think that this latest "lapse" is nothing more than a symptom of the same disease -- Affluenza -- only now his mother has caught it too. Regardless if he got it from her or she got it from him, I doubt if Big Pharma is going to be rushing out to try and capitalize on a cure for this, as once becomes an established disease it will become that many in this country will be clamoring to catch, hoping it will "medically" put them above the law -- as if their money alone is not enough to do that already.
The highlight of this was watching that big burly Texas sheriff on TV basically saying that now that the mother and son have been caught, they'll press the judicial system that screwed up and gave the kid such an egregious pass as a juvenile, finally does it's job this time and throws the book at them, this time as a adult.
When even the cops say enough is enough of this bought and paid for judiciary, that's something. It's obvious the entire system is broken badly and works for only one small segment of society.
The highlight of this was watching that big burly Texas sheriff on TV basically saying that now that the mother and son have been caught, they'll press the judicial system that screwed up and gave the kid such an egregious pass as a juvenile, finally does it's job this time and throws the book at them, this time as a adult.
When even the cops say enough is enough of this bought and paid for judiciary, that's something. It's obvious the entire system is broken badly and works for only one small segment of society.
4
Two words: Mandatory Minimum.
The NYT is opposed, I think it'll work here.
What a corrupt country. Wonder what the judge got,
The NYT is opposed, I think it'll work here.
What a corrupt country. Wonder what the judge got,
3
Perhaps you'd need to work in the legal profession for a couple of decades to fully realize just how much a failure mandatory minimums are and how unfair they are to certain demographics (primarily minorities but the poor, in general, as well). They allow no discretion on the part of the prosecution or the judge. Criminal justice is not one-size-fits-all and not all crimes or defendants are equal. When profiling is an accepted policing practice and minorities (and the poor) are disproportionately targeted, arrested, charged, prosecuted, and convicted at much higher rates than other demographics, what you have is a wholly corrupt system and institutionalized racism. To make that worse, if that can be imagined, it is now largely privatized so there are profits made off of this sickness.
1
"Mr. Couch had affluenza, meaning he was too spoiled to know right from wrong."
Well then, why weren't his parents held accountable if baby couldn't be held responsible?
Sounds like mom deserves a prison sentence: throw the book at her.
Well then, why weren't his parents held accountable if baby couldn't be held responsible?
Sounds like mom deserves a prison sentence: throw the book at her.
13
Put this clown on trial and let the evidence convict him and his accomplice. Both - but especially he - deserves to sit in jail for a long, long time.
4
This case is not about race, and not about lawyers; it is about a ridiculously idiotic judge.
8
Then you have never ever been to Texas or know any politicians who have attained national prominence from there.
3
The judge is only a co-star, this couch family is the problem. We have many many many many family's exactly like it in every State and millions more who spire to be this way!
The amounts of money differ, its the privilege that is the same in each case.
The amounts of money differ, its the privilege that is the same in each case.
3
Actually, it's about all three.
5
It reminds me of when my somewhat wayward son was a teenager. When he turned seventeen I sat gim down and told him that, unlike many of his friends, I would not be able to hire a good lawyer for him and if he got in trouble, well, he would be in TROUBLE.
11
There are many disturbing things about this case.
The most disturbing? Our system punishes minor, non-violent, probation violations more severely than we do a person that murders four people.
Think about that.
Our justice systems seems totally incapable of delivering justice. Four people were murdered and the punishment their murderer received was nothing.
The most disturbing? Our system punishes minor, non-violent, probation violations more severely than we do a person that murders four people.
Think about that.
Our justice systems seems totally incapable of delivering justice. Four people were murdered and the punishment their murderer received was nothing.
16
the "system" you refer to is fine. The problem is the undermining to cause exactly these sorts of ridiculous side shows that has taken place in the last 35+ years.
From the dumbing down of society to the politicization of Judge's the "system" no longer functions as it should because the participants are either too dumb, too corrupt or both to use it properly.
From the dumbing down of society to the politicization of Judge's the "system" no longer functions as it should because the participants are either too dumb, too corrupt or both to use it properly.
3
12 year old black kids in parks with toy guns get murdered with impunity, but a rich white kid nearing adulthood is given probation for killing four in a drunk driving spree.
Justice in America is a joke to any thinking person. I think Americans are the only ones dumb enough to believe we are somehow better than the rest of th world. We're not only dumb, we're delusional.
Justice in America is a joke to any thinking person. I think Americans are the only ones dumb enough to believe we are somehow better than the rest of th world. We're not only dumb, we're delusional.
5
A rich White kid getting off was isn't shocking. I remember in Allentown, Pennsylvania in 2006 a judge sentenced a young White male to three months in jail. After sentencing him, the judge informed the young man that he was "taking it easy on him.". He then stated that if he was Black or Puerto Rican he would have to give him a six month jail sentence.
7
Ah yes, Affluenza. Texas justice for the rich.
9
Why is that judge still working?
Becuase the Judge isn't working- retired right after this brilliant decision
2
Possibly with a golden parachute provided by...?
2
Ethan Couch's lawyer did his job (defending not only Couch but the law that guarantees everyone has the right for the best defense against his or her accusers).
Maybe I'm wrong, but our all too human need for revenge could have been handled differently. In this case, the judge, who we consider a wise "elder" of our society should have tempered the verdict with an appropriate sentence, which in my opinion, should be is to care for the boy whom he cause to be paralyzed and brain damaged and seizure of his family money to help defray the costs his injured victim is incurring. That would save the state medicare cost and teach the cretin and his family humility. It's almost a biblical sentence for someone from Texas, a rich and "religious" state.
Maybe I'm wrong, but our all too human need for revenge could have been handled differently. In this case, the judge, who we consider a wise "elder" of our society should have tempered the verdict with an appropriate sentence, which in my opinion, should be is to care for the boy whom he cause to be paralyzed and brain damaged and seizure of his family money to help defray the costs his injured victim is incurring. That would save the state medicare cost and teach the cretin and his family humility. It's almost a biblical sentence for someone from Texas, a rich and "religious" state.
12
If you were the family of the injured boy, would you want that little snot anywhere near your kid?
6
I am not aware that any kind of financial restitution was included with Couch's sentencing agreement but, even if it were, it would be insufficient in terms of making the injured "whole" or compensating families of those who lost their lives. That level of compensation would have to be pursued in civil courts and I believe that litigation is ongoing to that effect. Unfortunately, those types of cases takes years to resolve...many years.
The judge should be dismissed immediately.
Ethan Couch died his hair jet black. Does he think he is in an old John Wayne movie and the natives will think that this white man is a Mexican. I hope he has violated his sentence by leaving Texas without notice or permission.
Ethan Couch died his hair jet black. Does he think he is in an old John Wayne movie and the natives will think that this white man is a Mexican. I hope he has violated his sentence by leaving Texas without notice or permission.
2
I suppose the affluenza defense can be used again, to argue that the poor boy needed a vacation in Puerto Vallarta...
9
Ethan Crouch, a spoiled rotten rich white kid kills four people and paralyzes another and does no time in juvenile detention or jail. Then he violates probation and somehow flees the country with no detection at either the U.S. or Mexican border.
A twelve year old black child with a toy gun is shot dead--executed--by police without warning, and the white police officers are effectively absolved of wrongdoing. This is only one recent example of such incidents.
Does this look like a pattern?
A twelve year old black child with a toy gun is shot dead--executed--by police without warning, and the white police officers are effectively absolved of wrongdoing. This is only one recent example of such incidents.
Does this look like a pattern?
51
Not really no. You've got two data points there. More white kids are killed by police than black kids. And your two data points are two entirely different situations. One is the considered action of the justice system when the party involved is represented by counsel and the other is a snap judgement by cops. Cops are given wide latitude to act in potentially dangerous situations. I never ever let my (white) kids take a toy gun out of the house. If they went to a mall (for instance) and pretended it was real and were threatening people with it, I would think they were putting their lives in serious jeopardy. I never even let them take one in a car because they tried to point it out the window. Even *without* having deliberately removed the marks identifying it as a toy, that could be a deadly move. So the pattern I see here -- bad decisions by both parents resulting in tragic loss of life.
4
You need to link to the article that states more white kids are killed by police than blacks.
Further, if looking at cases where the "suspect" was unarmed, those numbers may change. How often do police shoot unarmed whites?
The same judge sentenced a black 14-year-old who killed one person to time in juvenile detention. How does one justify sentencing one teen to juvi for killing one and another to "probation" for killing four?
There is no justice in this country, just arbitrary punishments based on your race or class.
Further, if looking at cases where the "suspect" was unarmed, those numbers may change. How often do police shoot unarmed whites?
The same judge sentenced a black 14-year-old who killed one person to time in juvenile detention. How does one justify sentencing one teen to juvi for killing one and another to "probation" for killing four?
There is no justice in this country, just arbitrary punishments based on your race or class.
4
Good God! Yes, I'm especially stunned about the black woman who was arrested in the emergency room because she insisted that she needed more medical care. She died because she was right and she wasn't given even a minimal standard of care and she had a pulmonary embolism! It's there going to be a new crime in America called "Hospital while black?!!"
3
They were not particularly smart fleeing to Mexico. They should have gone to some country that's not friendly to US. But then the spoiled white kids suffering from affluenza don't stand a chance on the street in those places. So mommy chose a popular vacation spot for wealthy Americans. I hope US Marshals procrastinate a little with the paperwork, allowing Couches to spend some quality time in wonderful Mexican prison system. So they can get a glimpse of what many Hispanics - who did not even break any other law but came to the US illegally - experience during the detention and deportation from the US. I just can't possibly imagine what would happen to a black or Hispanic 16 year old kid in Texas who stole beer from a grocery store and then drove with 3x the legal alcohol level + sedatives in his blood and caused an accident resulting in death of 4 people and serious life changing injury of the 5th person. Unless cops already shot him during arrest, I am sure prosecutors would seek the death penalty. And the judge might leniently dish out the sentence of life in prison.
13
I know I shouldn't, but it's really hard not to gloat.
A few weeks in a Mexican prison pending his extradition should make him really appreciate the possible 10 year sentence he may soon be serving behind American bars.
A few weeks in a Mexican prison pending his extradition should make him really appreciate the possible 10 year sentence he may soon be serving behind American bars.
8
If he was still a minor at the first trial, why wasn't the mother charged as the person responsible for his behavior? That's new legal ground, I know, but so is affluenza.
5
Is there a "middleclassfluenza" that will absolve me of everything? That would be great.
9
How has this judge not been censured or impeached by now? Disbarment would not be too extreme.
4
She "retired." She hides from the media. She might as well have slapped the face of every family member whose loved one was killed by Ethan Couch.
And his latest actions prove how incompetent she was. Many here are so happy she is publicly being vilified again. Let it be a lesson to all judges that judicial activism has consequences. They are to uphold the law whether they like the law or not.
And his latest actions prove how incompetent she was. Many here are so happy she is publicly being vilified again. Let it be a lesson to all judges that judicial activism has consequences. They are to uphold the law whether they like the law or not.
11
It's a sad state of affairs when a judge, as the one in the original case, can be gulled by such a garbage defense.
5
Seems like instead of Mommy taking her spoiled, entitled and selfish boy to Puerto Vallarta, she should instead have given money to his many victims. by enabling her child she has created a man who will never be accountable for his actions. Hopefully, this will be one situation that he can not have is mother pay his way out of. Lock him up.
8
I think Trump suffers from Affluenza too.
12
...and a few other afflictions.
Couch's original crime had been driving drunk and taking innocent lives for so doing. His family's wealth, or lack of moral upbringing, should never have been an excuse. All drivers are responsible for being sober behind the wheel, plain and simple.
8
The main thing I take away from all of this is Texas is known for executing anyone but this rotten kid gets a pass. Guess Texas changed their rules - "we will protect a fetus and white rich kids that get drunk and kill innocent people." Got it.
23
Or maybe it was 1 judge who has since retreated into the shadows due to the overwhelming disgust of Texans for her lousy sentence.
2
Do the rich get more ethical as they get older? Stop laughing!
6
The Couch tragedy of justice is a clear reminder to all Americans that are Judicial Branch is a disgrace.
1
Race is only part of it. Wealth is the bigger part. Let's remember the horrifying story published in the Times earlier this year of a 19-year old (white) man who was charged with sexual assault for having sex with a girl he met online who claimed to be 16 but was actually 14 --- in a state where the age of consent is 15.
The young man's life is ruined. The judge made all sorts of pronouncements about the "hook up culture", and it was clear the judge was motivated entirely by his personal disdain for the casual sexual mores of some of today's young. Among many other punishments, the man was forbidden was using cell phones, tablets or computers for many years, and was overall treated as a serious sexual predator, which no reasonable person would think he was.
It was clear misapplication of justice, with a judge who applied only the letter of the law, not the spirit of the law, and therefore was guilty of dereliction of duty.
The affluenza defense for Couch is absurd, but let's remember that the real problem here is uneven, unequal application of justice depending on wealth and other factors --- it's not the boy's fault that his lawyers came up with this defense nor that the judge bought it. We mustn't punish him for having an attorney who came with a defense that worked.
The boy (he was 16 when the crash happened) is spoiled, but I am tired of seeing the system ruin the lives of teens for a massive and catastrophic lapse of judgment when they were 15 or 16.
The young man's life is ruined. The judge made all sorts of pronouncements about the "hook up culture", and it was clear the judge was motivated entirely by his personal disdain for the casual sexual mores of some of today's young. Among many other punishments, the man was forbidden was using cell phones, tablets or computers for many years, and was overall treated as a serious sexual predator, which no reasonable person would think he was.
It was clear misapplication of justice, with a judge who applied only the letter of the law, not the spirit of the law, and therefore was guilty of dereliction of duty.
The affluenza defense for Couch is absurd, but let's remember that the real problem here is uneven, unequal application of justice depending on wealth and other factors --- it's not the boy's fault that his lawyers came up with this defense nor that the judge bought it. We mustn't punish him for having an attorney who came with a defense that worked.
The boy (he was 16 when the crash happened) is spoiled, but I am tired of seeing the system ruin the lives of teens for a massive and catastrophic lapse of judgment when they were 15 or 16.
He killed 4 people.
14
You wouldn't know it from the way the judge ruled. Again, this is what happens when wealth is involved. Get out of jail free card.
3
He's not a boy anymore. He's an adult. He'll be 19-years-old in April. And the 2013 disastrous incident for which Couch was given 10 years of juvenile probation wasn't his first run-in with law enforcement or his first disciplinary problem; it was one in a long line of them.
Were Couch black, he'd have been referred to as a "thug" from day 1 and never referred to as a child, kid, troubled kid, or boy (at least not as relates the word's definition pertaining to chronological age).
Were Couch black, he'd have been referred to as a "thug" from day 1 and never referred to as a child, kid, troubled kid, or boy (at least not as relates the word's definition pertaining to chronological age).
3
How many millionaires, silver spooning trust-funders, hedge-funding, billionaire class are in prison, (other than Madoff)? Case closed.
Affluenza is a real thing in ours and other country's legal systems. And it's an entirely different justice for the rich, well known or connected.
I knew the son of the chief of police in my hometown in Connecticut who killed someone drunk driving when he was 16-never spent a day in jail. Not one. Same for the son of a state judge who got busted for cocaine when in high school. The rich certainly do live differently than you and me.
Affluenza is a real thing in ours and other country's legal systems. And it's an entirely different justice for the rich, well known or connected.
I knew the son of the chief of police in my hometown in Connecticut who killed someone drunk driving when he was 16-never spent a day in jail. Not one. Same for the son of a state judge who got busted for cocaine when in high school. The rich certainly do live differently than you and me.
8
Pilgrim, Madoff is in jail because he stole from the very people we're talking about. He forgot that, like Wall Street, you're supposed to steal from the poor, NOT the uber rich! You go to jail when you steal from the likes of Hedge fund managers et al, who are just scammers who steal from everyone else as well, then buy law makers to protect their ill-gotten wealth.
7
Perhaps we should view Mr. Couch as a modern Prometheus; a Frankenstein if you will, who was created and nurtured in an absurd environment. A child who perhaps had little or no say in his rearing. Remove the laurel of wealth and privilege from atop his head and he immediately falls amongst the legions of the inner city poor. It feels good and right to dole out vigilantism justice to the monsters of the world; but what have we accomplished? The Dr. Frankenstein's still remain hidden in the inky shadows.
2
Affluenza that TX disease that afflicted G W when he carelessly and heartlessly commenced and drew out the bloody conflict in Iraq and has not a whit of remorse - that contagious disease afflicts all his entire cabinet - it also afflicted LB Johnson when he inflicted inhumane militarism and ecoterrorism against Vietnam , a nation that never threatened the US or any of its allies - GHW also had a case of it when he killed hundreds of Panamanians to capture one corrupt leader , all without a whit of "understanding" or caring about the consequences of their actions
12
First I hope these 2 spend a long time in the Mexican jail waiting to be deported back to the US.
Second, I hope they both go to jail this time. If Affluenza is real then the mother should also be tried for child abuse since she failed to raise her son properly.
Third I don't understand why the parents were never sued for the crimes of their spoiled son. If Affluenza is real then they are to blame and should be sued and tried for child abuse.
Second, I hope they both go to jail this time. If Affluenza is real then the mother should also be tried for child abuse since she failed to raise her son properly.
Third I don't understand why the parents were never sued for the crimes of their spoiled son. If Affluenza is real then they are to blame and should be sued and tried for child abuse.
27
They were sued by the families of those injured or killed.
And you who philosophize disgrace, and criticize all fears, bury the rag most deep in your face for now is the time for your tears
1
Glad he was caught, this murderer should definitely do hard time for killing four people. Being rich is no excuse for being dangerously immoral. Same goes for Trump really, although at least he hasn't killed anyone yet.
8
how is Trump immoral? I'm not a Trump fan, but I don't see what you're saying. He's an insulationist and an isolationist. I don't even think he's racist. I think Trump would happily play golf with a rich, atheist Princeton grad of Arabic extraction.
4
Trump appeals to people's hatreds and stirs them up in dangerous ways. In his rally here (televised on all the major networks through local preemption), people were literally spitting and cursing minorities and immigrants. And Trump grins and encourages them in their rage. I consider that immoral.
5
Sanders also appeals to people's hatreds. The amount of venom spit at the rich is impressive.
But your point is well-taken. Racism is immoral. So is race-baiting. So, is race-baiting for the insincere purpose of gaining popularity.
What I am less certain is immoral is conservatism. I am from a very, very liberal family. My family thinks conservatives are genuinely evil. I am not sure I agree.
But your point is well-taken. Racism is immoral. So is race-baiting. So, is race-baiting for the insincere purpose of gaining popularity.
What I am less certain is immoral is conservatism. I am from a very, very liberal family. My family thinks conservatives are genuinely evil. I am not sure I agree.
3
The judge on this case failed on many fronts. Gratefully, she's now retired. Probation is one thing, but the judge failed to consider the dismal success rates for young adults going through drug or alcohol treatment.
Mr. Couch's alcoholism is beyond the ability of a regular treatment center, and only incarceration can save himself from himself---apparently with his mother enabling him his whole life, he continues to remain a threat to society. It is Couch's alcoholism, hidden by his parents and "misdiagnosed" as "affluenza" that can no longer be suppressed.
Mr. Couch's alcoholism is beyond the ability of a regular treatment center, and only incarceration can save himself from himself---apparently with his mother enabling him his whole life, he continues to remain a threat to society. It is Couch's alcoholism, hidden by his parents and "misdiagnosed" as "affluenza" that can no longer be suppressed.
8
He murdered 4 people, that can not be suppressed either, or those he permanently maimed. Just think how different it would have been if he had been anything but wealthy and white in Texas
10
I wonder how many firearms this family owns.
11
And the relevance of that is...?
1
The story about this young man goes well with another story in the NYT, the one about the tax system for the very rich. They are both illustrations of a society split in at least two parts, with different rules for each part. It is an indication of the current decline of democracy in the United States that bodes ill for our future.
18
There aren't different rules: This guy got arrested. So did the guy who ran Turing Pharmaceuticals. If you break the law, you will probably get caught and do time. Same rules for all.
1
such a pity he wasn't apprehended in chicago, and simulated pulling a gun out of his waistband.
10
And just what do you think would have happened? He would still be alive, now if he wasn't white, that's a different story altogether. Same is true in Texas. Had he be black, we would not be reading this story. He would be in jail for life, it not on death row.
2
Everybody makes a big deal that four were killed (instead of, say, one). There's nothing like blood in the water to illuminate Americans' lack of logical reasoning.
This man didn't intend to kill anybody, so the number of victims is purely happenstance. In fact, even if he killed one that would've been happenstance, although I understand a society treats death by recklessness worse than injury.
I guess this story is a nice holiday gift for the many of us who aren't sure of our own parenting ability. Always nice to be able to point to a worse family than our own. Vengeance is a nice outlet for those unhappy with their own state of affairs, which, is Mr. Trump's following is any indication, is quite a large proportion of the population. As for me, punish this kid and his mother, sure, but I will not dance wild around the fire.
This man didn't intend to kill anybody, so the number of victims is purely happenstance. In fact, even if he killed one that would've been happenstance, although I understand a society treats death by recklessness worse than injury.
I guess this story is a nice holiday gift for the many of us who aren't sure of our own parenting ability. Always nice to be able to point to a worse family than our own. Vengeance is a nice outlet for those unhappy with their own state of affairs, which, is Mr. Trump's following is any indication, is quite a large proportion of the population. As for me, punish this kid and his mother, sure, but I will not dance wild around the fire.
Please read the whole story before judging this:
http://www.dmagazine.com/publications/d-magazine/2015/may/affluenza-the-...
Ethan had a LONG history of drinking & driving, alcohol and drug abuse, sex with under age girls, public urination, etc. His parents pulled him out of school. He was functionally uneducated. EVERYONE in his life, from parents to teachers has "enabled him" due to his parent's wealth and influence (though they themselves are uneducated and lower class, and their extreme wealth a mystery).
The crash was not an accident in the normal sense, of something happening that could not be predicted. Ethan was completely drunk, having STOLEN 3 cases of beer earlier. He was high on drugs. He not only killed four people, but injured another, & left still another crippled for life. He never finished the drug rehab program he was sent to -- his parents pulled him out early, as they let him quit school at 15.
The scene of the accident was horrific. It wasn't simply a "car crash". Ethan slammed into a stopped vehicle with a flat tire, at 70 mph. He didn't even use his brakes. The people killed were mutilated & torn into PIECES, the collision was so violent. This happened in front of their own home, with family members watching.
BTW: Ethan's parents permitted him to DRIVE (illegally) from the age of 13, in a luxury truck. At 15, he had his OWN expensive truck. His mother gave him Vicodin. He slept in her bedroom! This is a sick, sick family.
http://www.dmagazine.com/publications/d-magazine/2015/may/affluenza-the-...
Ethan had a LONG history of drinking & driving, alcohol and drug abuse, sex with under age girls, public urination, etc. His parents pulled him out of school. He was functionally uneducated. EVERYONE in his life, from parents to teachers has "enabled him" due to his parent's wealth and influence (though they themselves are uneducated and lower class, and their extreme wealth a mystery).
The crash was not an accident in the normal sense, of something happening that could not be predicted. Ethan was completely drunk, having STOLEN 3 cases of beer earlier. He was high on drugs. He not only killed four people, but injured another, & left still another crippled for life. He never finished the drug rehab program he was sent to -- his parents pulled him out early, as they let him quit school at 15.
The scene of the accident was horrific. It wasn't simply a "car crash". Ethan slammed into a stopped vehicle with a flat tire, at 70 mph. He didn't even use his brakes. The people killed were mutilated & torn into PIECES, the collision was so violent. This happened in front of their own home, with family members watching.
BTW: Ethan's parents permitted him to DRIVE (illegally) from the age of 13, in a luxury truck. At 15, he had his OWN expensive truck. His mother gave him Vicodin. He slept in her bedroom! This is a sick, sick family.
954
If they are "sick, sick", why are you out for vengeance? I thought we no longer exhibit the insane for public amusement, a la Paris 18th century.
I'm quite fascinated by someone who uses the term "happenstance" for the bloody slaughter of 4 innocent people. Mayhap if you were looking at the window and witnessed some drunken entitled twit wipe your family out, you'd be somewhat less sanguine.
70
Why didn't they choose a location where they couldn't have been extradited? I once representated myself in court and used the defense that i was a member of the impoverigencia--the impoverished class--too poor to know any better. It was in a Texas traffic court. It didn't work.
9
http://www.dmagazine.com/publications/d-magazine/2015/may/affluenza-the-...
The above is a link to an excellent, in-depth article about the Couch family, the crash and Ethan's history. A lot of details left out of the story here.
Contrary to the way this has been presented, Ethan's family -- though very rich -- are NOT snooty upper-crust types. They are very lower class, uneducated and with deeply troubled histories. It is a complete mystery as to how Mr. Couch Sr. came to a big business and great wealth, with no education or skills or family connections, in his early 20s.
The above is a link to an excellent, in-depth article about the Couch family, the crash and Ethan's history. A lot of details left out of the story here.
Contrary to the way this has been presented, Ethan's family -- though very rich -- are NOT snooty upper-crust types. They are very lower class, uneducated and with deeply troubled histories. It is a complete mystery as to how Mr. Couch Sr. came to a big business and great wealth, with no education or skills or family connections, in his early 20s.
7
Put the little twit in the sneezer for 10 years. At least then we'll know where he is.
10
Long lost, among many of the once great things about Texas, is the old Texas wisdom that parents are to "prepare the traveler, not the road."
170
That wisdom has not been lost. In fact, I myself was told it when I became a mother 20 years ago.
1
Ah yes, affluenza. Clearly Donald Trump also suffers from this affliction.
16
Good thing our justice system is run by level-headed folk who put the rule of law above all and are never swayed by the horrors of a defendant's biography that might have pushed him or her toward crime. That is, of course, assuming those horrors are ones of scarcity of money, food, shelter and the like. The horrors of opulence, on the other hand, are apparently worthy of clemency.
And here's where it gets us...
And here's where it gets us...
19
Bush, Cheney, Rumsfeld? Liar loans bundled into toxic derivatives and sold to pension plans after receiving AAA ratings?
Our entire society is operated in a way where the powerful never have to face justice for their actions, no matter how obscene. This is exactly how empires rot from within.
Our entire society is operated in a way where the powerful never have to face justice for their actions, no matter how obscene. This is exactly how empires rot from within.
16
Couldn't agree more. The empire is rotting, quickly. The rot is helped along by corporate media, Citizens United, disinclination towards regulation of any sort, and massive white male privilege.
2
Many phony defenses have been claimed in the past. Remember the "Twinkie Defense" for the killer of the mayor of San Francisco? At least the jury was to blame in that miscarriage of justice. How can the "judge' who used the "affluenza" defense be excused and exempted from sentencing the offender to 10 years confinement in the very home in which the "disease" was present?
Let's get real here and follow the money? It isn't only a question of race and privilege, but one in which "white collar" as well as white criminals are somehow given a free ride. When was the last time inside traders and knowing purveyors of junk bonds, given a gold seal by the rating companies, were prosecuted? And all this with a Black US Attorney General who came from, and returned to, a "white shoe" law firm. He is now in a position to defend anyone the current Attorney General might choose to prosecute - if the Statute of Limitations has not run its course.
Think BIG America: don't just think black and white; think rich and poor as well.
Let's get real here and follow the money? It isn't only a question of race and privilege, but one in which "white collar" as well as white criminals are somehow given a free ride. When was the last time inside traders and knowing purveyors of junk bonds, given a gold seal by the rating companies, were prosecuted? And all this with a Black US Attorney General who came from, and returned to, a "white shoe" law firm. He is now in a position to defend anyone the current Attorney General might choose to prosecute - if the Statute of Limitations has not run its course.
Think BIG America: don't just think black and white; think rich and poor as well.
10
Except that black and white and rich and poor are often tied together, given the nation's history.
1
Tell that to Eric Holder - and to Barack Obama.
To affluent and white to understand the gravity of your actions of drinking and driving and killing four poor people of color in America is equivalent to the game of Monopoly - Do Not Go to Jail, Pass Go, collect your Freedom to Do It Again.
To poor and black or brown and mental ill to understand the gravity of your actions in America equals mass incarceration for lesser things crimes than those committed by this rich brat or execution.
To poor and black or brown and mental ill to understand the gravity of your actions in America equals mass incarceration for lesser things crimes than those committed by this rich brat or execution.
14
This family must be "new" rich, because they look and act pretty trashy.
13
Trump was born to money, seeriousss money. But his trail of various wives and girlfriends...pretty poor taste.
2
Perhaps mom can get a little stint of her own for aiding and abetting. Seems like the rotten apple hasn't fallen far from the tree, and the tree needs a serious pruning.
20
I guess Mexico doesn't have a sanctuary city? Too bad for the little felon and mommy.
8
On the one hand, prison sentences in the US are ridiculously long and disproportionate to the crime. On the other, this is a clear example of favoring the wealthy --- no poor person or person of color would have gotten a slap on the wrist the way this spoiled kid did. I don't blame anyone for trying to flee our injustice system, and now this misguided, callous young man may now spend many years in prison.
People may say he deserves it, but I think no-one deserves it for a catastrophic lapse of judgment at the age of 16. Black or white, we must push toward treading all defendants equally, and imposing reasonable sentences that take into account intent.
People may say he deserves it, but I think no-one deserves it for a catastrophic lapse of judgment at the age of 16. Black or white, we must push toward treading all defendants equally, and imposing reasonable sentences that take into account intent.
1
This is ONE judge who bought into all of the feel-good psycho-babble. She's now a pariah for displaying such appalling judgment.
He killed 4 people. He deserved more than a 10-year probation.
He killed 4 people. He deserved more than a 10-year probation.
8
He killed four people. If I were a family member of one of those four people, I would certainly want him put away.
5
Lapse of judgement? I would associate that with something a little more mundane than murdering and mutilating several human beings. Prefixing it with catastrophic does not correctly alter the meaning. Ethan didn't have a "lapse" of judgement. He stole beer. He took drugs. He got drunk. He got behind the wheel of a vehicle, drunk, and was speeding. Lapse? He made so many "lapses" it belittles the utter depravity of his decisions. How about we treat everyone equally as you say. As in if you do something so heinous that it causes the death of another, you suffer absolute and severe consequences. (And conversely - minor offenses should merit only minor punishment.) Perhaps it will help others from having "lapses" in judgment if the consequences are understood explicitly.
5
I wonder if Ethan knows that his mother has facilitated his moving from probation to jail time. He and she both should get dunce caps.
10
Dunce is the right word. Get off of the grid. Puerto Vallarta is the middle of grid. And the cellphone. He needed to watch more Bourne movies.
1
So what are they going to do with him? Probably extend his probation for two months.
7
Send the parents to prison too!
7
Excellent. Put them both in prison. Tack on a huge monetary penalty. Not every rich person is a murderer, but a lot of them ARE criminals.
16
The head-scratching question is why this became a national news story in the first place. 'Affluenza' is a little weird as a defense, but having an expensive lawyer and getting off with a slap on the wrist for whatever concocted reason, is an everyday occurrence. How many cases that fit in this category involve a martial service on the lookout for infractions. Maybe the less insane slant on this story should be just one more of many: What's the matter with Texas? variety...
63
@Will: Maybe it shouldn't be an everyday occurrence that doesn't rate a news story. Maybe it should always rate a news story. Then maybe things will change.
1
Will, By and large, Americans overlook the ways in which this society is increasingly rigged for the benefit of an extremely affluent few. They even prefer the unapologetic swagger of a Trump to the mea culpa of a Romney. However, Americans also believe this is a country of laws and that no one is above the law. When Ethan Couch killed four people and walked away with a slap on the wrist, claiming "affluenza," that felt like a perversion of justice.
Rather than just being a "What's the matter with Texas?" story, it became a "What's the matter with America?" story. The sentencing of Ethan Couch shocked Texans -- the Republican judge, Jean Boyd, did not run for reelection after the case. However, the sentencing also shocked everyday Americans because it so strongly suggested that the lives of the 99% did not matter. We mostly accept or ignore the machinations of the 1%, but that does not mean we accept becoming roadkill when their offspring go on a drunken spree. At some point Americans rise up and say, "Enough."
Rather than just being a "What's the matter with Texas?" story, it became a "What's the matter with America?" story. The sentencing of Ethan Couch shocked Texans -- the Republican judge, Jean Boyd, did not run for reelection after the case. However, the sentencing also shocked everyday Americans because it so strongly suggested that the lives of the 99% did not matter. We mostly accept or ignore the machinations of the 1%, but that does not mean we accept becoming roadkill when their offspring go on a drunken spree. At some point Americans rise up and say, "Enough."
201
Well, just because it's an everyday occurrence doesn't make it right.
1
This time Texas should try him as a African American adult to get some viable punishment from the Texas jury and judges.
22
Rich white trash, no parenting skills and no consequences for their narcissistic, out of control son. What could go wrong?
25
Trump was right. Mexico sends criminals to the US.
17
He and his parents should pay for his crimes by having all of their assets taken from them. And then he and his parents should be imprisoned for a minimum of fifty years - solitary confinement for each.
3
All I can think of is two words: Tamir Rice.
22
Justice is finally being done in both cases.
1
Oh, the kid who pulled a realistic looking gun out of his waisteband. Sure, I see how these are connected.
5
Video does not show Tamir drawing his gun, despite what the prosecutor said.
3
They must be out of touch, dying your hair and going to Mexico? How cliche! I'm starting to think the affluenza defense makes sense.
5
If I understand this, he will now go to jail because he broke the conditions of his probation. It is a pity that incarceration will teach him to grow up and take responsibility for his actions. He clearly is an entitled, spoiled brat. Reckless and feckless. His parents have done him no favour in how he was brought up. There is no sense of shame or remorse expressed for what he did. He killed four people. If that wasn't a wake-up call for him and his parents, I don't know what would be. I hope the families of his victims sue for wrongful death and relieve them of the assets that caused this poor child's affluenza.
11
His parents -- enormously wealthy -- paid off the families of the victims in settlements that never went to trial.
2
It's tricky and unpredictable at this point because of his age. 16 at the time of the crime, 18 now, 19 (and eligible for the adult system) in April. In addition to violating his probation, he broke other laws as well.
We all want him off the streets.
We all want him off the streets.
1
Keep in mind that this tragedy took place in Texas, and state known for years of treating wealthy criminals "differently".
6
Unlike, say Massachussetts, which has handled all the many Kennedy misdeeds and crimes with a has off approach, right?
2
"Affluenza" is a neologism, not a recognized psychological diagnosis. Your word processor does not accept it as a word. The psychologist who made this up should have (her) license taken away and be barred from giving expert testimony. This is most outrageous legal whoring.
59
I just can't help but see the juxtaposition between the 19 year old black engineering student in Chicago who was having mental issues and was gunned down by the police (and an innocent 55 year old neighbor woman as well) and this case. The young man was shot multiple times after the police were called by his parents. His parents were expecting the cops to talk him down/subdue him so he could be taken to a hospital for an evaluation, not shoot him and an innocent woman repeatedly as if he was a brutal murderer.
Yet a rich white kid kills multiple people in an act of extreme culpability and irresponsibility and he gets away with it - and then can't even follow the terms of his parole to prove he learned his lesson.
Did the young black student even get the chance to get help, change his life for the better, even though his "crime" wasnt an actual choice he made? No. Yet this society seems to think that two things define you - the color of your skin, and the amount of money in your bank account
Yet a rich white kid kills multiple people in an act of extreme culpability and irresponsibility and he gets away with it - and then can't even follow the terms of his parole to prove he learned his lesson.
Did the young black student even get the chance to get help, change his life for the better, even though his "crime" wasnt an actual choice he made? No. Yet this society seems to think that two things define you - the color of your skin, and the amount of money in your bank account
82
Blame Nathan and his feckless mother? Sure. But what about the role of the cockiest Couch of all - the pater familia, the fabulous Fred, who has a long criminal record and was arrested just last year for impersonating a police officer. Dysfunctional fragmented families, irresponsible mothers and typically even more irresponsible fathers, are the source of most of the West's problems today.
http://www.dmagazine.com/publications/d-magazine/2015/may/affluenza-the-...
http://www.dmagazine.com/publications/d-magazine/2015/may/affluenza-the-...
8
Do the crime, do the time.
7
The immense satisfaction of seeing this rotten excuse for a person (and hopefully his equally repellent mother) along with fellow barrel-bottom dweller Martin Shkreli face some consequences for their total lack of decency is short-lived when confronted with the reality of the inequity and corruption of our criminal justice and political systems.
Given the choice between seeing this creep brought home in handcuffs and getting an indictment in Tamir Rice's and Sandra Bland's cases, I'd be happier about the latter.
Given the choice between seeing this creep brought home in handcuffs and getting an indictment in Tamir Rice's and Sandra Bland's cases, I'd be happier about the latter.
9
The cop who shot Tamir Rice had every reason to believe that Rice was drawing a gun on him. Even a cop has the legal right to self-defense. The person most responsible for Rice's death is the idiot who gave him a toy indistinguishable from a real gun.
In the Sandra Bland case, who do you propose to indict, since
so far as I know, there is not a smidgen of evidence of anyone's involvement in her death but Sandra Bland herself.
In the Sandra Bland case, who do you propose to indict, since
so far as I know, there is not a smidgen of evidence of anyone's involvement in her death but Sandra Bland herself.
3
Too much was made of the "affluenza" defense, the guy was convicted none the less. Were his parents to blame for the type of remorseless and irresponsible person he turned out to be? Yes. However, he was responsible for the events that led to the incident in which four innocent people were killed. However, there is one more person to blame, and that is the disgrace of a judge that gave a probated sentence to someone that was responsible for four deaths during the commission of a crime and showed absolutely no remorse for his actions. I pray that this guy is returned to Texas and is required to serve his ten year sentence in one of our "men's clubs" in Huntsville. Then, and only then, will he realize the full consequences of his actions.
7
Has the judge been arrested yet?
8
One would think that these two would go to some dumpy place and hide out, but for them the Affluence continued. I am quite sure that some American would have recognized both of them in Puerto Vallarta. Sometimes having loads of money does not make some people smart.
5
The only punishment the wealthy understand: seizing their assets....for that is the sum of their value system.
42
Happy to know he is safe and alive. What is the punishment this time? No candy for a week?
10
As once was said: I know about capital punishment. You sure get a lot of punishment when you don't have much capital!
What more needs to be said?
What more needs to be said?
12
I suppose we shouldn't be surprised that the same parents that created a child that would murder four friends and lobby to get off the hook would also think that fleeing a probation violation would be a smarter idea than taking their chances in court. Now their problems have quadrupled. The Couches should write a book on parenting so that the rest of the world knows how NOT to do it.
8
He didn't murder 4 friends; he plowed into a group of people helping a stranded motorist. One of his friends was thrown from the truck, but didn't die. He was "only" paralyzed.
2
The judge who let Ethan Couch off the hoos is "Jean Hudson Boyd".
She recently retired from office.
Why do we never see the name Judge Jean Hudson Boyd in articles about this case?
Are judges exempt?
She recently retired from office.
Why do we never see the name Judge Jean Hudson Boyd in articles about this case?
Are judges exempt?
80
Killed four and severely injured one.... Still partying! This is truly an American Exceptionalism.
23
While this is an interesting development, surely the families of the dead and injured have filed civil wrongful-death suits against Ethan's wealthy parents.
If not, why not? Instead of just repeating news from ABC, the NYT could be supplementing this story with more investigation.
If not, why not? Instead of just repeating news from ABC, the NYT could be supplementing this story with more investigation.
22
Most likely, they are not wealthy enough to do so.
1
all the families filed suit, and all of those suits have since been settled.
4
The litigation could probably be crowd funded given the outrageous behaviour of these people.
1
The old saw "The higher you go the less you get" is pervasive and true.
What else is new?
What else is new?
1
All this fuss over a person who should have been safely stashed away in a juvenile detention center.
I hope the sentencing judge has the decency to be ashamed of himself.
I hope the sentencing judge has the decency to be ashamed of himself.
11
He was a she.
3
She's no longer a judge and hides from the media.
Texas is the last place you want to hand out such a lenient sentence.
Texas is the last place you want to hand out such a lenient sentence.
2
I stand corrected. And I still think the judge is an idiot.
All we need now is for Mexico to say we're sending it our addicts and criminals.
77
Thank you for the laugh, I needed it!
Ethan Couch plowed into a group of people who were outside helping a stranded driver.
Texans were furious at the judge for letting him off; she is no longer a judge and hides from the media in a stunningly display of cowardice. She should move out of state.
Dee Anderson, the Tarrant County Sheriff, (Tarrant County is west of Dallas Country) assured everyone that the Marshals would find Couch and they would bring him back and that Couch will finally be held accountable.
Dee Anderson is a man of his word.
The interesting part of this new chapter is how Couch's age plays into things now. He was convicted and sentenced at 16 to a 10-yr probation, he went on the lam as an 18 yr old, and he turns 19 in April. There will be a hearing to hand him over to the adult system as soon as he turns 19.
As a person in the Sheriff's office stated, Couch is likely going to find out what "big-boy jail" is all about.
His lack of remorse doesn't surprise anyone. He needs to be off the streets before he kills again.
Texans were furious at the judge for letting him off; she is no longer a judge and hides from the media in a stunningly display of cowardice. She should move out of state.
Dee Anderson, the Tarrant County Sheriff, (Tarrant County is west of Dallas Country) assured everyone that the Marshals would find Couch and they would bring him back and that Couch will finally be held accountable.
Dee Anderson is a man of his word.
The interesting part of this new chapter is how Couch's age plays into things now. He was convicted and sentenced at 16 to a 10-yr probation, he went on the lam as an 18 yr old, and he turns 19 in April. There will be a hearing to hand him over to the adult system as soon as he turns 19.
As a person in the Sheriff's office stated, Couch is likely going to find out what "big-boy jail" is all about.
His lack of remorse doesn't surprise anyone. He needs to be off the streets before he kills again.
116
Just another example of how those with wealth and privilege believe that they are "special" and that their offspring can do no wrong. I hope that justice will finally be served; just ask Connecticut's Alex Kelly how it turned out. Unfortunately, Mr. Kelly's parents avoided jail sentences, even though they aided and abated their son in his 8 years as a fugitive.
10
Now Mr. Couch languishes in a Mexican jail, who knows for how long? Will they have appropriate treatment and facilities for a young man so horribly wracked by affluenza? Or will he just have to tough it out with the rest of his cellmates, the best he can? How long before he begs to be promptly extradited? I hope he enjoys his stay.
8
Wow, I just finished reading an article about this family's home life and his parents. http://www.dmagazine.com/publications/d-magazine/2015/may/affluenza-the-...
It should become a modern day tragic opera. This family was a nightmare waiting to explode into tragedy. This kid didn't have a chance due to the misguided reactions from the mother and the heinous lessons learned from the father. Yes, he should have had a much harsher sentence; being finally exposed to the harsh realities of life might have saved him.
Harsher sentences don't end the tragedy, however. My cousin killed someone while driving under the influence when he was young. He came from an affluent family, and he was sentenced to 20-25 years in prison. He scarred forever the family of his victim and his own family. His father died early in life and his mother turned inward to become a religious fanatic.
It should become a modern day tragic opera. This family was a nightmare waiting to explode into tragedy. This kid didn't have a chance due to the misguided reactions from the mother and the heinous lessons learned from the father. Yes, he should have had a much harsher sentence; being finally exposed to the harsh realities of life might have saved him.
Harsher sentences don't end the tragedy, however. My cousin killed someone while driving under the influence when he was young. He came from an affluent family, and he was sentenced to 20-25 years in prison. He scarred forever the family of his victim and his own family. His father died early in life and his mother turned inward to become a religious fanatic.
5
This is not about "saving" anyone. It is about achieving some level of justice through retribution for a horrible criminal act.
Whatever wrongs were done to him when he was younger, it was still his choice to steal beer (Steal? Why not? It was more exciting than buying it, or having someone buy it for you) and drive drunk. There are people who come from families a lot worse than these people who don't do that.
Whatever wrongs were done to him when he was younger, it was still his choice to steal beer (Steal? Why not? It was more exciting than buying it, or having someone buy it for you) and drive drunk. There are people who come from families a lot worse than these people who don't do that.
10
Thank you for the link. I encourage all commenters to read this first before posting.
3
Ethan Couch's mother Tayna is as much to blame as he is. She has probably been enabling her son since his birth. I hope they charge her so she and her son can spend some "quality time" behind bars.
12
When are doctors going to uncover the connection between affluenza and Puerto Vallarta? Andrew Luster, the libidinous Max Factor heir also was drawn to this city. If you are suffering from affluenza please note:
1. Puerto Vallarta, although fun and with some great restaurants, is very close to the US.
2. There are a ton of Americans in Puerto Vallarta.
3. There is an extradition treaty with Mexico.
1. Puerto Vallarta, although fun and with some great restaurants, is very close to the US.
2. There are a ton of Americans in Puerto Vallarta.
3. There is an extradition treaty with Mexico.
11
Ethan Couch - the only American whose less likeable than Donald Trump
14
You forgot Ted Cruz!
14
Don't forget Martin Shkreli.
10
How did he get away with just 10 years probation? In Texas no less... Any chance we can make his family foot the bill for his incarceration?
Mom should also face some jail time.
Mom should also face some jail time.
7
As we try to work out the Texas perspective, this series of events helps us understand the new 'conservatism' that is so pervasive in this once-great state. We used to consider conservatism a synonym for 'careful', before it came to represent 'resistance to change' or 'for the status quo'...and now we see repeated examples of it's advocacy for change in an endless slide to the right. Not only is the misery of 'others' an important facet of that view, but the wealthy (Texas is an oil state) are held to something short of any civil standard.
Also, its a bit funny to see that - amid all the gringo fretting about a wall to keep the criminal Mexicans out - it's our criminally rich and protected that are crossing border heading South.
Thus, we witness the tortured squirming of our rich. None the benefits we slather on them can make them decent people. That seems to be the place for the poor and getting poorer, who prefer a meaningful life.
Also, its a bit funny to see that - amid all the gringo fretting about a wall to keep the criminal Mexicans out - it's our criminally rich and protected that are crossing border heading South.
Thus, we witness the tortured squirming of our rich. None the benefits we slather on them can make them decent people. That seems to be the place for the poor and getting poorer, who prefer a meaningful life.
444
John davis, what a memorable phrase: "none of the benefits we can slather on them [the rich] can make them decent people."
That's it in a nutshell. I don't resent people for their wealth. I resent them when they have every benefit and privilege in life, and they still can't act like decent human beings. Thanks for articulating this!
That's it in a nutshell. I don't resent people for their wealth. I resent them when they have every benefit and privilege in life, and they still can't act like decent human beings. Thanks for articulating this!
3
Broad, unsubstantiated generalities do not make any sense at all. "The tortured squirming of our rich.." sounds like something at the bottom of the Statue Of Liberty - - in a tortured sense.
One more example that we are not a country of laws. Legal verdicts are based on ability to pay. Issues of gender and ethnicity are secondary to issues of wealth and privilige; just ask OJ Simpson's results first with money and then without.
40
There is so very, very much guilt to go around:
1. The parents who raised a son who seems to have felt entitled. The fact that they paid for a resort "half-way" stay in the Southwest, and very expensive at that, where he could take riding lessons, among other things. His mother driving to Mexico with him just further proves that point.
2. The defense attorney who had the audacity to concoct the story, that Couch was raised not to understand his guilt--IN CAUSING FOUR DEATHS!
3. The judge who fell for this Influenza nonsense truly should be disbarred.
Just think: If this character doesn't understand the consequences of his disgraceful actions, who could possibly want him to be living in their community. Perhaps Couch's parents should be placed in the next jail cell.
http://thetruthoncommonsense.com
1. The parents who raised a son who seems to have felt entitled. The fact that they paid for a resort "half-way" stay in the Southwest, and very expensive at that, where he could take riding lessons, among other things. His mother driving to Mexico with him just further proves that point.
2. The defense attorney who had the audacity to concoct the story, that Couch was raised not to understand his guilt--IN CAUSING FOUR DEATHS!
3. The judge who fell for this Influenza nonsense truly should be disbarred.
Just think: If this character doesn't understand the consequences of his disgraceful actions, who could possibly want him to be living in their community. Perhaps Couch's parents should be placed in the next jail cell.
http://thetruthoncommonsense.com
22
Exactly. I have friends and relatives living in Texas. This little boy should not be allowed to drive for a long time. Keep him off the roads.
2
ABC News reports that Couch will spend very little time in jail, if any at all. He is still considered a juvenile in Texas and the state will also have to prove he was drinking. Just being at the party was not a violation. Even though we all know he and his mother were fugitives, the state will also have to prove they were fleeing and not on vacation.
The money and effort could have been avoided if Couch was thrown in jail for the deaths and for maiming the boy riding in his truck. And, the deaths could have been avoided if Couch had been raised right. I fear that once again the little criminal will get off. I hope the judge listens to the public this time.
The money and effort could have been avoided if Couch was thrown in jail for the deaths and for maiming the boy riding in his truck. And, the deaths could have been avoided if Couch had been raised right. I fear that once again the little criminal will get off. I hope the judge listens to the public this time.
245
The "boy" changed his appearance by dyeing his hair and beard, a clear sign of consciousness of guilt.
7
The publics opinion should not count in the deciding of any court case. The letter of the law is what counts. Public opinion leads to vigilantism.
1
On vacation? He was on probation and not allowed to leave the state without court permission. He certainly would not be allowed to leave the country.
6
If "Allfuenza" is a psychological disorder one gets from growing up rich, what's the term for growing up poor? That's pretty stressful, too!
99
Indigencetion?
2
In the country town where I was raised, two of my childhood best friends were killed by rich, drunk 16-year-old kids who had stolen their father's Jeep Cherokee for a joyride. The judge decided it was unnecessary to punish the offenders more than necessary saying "... they now know better, and sending them to jail for long would not serve justice any better." Both victims' families were left with the painful feeling that their beloved sons were lost in vain, and that the offenders were not taught a lesson commensurate with the gravity of their crime.
It seems obvious that the above Mr. Couch did not change and he did not learn the lessons the judge in this case wanted to teach him with this lenient sentence, nor did he take advantage of the incredible chance that was given to him after his crime. In the end, justice was not served in this case and Mr. Couch will now be punished more severely. Maybe now he will understand the hard way the lessons the judge wanted him to learn in the first place. The mother also needs to be taught a thing or two about raising a child to be responsible and learn from our mistakes.
It seems obvious that the above Mr. Couch did not change and he did not learn the lessons the judge in this case wanted to teach him with this lenient sentence, nor did he take advantage of the incredible chance that was given to him after his crime. In the end, justice was not served in this case and Mr. Couch will now be punished more severely. Maybe now he will understand the hard way the lessons the judge wanted him to learn in the first place. The mother also needs to be taught a thing or two about raising a child to be responsible and learn from our mistakes.
532
The lesson the judge taught him was that being rich means never having to say you're sorry.
12
"The mother also needs to be taught a thing or two about raising a child to be responsible and learn from our mistakes."
Unfortunately, the mother is a criminal.
Unfortunately, the mother is a criminal.
6
The mother should definitely go to jail--a different jail than the son. I wish them both long sentences.
Ethan Couch? "Affluenza"?
They just don't make Daisy Buchanans like they used to. But give poor Ethan a chance. In fact, I can almost hear the smirk in his voice as he mounts another victimization defense. By the way, what was his mom thinking? Ever. For my part, "I wouldn't give the bum a mop job."
Twinkies, anyone?
They just don't make Daisy Buchanans like they used to. But give poor Ethan a chance. In fact, I can almost hear the smirk in his voice as he mounts another victimization defense. By the way, what was his mom thinking? Ever. For my part, "I wouldn't give the bum a mop job."
Twinkies, anyone?
5
How much did it cost to catch this psychopath?
You'd think that anyone who killed 4 people from driving drunk would feel horrified at his or her action, and straighten up regardless of age.
In this instance though, apparently only money talks, so maybe his family should be billed for all the time and effort to took/takes to deal with them.
And a boycott of their factory goods wouldn't hurt either.
You'd think that anyone who killed 4 people from driving drunk would feel horrified at his or her action, and straighten up regardless of age.
In this instance though, apparently only money talks, so maybe his family should be billed for all the time and effort to took/takes to deal with them.
And a boycott of their factory goods wouldn't hurt either.
19
Were the four people he killed also rich? My guess not. If he had killed a wealthier person than himself then he would be in jail. Next time I hear some Texan patriot spouting off about America being the greatest and most democratic country in the world I am going to remind him of this case.
71
How much of the wealth of the .01 percent are in the hands of people like this and his parents, do you think?
Vast wealth without responsibility or duty manufacturers people like him.
Vast wealth without responsibility or duty manufacturers people like him.
11
I suspect he will do some hard time for this and he's an adult now. If he's in the general population, he will attract some new friends.
7
A sidenote of this story is the great collaborative efforts between the US Marshalls Service and the Mexican Justice Dept as well as Mexican INM (National Institute of Migration). Beginning in the 1980´s there has been a collaborative effort both ways to stop evasion of criminals through migration - as documented on the justice Dept. side in Michael Connelly´s 1987 LA Times Story http://articles.latimes.com/1987-12-13/news/mn-28610_1_prosecution-unit.
The US Marshalls, US ICE and Mexico INM are all very happy with President Obama and President Peña Nieto´s work after the influx of hundreds of Central American children and adults 2 years ago. They agreed to use many resources to close the MX-Guatemala border in a serious effort to stop international crime and people trafficking.
My friends in Mexico Migration had been lobbying for years for this as they see the results of criminal and illegal migration. It took the Obama-Peña initiative to finally do it, demonstrating that positive international cooperation is quite possible.
The US Marshalls, US ICE and Mexico INM are all very happy with President Obama and President Peña Nieto´s work after the influx of hundreds of Central American children and adults 2 years ago. They agreed to use many resources to close the MX-Guatemala border in a serious effort to stop international crime and people trafficking.
My friends in Mexico Migration had been lobbying for years for this as they see the results of criminal and illegal migration. It took the Obama-Peña initiative to finally do it, demonstrating that positive international cooperation is quite possible.
25
It sounds like Mr. Couch will get to know Mr. Cot.
14
... and maybe Mr. Bubba.
5
Wow.
This actually makes me kinda sorta glad lil' Ethan got away with it the first time around.
Now his clearly enabling excuse for a mother can go to jail and have her life deservedly ruined as well.
Maybe we can even hit the trifecta, and Papa Couch will get caught attempting to break his wife and sonny boy out of the slammer...
Dare I dream?
This actually makes me kinda sorta glad lil' Ethan got away with it the first time around.
Now his clearly enabling excuse for a mother can go to jail and have her life deservedly ruined as well.
Maybe we can even hit the trifecta, and Papa Couch will get caught attempting to break his wife and sonny boy out of the slammer...
Dare I dream?
13
The Judge giving him probation actually worked out better in the end, because now the mother will serve jail time as well.
I only hope that this can bring some small solace to the victims and the victims' families.
I only hope that this can bring some small solace to the victims and the victims' families.
18
Four dead people and he still expected no jail time.
10
Why bring him back? We've had him for 2+ years after he killed 4 people and have not cured him of his infection. Why not let the Mexicans help him fight this terrible affliction of affluenza?
14
Sounds like a plan. A few years in a Mexican should certainly get his attention.
2
In his lifetime, Ethan Couch has received no real parental care. His parents haven't taught him any valuable lessons but have spent all their energy on indulging him at others' expenses. He, however, is about to pay the ultimate price. The real criminals, however, are his semi-adult parents. They all deserve to be locked up together- like one big happy family.
21
I agree. The title "parents" is not applicable in this situation for there was no parenting. However, I think they should be locked up separately, very far from one another. The mother has been at his side "protecting" him every step of the way, even to Mexico. The only way to punish them is to lock them up far away from each other, thus ending her ability to (s)mother him.
If Affluenza is contagious I hope I get it.
21
The rest of us hope you don't.
7
"If Affluenza is contagious I hope I get it."
You want to grow up to be an uneducated, irresponsible, emotionally stunted, alcoholic adult who does not learn from his mistakes or feel remorse when he hurts other people?
If it were possible and someone offered to pay you a million dollars to actually (and permanently) become such a person, would you do it? I sure wouldn't!!!
You want to grow up to be an uneducated, irresponsible, emotionally stunted, alcoholic adult who does not learn from his mistakes or feel remorse when he hurts other people?
If it were possible and someone offered to pay you a million dollars to actually (and permanently) become such a person, would you do it? I sure wouldn't!!!
1
All I can think about are the innocent lives taken (including the 5th victim paralyzed and brain damaged), as Couch continues to be be enabled, not just by his mother but the failed legal system in this particular case. Those most affected by this tragic loss of their loved ones deserve justice... once and for all.
38
You know, with all its downsides, 2015 is going to have some great highlights:
--Little rich boy and his Mama get caught and this time (we hope) Justice gets properly served.
--Martin Shrekli gets caught red-handed being a vile human being.
--Rahm Emanuel gets exposed as being yet another slimy Chicago Mayor who is complicit in sitting on valuable evidence.
This could portend a great year to come: Bernie gets the nomination!
~TR
--Little rich boy and his Mama get caught and this time (we hope) Justice gets properly served.
--Martin Shrekli gets caught red-handed being a vile human being.
--Rahm Emanuel gets exposed as being yet another slimy Chicago Mayor who is complicit in sitting on valuable evidence.
This could portend a great year to come: Bernie gets the nomination!
~TR
68
Justice will get SERVED, just like O.J. Simpson. He may not have been convicted the first time, but now he will wind up in prison, along with his mother.
Two for the price of one. Score!
Two for the price of one. Score!
17
Richard,
Couch plead guilty. His punishment for killing four people was probation (not parole).
His justice was already served. If he gets any time (a month or two) it won't be for killing four people.
It will be for having a beer in violation of his probation. And there is no way he will serve ten years for that.
Justice has been served. The best that money can buy. We will not get anything better than this.
And Couch will never, ever, be punished. Our justice system made one determination- that the four people Couch murdered had no value and were worthless.
Couch plead guilty. His punishment for killing four people was probation (not parole).
His justice was already served. If he gets any time (a month or two) it won't be for killing four people.
It will be for having a beer in violation of his probation. And there is no way he will serve ten years for that.
Justice has been served. The best that money can buy. We will not get anything better than this.
And Couch will never, ever, be punished. Our justice system made one determination- that the four people Couch murdered had no value and were worthless.
1
It's worth remembering that Jean Boyd, the judge who gave Ethan Couch such a light sentence, showed far less leniency to African American teens who came before her court. Ethan Couch is a poster child for all the racial disparities in the American criminal justice system. One can only hope that his extreme parole violation finally lands him in prison where he belongs.
379
And if so perhaps some of his fellow prisoners will cure his affluenza.
2
Honestly, I do not believe this was because Judge Boyd seriously believed Ethan Couch was innocent, or blameless, or even really had "affluenza".
I think she had to have taken a bribe from the Couch family -- and I wonder why nobody has investigated this. She retired not long after. Maybe they quietly paid off her mortgage or bills, or did something to enable her to retire early. Not all bribes are cash in a paper sack.
I think she had to have taken a bribe from the Couch family -- and I wonder why nobody has investigated this. She retired not long after. Maybe they quietly paid off her mortgage or bills, or did something to enable her to retire early. Not all bribes are cash in a paper sack.
5
and let's hope he comes before a different judge.
"a judge"? why does the NYTimes hide the name? ombudsman, what is your opinion.
56
NYT gave the judge's name in various articles. You can also find it in a nano second on google.
1
"Affluenza" my left foot. Throw this loser in the can for the next fifty years with no chance of parole. Throw his useless mother in with him. They deserve each other.
64
"Too spoiled to know right from wrong"? I think I know a cure for that. Take him out behind the shed. I'll be right there.
36
Perhaps Mexico is having a sale on executing grotesque Americans
5
Please, I'm over seeing that smirky little puke of a human being's face in your columns. How about some some compassion for the people he killed and the losses felt by their families and friends?
145
Maybe you want to say that to the judge and the attorney who used the defense.
9
IMHO, Judge Boyd should be removed from the bench as expeditiously as possible...
5
She retired shortly after this case.
1
Mr. Couch should stay in Mexico. His new home should be in a Mexican prison. A few decades behind bars in Mexico would be the sure cure for his "affluenza."
205
His return is proof of the 'Trump Doctrine"...
Though the outcome of this case is monstrously offensive, defendants have been found innocent on many other occasions for psychological conditions that also seem specious or shouldn't mitigate culpability. There needs to be a commonsense change in the law: defendants should be found GUILTY on the grounds of their psychological condition, not innocent, and sentencing should take account of their illnesses, real or alleged. While in prison the guilty should be given psychological help or, in the case of those convicted of "Affluenza" community-service (with police supervision) before being returned to prison. Perhaps the services of an ethicist might also be warranted. But innocence based on any form of mental condition is ridiculous on its face. If it is because of that condition that the person committed the crime -- then that person is guilty because of it, not innocent.
32
Brilliant approach. Totally agree.
3
At sixteen peoples frontal lobes are not fully developed, so they make poor decisions and don't have a clear understanding of consequence. This boys' mother does, however, does have a frontal lobe, so she is responsible for her son's behavior and should be jailed for probation violation along with him.
21
All sixteen year olds are perfectly capable of knowing that you don't drink and drive.
18
Are you absolutely sure she has a frontal lobe?
11
Sorry, I do not accept that as an excuse. The laws against drinking and driving are very clear, and they are common sense laws -- not anything arcane -- if you drink, you will get drunk and operate a car in a dangerous fashion. In this case, it ended the lives of FOUR innocent human beings, and left another one crippled for life.
IF WHAT YOU SAY IS TRUE, maggieast, then those poor helpless teens without front lobe development should OBVIOUSLY NOT BE PERMITTED TO DRIVE. Not at all. Because you have said they are too immature for the serious responsibility of driving, due to those underdeveloped front lobes.
As the frontal lobe is not fully matured until 24, should that not be the age of majority? No voting -- no driving -- no drinking -- cannot marry or sign a contract or own property -- until age 24. Is that what you are suggesting? Surely you do not mean we should let 16 year olds drive drunk, kill people and bear no responsibility at all????
And if you want to have 24 year old kids at home, chauffeuring them everywhere and caring for them as if they were in middle school -- be my guest. Most people believe humans mature faster than this.
IF WHAT YOU SAY IS TRUE, maggieast, then those poor helpless teens without front lobe development should OBVIOUSLY NOT BE PERMITTED TO DRIVE. Not at all. Because you have said they are too immature for the serious responsibility of driving, due to those underdeveloped front lobes.
As the frontal lobe is not fully matured until 24, should that not be the age of majority? No voting -- no driving -- no drinking -- cannot marry or sign a contract or own property -- until age 24. Is that what you are suggesting? Surely you do not mean we should let 16 year olds drive drunk, kill people and bear no responsibility at all????
And if you want to have 24 year old kids at home, chauffeuring them everywhere and caring for them as if they were in middle school -- be my guest. Most people believe humans mature faster than this.
4
This young man (and probably his mother) meet all the criteria for a DSM 5 diagnosis of an antisocial personality disorder. If he was a poor inner city black man, or a middle class white boy he would be locked up or at least getting mandatory mental health treatment. As to how his case was originally pleaded and defended it is an inditement of how "justice" can be bought in this country. In the long run Ethan's lawyers did him more harm than good.
83
The new DSM also considers being sad after a loved one passes a diagnosable mental illness, so I wouldn't put too much stock in what it says.
10
The DSM is abused frequently by "therapists" wanting excuses to get patients "off the hook" -- usually not in actual legal cases, but in their LIVES. It's sad. What should be a helping profession is now often causing harm directly and indirectly by excuse-making, pandering, etc. There is no better way to keep a patient coming back for session after session (sometimes for years!) than to be constantly stroking their delicate egos, and telling them they are "wonderful" and "everyone just misunderstands you".
I'll bet my last nickel that Ethan Couch has had years on end of therapists, counselors, "self-esteem" courses -- private school teachers and tutors kowtowing to his demands -- grades changed -- excuses after excuses made for his behavior -- you don't get to this stage, by the age of only 16, without being spoiled from the time you are in diapers.
I'll bet my last nickel that Ethan Couch has had years on end of therapists, counselors, "self-esteem" courses -- private school teachers and tutors kowtowing to his demands -- grades changed -- excuses after excuses made for his behavior -- you don't get to this stage, by the age of only 16, without being spoiled from the time you are in diapers.
2
I'll bet my last penny you are wrong. If he had any psychotherapy at all, it is much more likely he failed out of each treatment, either because he refused to go when the therapist challenged him, or the therapist found him completely resistant to any real change.
4
Affluenza is incurable, obviously. This kid should be in prison. His mother, too.
93
Don't forget the Dad, just for being such a jerk.
9
I hate to think but I suspect that their wealth spread to the right people would be even more a "get out of jail" card than in the US -- or perhaps equal?
Wow, even probation is too much to bear for victims affected by affluenza. I wonder if he received 10 hrs. of community service for his four deaths would he even be able to handle that? Maybe we were being too heavy handed with the probation?
56
I hope somebody is looking into the judge and pros who gave him a slap on the wrist. Something doesn't look right in this affluenza case. The judge or and prosecution are acting under influence.
32
That would be Judge Jean Boyd of Tarrant County, Texas.
19
Hmmm....maybe a petition to have the judge recalled/let go/ however it works in Tarrant County. Social media is a powerful thing.
1
Contrast this case with the African Americans, like Sandra Bland and Walter Scott, stopped for minor traffic violations who wound up dead.
1673
Contrast this case with the use of marijuana.
I can't thank you enough. After reading a few of the other Times Picks, yours is a welcome relief. Not to mention the stark contrast you've made.
12-29-15@12:02 pm est
12-29-15@12:02 pm est
Did Couch resist arrest? Did he commit suicide? No. Facts are facts, and the constant trolling to pretend that lies are facts will NOT work.
2
Ughhh...this case is a prime example of how to go about undermining trust in the justice system among the general American populace. Now that he and his reprehensible mother have gotten caught, I hope the next judge throws the book at them. Thankfully the previous judge that fell for the whole "affluenza" defense is safely retired, giving succor to those who need it least in some other, less harmful capacity.
41
Trust in the Justice system? Here in America? Ask Tamir Rice about justice. My country is making me sick.
6
I believe it when they return from Mexico...
This is what you get w a liberal leaning judge - the double standard. If the kid was a minority, the kid would be in prison already where he belongs from initial sentencing. Its a shame he didn't get a conservative judge
1
There is absolutely no evidence that the judge was a "liberal". This was a judge who believes that white people with money deserve far more consideration than other people. I don't see that as a liberal trait at all.
But whether the judge was a liberal or a conservative, s/he should be fired.
But whether the judge was a liberal or a conservative, s/he should be fired.
27
The particular judge in this specific case was Jean Boyd, a Republican who handed out many jail sentences to juveniles of lesser means.
Maybe check your facts before making blanket generalizations about specific cases?
Maybe check your facts before making blanket generalizations about specific cases?
33
I don´t think "liberal" is the word here, I think "follow the money" is probably more appropriate.
11
Affluenza has a traditional name. Wealth has turned a number of people into sociopaths.
119
"Entitled" sociopaths.
18
I think this probably reverses cause and effect.
3
100 years ago if your drunken recklessness caused the death of 4 people and if the justice system did not hang you (wealthy or not), then members of the family eventually met you on a dark road and you were never heard from again.
What happened to, "If it bleeds, it leads?" The fact that Mr. Couch killed 4 people is paramount, ande that he fled with his Momma telling. The defense's absurd and unfortunately successful arguments shed more light on our biased, racist, injustice system.
26
Money knows no race.
Our system is designed to protect the wealthy and punish the poor.
The bar to getting justice is money- not race.
The law doesn't care about poor white people either.
Our system is designed to protect the wealthy and punish the poor.
The bar to getting justice is money- not race.
The law doesn't care about poor white people either.
2
Next, they should go after the judge who gave him probation for taking four lives while in a drunken tirade. That is simply unconscionable.
116
While this case is the tip of the iceberg for drunk driving, America has yet to come to terms with it's attitudes towards drunk and impaired driving. That leniency condemns thousands of innocent victims to lives of disability and pain as a result of being hit by a drunk driver(s). Denial is a common feature of this illness and it's evident in those who commit and those who prosecute.
The law "should" be if a person drives drunk their vehicle is taken away, and they spend a year in prison. When they re-violate, they are in prison for twenty years. Not only would it make us all safer it would cauterize the wounds left arrogant murderers like this child and his "co" parents.
The law "should" be if a person drives drunk their vehicle is taken away, and they spend a year in prison. When they re-violate, they are in prison for twenty years. Not only would it make us all safer it would cauterize the wounds left arrogant murderers like this child and his "co" parents.
342
As well as those who text and drive causing death
13
In response to GGoins, A 20-year sentence for drunk driving would constitute cruel and unusual punishment. Such treatment would lead to the same sorts of societal problems as locking up minor drug offenders for years on end, as we have learned in the recent past. I'm all for a tougher approach to drunk driving, but at the same time we should be reasonable and help people solve their personal issues, not exacerbate them.
2
Yes, Alaska whose in denial now, if life goes your way and the person is the bread winner, a family is demolished too. Enough of that happens in Alaska already with the extraordinary fines, no alternatives to drinking in the cold months, the life style limitations. No state income tax but you have all the fines to substitute for the income tax. And that hits the poor the hardest. Go north from Anchorage and stay away see what I mean. What is your state rate now 50% of adults males have DUIs? Tough laws are not working in your state, not working at all getting tougher is not the answer either. Life just is not that simple.
The Couch case crystallized widespread outrage that rich, white defendants like Mr. Couch receive more lenient treatment than poor, minority ones.
It not rich white defendants, it is rich law vs poor law, remember O.J. Simpson.
It not rich white defendants, it is rich law vs poor law, remember O.J. Simpson.
19
Apparently the Judge may actually have been pretty smart: The theory goes the DA was wrong for agreeing to charge the kid as a minor. This kid, who was 17.5 at the trial, would have served 6 months and then had his record expunged, so the judge sentenced him to 10 years of probation knowing that he was likely too big a jerk to not mess up for a decade and would then be able to be charged as an adult, which will now happen and he will likely go to prison for 10 years.
1320
Find me some poor folks or minorities who, under similar circumstances, received similar sentences, and you might have a plausible argument. The judge was himself "under the influence" in this case.
8
Thanks for explaining this view point, as it explains why the ruling seemed absurd. The judge was just playing with the hand that was dealt given from the DA, while trying to set up a "lion's den" for Couch to walk into at a later time.
6
@Carrie, you wrote "...and would then be able to be charged as an adult, which will now happen...".
Not necessarily. I believe he would only be charged as an adult if his case were moved out of juvenile court.
Not necessarily. I believe he would only be charged as an adult if his case were moved out of juvenile court.
4
Doesn't Donald Trump suffer from affluenza too?
272
perhaps, but he was not arrested and fled to another country. Be serious, man. If Trump is worthy to be President then he will win. If not, he will will not. Its as simple/complicated as that.
2
I think he's got something far more serious than a common gold cold.
2
If this kid had not caused the accident, he would have grown up to be a Trump mini-me: a megalomaniac totally oblivious to the consequences of his actions (or words).
2
I don't know why people are laughing about the affluenza defense for criminal behavior. In the vast majority of cases, it works like a charm:
Examples include: Bush, Cheney, Rice, Rumsfeld, Wolfowitz, Clinton, Blair, Powell, Bremer, Petraeus, Clapper, Tenet, the CIA, the NSA, Exon Mobile, Wall Street....
Examples include: Bush, Cheney, Rice, Rumsfeld, Wolfowitz, Clinton, Blair, Powell, Bremer, Petraeus, Clapper, Tenet, the CIA, the NSA, Exon Mobile, Wall Street....
560
I talked to an ex-cop in the rich norther suburbs of Chicago once. He says that when doing traffic stops they didn't even bother stopping the most expensive cars or certain known cars because the tickets would just be dismissed anyways.
Am I the only one who thought the Judge got it right the first time? Only in the United States, among the Democracies, are adolescents judged by the consequences of their actions. A 16-year old had a horrible accident, and Texas a state, whose justice system would insult Neanderthals if the comparison was invoked, wants to send him away for 20 years. He was labeled an international fugitive for peaceably having a drink behind closed doors like any other 18-year old. Compounding the problem is the public is probably right, he only escaped prison because his family hired a well-connected lawyer. Adolescent should be held responsible for their infraction, not their consequence. This is another black mark on the U.S. commitment to mass incarceration. Why doesn't the Times do a story on how Germany or Norway would treat such a calamity?
89
I think murderers should be punished severely for killing people-- depending on the specific context. Imprisonment for manslaughter due to reckless irresponsibility leading to longer imprisonment for crimes of passion up to death for psychopaths who stalk humans in order to imprison, torture, rape and murder the victims.
But so long as the victims are strangers to me, I don't hate the murderers -- I just think they should be dealt with in the same manner one deals with a rattlesnark or other dangerous threat.
The people I hate are people like you -- who think the victims' families should just accept the massive misery and pain levied on them without retaliation.
By what right do you inflict your stupid moral views on those families when you have no stake in the matter?
We execute murderers in exchange for the victims families foreswearing justified revenge and allowing an objective jury to judge. In this instance, I suspect someone in the victims' extended family or a friend of such followed Ethan Couch and waited for him to commit an act that could be captured on video.
I also think the law should take a look at the bank accounts and telephone logs of the retired judge.
But so long as the victims are strangers to me, I don't hate the murderers -- I just think they should be dealt with in the same manner one deals with a rattlesnark or other dangerous threat.
The people I hate are people like you -- who think the victims' families should just accept the massive misery and pain levied on them without retaliation.
By what right do you inflict your stupid moral views on those families when you have no stake in the matter?
We execute murderers in exchange for the victims families foreswearing justified revenge and allowing an objective jury to judge. In this instance, I suspect someone in the victims' extended family or a friend of such followed Ethan Couch and waited for him to commit an act that could be captured on video.
I also think the law should take a look at the bank accounts and telephone logs of the retired judge.
32
He killed four people. Where exactly does he belong? On a stamp?
62
Yes, we should look to Germany - where they put 6 million humans in ovens - on how to determine justice.
How about this? Anyone who gets drunk, kills 4 people and leaves another paralyzed for life, might want to show some remorse and get some reasonable punishment. Getting a few months in an elite, pampering "addiction center" was not punishment and this kid was not "peaceably having a drink behind closed doors", he was engaging in the kind of behavior that got those kids killed in the first place. By the way, this behavior violated his probation which is why he and his mother left for Mexico.
How about this? Anyone who gets drunk, kills 4 people and leaves another paralyzed for life, might want to show some remorse and get some reasonable punishment. Getting a few months in an elite, pampering "addiction center" was not punishment and this kid was not "peaceably having a drink behind closed doors", he was engaging in the kind of behavior that got those kids killed in the first place. By the way, this behavior violated his probation which is why he and his mother left for Mexico.
34
We seriously need to develop a vaccine to battle the epidemic of Affluenza.
Clearly 1% of Americans are infected and believe they are entitled to markets that are "free" for them to exploit, "free" trade so they can freely export jobs, free to destroy the Earth as they see fit, freedom to buy the political process - even free to insult their way into free housing in the white house. They also want to be "free" from responsibility too. Without a vaccine, this epidemic will lead to unimaginable riches on a planetary scale to only those with the worst case Affluenza.
Clearly 1% of Americans are infected and believe they are entitled to markets that are "free" for them to exploit, "free" trade so they can freely export jobs, free to destroy the Earth as they see fit, freedom to buy the political process - even free to insult their way into free housing in the white house. They also want to be "free" from responsibility too. Without a vaccine, this epidemic will lead to unimaginable riches on a planetary scale to only those with the worst case Affluenza.
53
It's called higher taxes on their wealth and regulation of the means by which they obtain it. All we have now is karma.
6
I have an idea: If being born rich is such a great burden, why don't we take away the family money, so they won't have to bear that burden any longer?
7
He should be UNDER the jail.
9
This article should be updated to include info about the judge who bought that idiotic defense, and background about this smirking kid's mother.
52
Not too long ago the father was arrested for impersonating a police officer. I can't remember where I read this but you could probably easily find it online.
3
Juxtaposing this article with the article on the shooting in Cleveland is jarring. If you are white, you come come after killing four people. If you are black you are shot dead for waving a toy gun around.
129
Good!
Money can buy good lawyers. A poor jury doesn't hurt.
This entire case has been a classic, "only in America."
Money can buy good lawyers. A poor jury doesn't hurt.
This entire case has been a classic, "only in America."
7
This isn't "only in America". It's everywhere money trumps justice. We're in that club
15
Every now and again some high-profile but ultimately unimportant representative of privilege (cf. Martha Stewart) is shamed and sentenced as a sop to the resentments of the lower orders in lieu of punishment undertaken against considerably more pernicious "malefactors of great wealth," which in a just world would involve tumbrils. Still, this kid seems as fit a candidate as any for the scapegoat role, and it is satisfying to imagine him contemplating his affluenza over the course of a few years' close confinement.
349
A person who killed four people is not a scapegoat.
94
'...some high-profile but ultimately unimportant representative of privilege...'
Only if it is a rich blond woman.
How many rich men have gone to prison for insider trading?
Only if it is a rich blond woman.
How many rich men have gone to prison for insider trading?
13
What an odd comment. "...it is satisfying.." Where's the satisfaction if there's no prison term? "...lower orders..shamed..scapegoat.." He shamed himself. Lower orders is so offensive there's almost no need to go there, though I'll say this. Since the rather antiquated term means lower classes, it's reasonable ask whether insufficient consideration's given to the fact that money doesn't give one class. And scapegoat? Scapegoats are innocent people. How could this young murderer possibly be described as innocent?
12-29-15@11:57 am est
12-29-15@11:57 am est
10
Gotta love the "Affluenza" and the "Twinkie" defenses, but what is more sobering is that there were two juries that actually acknowledged them.
76
He pled guilty to four counts of manslaughter. The problem was the judge's sentence. I am convinced the judge was paid off.
11
You're referring to Judge Jean Hudson Boyd.
5
One suspicious thing is that the judge retired not long after rendering this decision. So the "bribe" might have been something hard to detect -- paying off debts? or a mortgage? -- not all bribes are cash in a paper sack. Sometimes they involve influence or favoritism in ways that are very hard to trace.
4
It boggles the mind that a judge could initially have bought the defense's story. Four innocents dead and a friend paralyzed and brain-damaged. Among its many other disgusting aspects, this case suggests that a judge so easily swayed by "expert" opinion ought to removed from the bench, if she hasn't already stepped down.
1123
She did, a year ago Saturday.
11
Texas "elects" judges. Those three words say more than this entire article.
29
This whole case makes one speculate what other considerations the Judge may have had in the lenient sentencing. this is Texas after all
3
The operative principle in this tawdry little affair seems to have remained unchanged since the beginning: for darling, spoiled Ethan, with the help of an enabling parent, to evade any really meaningful consequences for his behavior.
If the original incident had involved a convenience store robbery instead of death-by-drunken-driver, and a perpetrator who was poor instead of wealthy, and who was black or Latino instead of white, and who was represented by a public defender instead of a well–paid private attorney, does anyone seriously imagine that the court system would have limited the sentence to probation because of the accused’s “poverenza,” as in “your Honor, my client was just too poor to know right from wrong”? Really now, we are, after all, talking about Texas, where most public officials seem to speak of the poor, and to administratively, legislatively, and judicially treat the poor, as if they were just one step above vermin.
In general essence this case seems to be just a highly personal and melodramatic example of one of the great operative principles of current American society: wealthy people’s belief, actively encouraged by the system, that real punishment applies only to the little people.
“Affluenza,” my foot.
If the original incident had involved a convenience store robbery instead of death-by-drunken-driver, and a perpetrator who was poor instead of wealthy, and who was black or Latino instead of white, and who was represented by a public defender instead of a well–paid private attorney, does anyone seriously imagine that the court system would have limited the sentence to probation because of the accused’s “poverenza,” as in “your Honor, my client was just too poor to know right from wrong”? Really now, we are, after all, talking about Texas, where most public officials seem to speak of the poor, and to administratively, legislatively, and judicially treat the poor, as if they were just one step above vermin.
In general essence this case seems to be just a highly personal and melodramatic example of one of the great operative principles of current American society: wealthy people’s belief, actively encouraged by the system, that real punishment applies only to the little people.
“Affluenza,” my foot.
2183
@TimesChat,
Your comment deserves to be posted on the front page of the NYT.
Your comment deserves to be posted on the front page of the NYT.
10
The best 'justice' money can buy.
7
The original incident DID involve a convenience store robbery: darling Ethan was caught from surveillance video lifting 2 sixpacks from a convenience store. Then going on a rampage.
19
A headline on an article about the case in TheWeek.com read, “Being rich is now a get-out-of-jail-free card.”
Being rich has alway been a get-out-of-jail-free card, this is not new. How many bankers went to jail after they broke the world economy in 2008? Still waiting? Yet a person who gets a speeding ticket for 200 bucks that they can't afford to pay, ends up in jail after a bench warrant is issued. If a person gets a couple of parking violations in New York, the police can seize your car if the violations exceed $300.00. This kid killed four people and injured another and is frolicking on the beach in Mexico with his mother, because he's too rich to understand his actions have consequences, throw the book at him and his mother. Seize their assets.
Being rich has alway been a get-out-of-jail-free card, this is not new. How many bankers went to jail after they broke the world economy in 2008? Still waiting? Yet a person who gets a speeding ticket for 200 bucks that they can't afford to pay, ends up in jail after a bench warrant is issued. If a person gets a couple of parking violations in New York, the police can seize your car if the violations exceed $300.00. This kid killed four people and injured another and is frolicking on the beach in Mexico with his mother, because he's too rich to understand his actions have consequences, throw the book at him and his mother. Seize their assets.
566
If you do not have $200 for a speeding ticket -- DON'T SPEED! or don't drive.
Speeders kill thousands each year, damage property, cause accidents, etc. I was nearly killed about 5 years ago, when a speeder (yakking on her cellphone, no less) blew through an intersection going 30 miles over the speed limit and t-boned my mini-van. You may take this lightly; I do not.
A speeding ticket has to cost enough that it HURTS. It is a rare person who truly cannot come up with $200, and consideration of one's economic situation should be causing poorer drivers to drive EVEN MORE CAREFULLY. If you let them off the hook for speeding, pretty soon you will have a LOT more speeding going on.
I am not excusing Ethan Couch in any way, shape or form. He should have been in jail, serving hard time as an adult. His family should have faced financial repercussions from the injuries he caused (not sure why this did not happen, actually, since they are rich). I have no idea why the judge ruled as he did -- stupid? took a bribe? -- I've never heard an explanation.
As for the banksters: HELLO! What POTUS let them get away with crashing our economy? His initials are B.H.O.
Speeders kill thousands each year, damage property, cause accidents, etc. I was nearly killed about 5 years ago, when a speeder (yakking on her cellphone, no less) blew through an intersection going 30 miles over the speed limit and t-boned my mini-van. You may take this lightly; I do not.
A speeding ticket has to cost enough that it HURTS. It is a rare person who truly cannot come up with $200, and consideration of one's economic situation should be causing poorer drivers to drive EVEN MORE CAREFULLY. If you let them off the hook for speeding, pretty soon you will have a LOT more speeding going on.
I am not excusing Ethan Couch in any way, shape or form. He should have been in jail, serving hard time as an adult. His family should have faced financial repercussions from the injuries he caused (not sure why this did not happen, actually, since they are rich). I have no idea why the judge ruled as he did -- stupid? took a bribe? -- I've never heard an explanation.
As for the banksters: HELLO! What POTUS let them get away with crashing our economy? His initials are B.H.O.
4
Since when does the President run the Department of Justice? Successful prosecuting and fining billions in fines of banks as institutions is one thing, proving individual blame is quite another. Either way, the topic is not banks, but an 18- year old fugitive and his mother -- it certainly seems he learned his personal sense of privilege from her.
15
lotusflower,
The President *does* run the Department of Justice. Everybody in a position of decision-making authority there serves at the pleasure of the President.
I do agree with you about the sense of privilege and entitlement that appears to be here with Couch and his mother.
The President *does* run the Department of Justice. Everybody in a position of decision-making authority there serves at the pleasure of the President.
I do agree with you about the sense of privilege and entitlement that appears to be here with Couch and his mother.
4
Another triumph for the "helping professions," and helicopter parents.
12
Uh... one of the big differences between going to a therapist versus talking to a friend is that they call you on your behavior, instead of being unconditionally supportive. Therapists have to connect with their patients in order to be able to do that, hence the playing during therapy, but once trust and caring is established, the therapist uses that to be able to communicate hard truths in ways the patient can actually hear and respond to -- the patient can't ignore it as just coming from someone they don't respect or whose approval they don't need.
I doubt that many criminals have great opinions of themselves -- most adults don't, in fact.
I doubt that many criminals have great opinions of themselves -- most adults don't, in fact.
5
So I suppose now the excuse for her abetting his parole violation will be that her mother's love rendered her unable to tell wrong from right
226
He needed someone to color his hair. He's a brunette now.
7
The "Twinkie Defense" on steroids.
1
Pathetic juxtaposition in the news today of Ethan Couch the white afflenza kid who is let off after his drunk driving killed four people.
And Tamir Rice, the black 12 year old child who was gunned down by out of control police for playing with a toy/non lethal gun, threatening no one, committing no crime but killed by police action just the same. No one at fault. Something symbolic here...to quote from the song, if you are white you are all right if you are black git back (Big Bill Broonzy: Black. Brown and White)
And Tamir Rice, the black 12 year old child who was gunned down by out of control police for playing with a toy/non lethal gun, threatening no one, committing no crime but killed by police action just the same. No one at fault. Something symbolic here...to quote from the song, if you are white you are all right if you are black git back (Big Bill Broonzy: Black. Brown and White)
465
They have SOME similarities -- but not the ones you think. Both kids were neglected and ignored. Tamir's father isn't even mentioned in stories; one assumes he is one of the millions of black fathers who is simply a "sperm donor" with no relationship nor responsibility towards his offspring. He left Tamir and his mother to suffer in a horrible, dangerous, inner-city neighborhood -- which despite your lefty liberal whinging, really IS so dangerous that a teenager messing around with a gun in a public park really IS a threat. ANY parent in that neighborhood would know of the danger -- ANY parent should have been keeping an eye on a 12 year old, and certainly not allowed them to play in public with a realistic-looking toy gun.
Both are tragedies, in different ways, about what happens when parents abdicate all responsibility and moral authority.
Both are tragedies, in different ways, about what happens when parents abdicate all responsibility and moral authority.
10
Sure blame the mother who PERHAPS was working at the time to support her family.
8
The unfortunate reality is that the other people in the playground had fled in fear - Tamir may not have realized the significance of this before the police were summoned...
3
In the greater realm of more relevant news, this story is page seven worthy. Yet this story conjured up such ire from me that I was looking forward to the day this mother and son were caught. Thankfully, today was the day.
It would be too much to draw overarching conclusions that this story is what's wrong with America today. However, the flippant and selfish attitude of these two should be an example of how not to raise children and how not to break the law to everyone.
It would be too much to draw overarching conclusions that this story is what's wrong with America today. However, the flippant and selfish attitude of these two should be an example of how not to raise children and how not to break the law to everyone.
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I think because this is just SUCH an egregious example of spoiled entitlement, whinging, excuse-making, parental helicoptering. It is off the charts, and it demonstrates that such bad parenting -- taken to the absolute extreme here -- can lead to actual death, destruction and harm done to others. It's not something benign. It's not just the whinging little monster kid in line at the Big Box store, or the kid who ruins everyone's dinner in the expensive restaurant when he throws a tantrum. In the end, it becomes THIS -- this ruined kid, with his ruined life, and his excuse-making, pandering parents. And four dead people, and another who was horribly injured for life.
25
Justice is for sale no matter what country you live in.
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Mr. Heck, and all 31 people who "recommended", no this is not true. A good attorney certainly may make a difference, but having been a resident in several countries (and I speak the languages well), I can speak from reading the (foreign) newspapers that your statement is false. Aside from the fact that some countries a pro-bono, court-appointed attorney also is appointed by a judge using the large law-firms (the same judge keeps an eye on the performance of the court-appointed attorneys). Not all countries have an adversarial legal system.
2
Well, he asked for and got leniency, got it and then skipped out on his parole.
Now, put him in jail, and his mother too.
Make things right for those injured and dead because of him and his family!
-gs
Now, put him in jail, and his mother too.
Make things right for those injured and dead because of him and his family!
-gs
356
"Now, put him in jail, and his mother too." And, recover our tax dollars spent on chasing the self-centered (fill in the blank),..Puerta Vallerta, really!
28
The mother should end up in a Mexican jail for being there illegally. There she might learn compassion for the poor.
Let's hope the justice system gets it right this time.
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And the judge.
29
He is too rich in Texas so nothing will happen to him.
6