DawgTalkers.net Forums DawgTalk Everything Else... Drunk-driving teen who killed 4 too rich for jail, critics argue

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http://usnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2013/12/...ogists-say?lite

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/12/11/ethan-couch-sentenced_n_4426722.html

http://www.torontosun.com/2013/12/12/drunk-driving-teen-who-killed-4-too-rich-for-jail-critics-argue

http://fox4kc.com/2013/12/11/texas-teen-...runk-killing-4/

Texas teen Ethan Couch gets 10 years probation for driving drunk, killing 4

USTIN - A decision by a Texas judge this week to give an affluent teenager probation after he killed four people while driving drunk has sparked a backlash and complaints of a miscarriage of justice.

State District Judge Jean Boyd on Tuesday sentenced the 16-year-old boy to 10 years probation and ordered him to get therapy. The teen was driving a pickup truck when he ran down four people who were helping fix a vehicle at the roadside in the Fort Worth area.

A psychologist for the defence said the teen suffered from "affluenza", a condition where a person feels shielded from problems by money, having led a life of privilege paid for by his parents, local media reported.

The four people killed in the June incident were Breanna Mitchell, whose car broke down, Hollie and Shelby Boyles, who lived nearby and came out to help and youth minister Brian Jennings, who stopped to help, the Fort Worth Star Telegram reported.

The paper has been flooded with comments on the sentence, almost all of which were critical of the judge.

"It is a slap in the face to people who rely on the justice system and just reinforces the idea that the best defence is loads of money," Shirley Watson wrote in a comment to the paper on Thursday.

The teen driver had three times the legal limit of alcohol in his system at the time arrest, prosecutors said. They were looking for a sentence of 20 years in jail.

Eric Boyles, whose wife and daughter died in the incident, said on CNN on Wednesday night that he was shocked at the sentence.

"There are absolutely no consequences for what occurred that day," Boyles told the broadcaster.

"The primary message has to absolutely be that money and privilege can't buy justice in this country, that it's not okay to drink and drive and kill four people, and severely injure another, and not have any consequences."

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I fall back on my moral luck stance for drunk drivers. I've driven dangerously drunk multiple times. (maybe 5?) The kid is 16 and what good is 10 years of prison going to accomplish? A lot of people drive drunk and unless we prove this kid had some intention of murdering people he isn't different from all the other drunks.

I like the probation idea a lot. The reasoning that he was rich and doesn't understand consequences doesn't make a lot of sense. I bet the lawyer who came up with that was incredibly expensive and the fact he only got probation is the exact opposite of the argument's intention. I'm surprised it worked, 16 year olds don't understand consequences regardless of their parent's income.

Obviously I feel bad for the dead people. But at the same time, how many of us have driven drunk. It is a 16 year old kid who just killed 4 people on accident doing something millions of Americans have done. It's just bad luck and I think probation is a really good choice in that scenario. If he takes the murders to heart he'll never drive drunk again. I'm not even sure if the probation will allow him to use drugs, which is also fine by me. If he is caught driving drunk again after murdering 4 people throw him in the slammer for not learning his lesson.

Jail is for intentional violent criminals. Not people who make stupid mistakes that have horrible outcomes. Don't lock up otherwise good people who had something really really unlucky happen because of a stupid mistake.

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King...are you serious? The difference between you, me, or anyone else driving drunk and this kid is WE DIDN'T KILL ANYONE, LET ALONE 4 PEOPLE! I drove drunk twice in my life (both times I was in high school) I knew back then if i got drunk and got behind the wheel and got caught i was going to get in to big time trouble, and if i hit someone and hurt or killed them i was probably going to jail.

Stop making excuses for this kid...a person knows right from wrong at the age of 16...hes not two years old....he knew how to drive, he was smart enough to steal beer....he is smart enough to know what he did is wrong.

So just because you say "everyone" has driven drunk at some point, he should get a slap on the wrist because he didn't intend to kill anyone? You know King, there is a law on the books for accidental death, its called manslaughter, it usually proved by negligence casuing someone to lose their life....at the very least this kid is guilty of 4 counts of manslaughter....that would be prison time as well.

What good would 10 years of prison do for this kid? How about give him time to think about what he has done, how about finally making him realize their is consequences for his actions.

it doesn't matter that millions of Americans have driven drunk and got lucky enough not to kill anyone, its still illegal and the difference between millions of americans and this young man is this young man DID kill someone...he killed 4 people to be exact.

He robbed 4 people of their lives...these 4 people will never smile again, will never laugh again, will never feel the embrace of a hug from wife/husband, family, and kids...will never expereince another christmas, or a thanksgiving feast with loved ones....this young man stole EVERYTHING these 4 people ever had and all they ever will have....he belongs in prison to pay for his crime....he stole so much from people who didn't deserve it...

As for you driving drunk, I suggest you never do it again....everyone always thinks it will "never be me" and one of these days it could be you who kills someone...is 20-30 years in prison worth getting drunk and risking it behind the wheel? I don't think so.....

Furthermore, My cousin was killed by a drunk driver walking across the street....he ran her over like a dog...I had to tell her 9 year old son and 6 year old daughter that their mom was dead....I had to explain why people die to them...You don't EVER want to know how that feels...NOT EVER....you have no idea how that feels....

You really hit a nerve with me here....I have lost family to drunk drivers....its a heinous crime...its vehicular homicide is what it is...and it should be treated as such....

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teen suffered from "affluenza", a condition where a person feels shielded from problems by money,

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BUT the coining and use of the term 'Affluenza' is a scary precedent.

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A psychologist for the defence said the teen suffered from "affluenza", a condition where a person feels shielded from problems by money, having led a life of privilege paid for by his parents, local media reported.

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That's why I call it "Just Us"

If you can afford a great defense team and have influence, you get away with a lot. Look at how many white collar criminals steal millions and walk away.

Justice is a myth. Just us is alive and well.

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Clever,, I like it.

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If that's the case, then it's actually a dig on the justice system, because it worked.

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Throwing him in jail would hurt his self-esteem. We don't want that.

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A psychologist for the defence said the teen suffered from "affluenza", a condition where a person feels shielded from problems by money, having led a life of privilege paid for by his parents, local media reported.

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Well this sentence should go a long way toward fixing this problem.

On a side note, they have a name for being spoiled now? "Affluenza"... Is it officially a disease?

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Jail is for intentional violent criminals. Not people who make stupid mistakes that have horrible outcomes. Don't lock up otherwise good people who had something really really unlucky happen because of a stupid mistake.

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I meant every single word of it no hyperbole at all . I wish nothing but suffering and sorrow for this little miscreant .

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This kid was issued a fine for drinking previously so this wasn't something that he had done only once . As far as the judge goes.... I just can't get what he was thinking.

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It was a female judge that's retiring next year. I still can't grasp the rationale for her decision.



The judge who handed down a sentence of probation and treatment for a wealthy North Texas teen who killed four pedestrians in a drunken driving wreck is facing public outrage and calls for her removal.

Controversy surrounding the sentence has become focused on the defense's strategy which included testimony that 16-year-old Ethan Couch suffered from "affluenza" -- a diagnosis not recognized by the American Psychiatric Association which refers to an upbringing so privileged that a person is unable to discern right from wrong.

Victim's Family, Attorneys Speak Out After Ethan Couch Sentenced to Probation

On Tuesday, Judge Jean Boyd sentenced Couch to 10 years of probation and treatment, possibly to be served at an expensive California rehab facility that would be paid for by the teen's parents. Prosecutors had sought the maximum sentence of 20 years in state custody.

Boyd's decision has led to public calls for her resignation and an online petition on Change.org demanding that Gov. Rick Perry remove Boyd from the bench.

Under current Texas law, the governor can remove a sitting judge from the bench with approval of two-thirds of Texas House and Senate members.

Boyd, who previously announced she is retiring at the end of her term next year, declined to comment on both the sentencing decision and the calls for her removal when contacted by NBC 5. Boyd said speaking about the situation would be unethical.

The outrage over the sentencing decision is largely linked to the testimony of psychologist Gary Miller, a witness for the defense who said Ethan Couch suffered from "affluenza," a term suggesting his parents' wealth and privilege taught him there were no consequences for bad behavior.

In addition to the APA, other mental health practitioners believe that diagnosis should not have been used by the defense to justify wrongdoing.

Other critics feel the sentence, and the use of the "affluenza" defense, sends a bad message about personal responsibility.

"I think once you're behind the wheel it doesn't matter where you're from, who you are, how famous you are, how poor, how rich, how anything ... I think when we're given a driver's license, that's a privilege and a part of that privilege has a responsibility," Jeff Miracle, with Mothers Against Drunk Driving, told NBC 5.

Couch's attorneys argue that the judge's sentence will have a significant impact on the convicted teen and his life going forward.

Scott Brown, Couch's lead attorney, said the teen could have been freed after two years if he had drawn the 20-year sentence. Instead, the judge "fashioned a sentence that could have him under the thumb of the justice system for the next 10 years," he told the Star-Telegram.

"And if Ethan doesn't do what he's supposed to do, if he has one misstep at all, then this judge or an adult judge when he's transferred can then incarcerate him in prison," Brown said. "He's taken away from his family, he's taken away from all the things that he's been given."

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I meant every single word of it no hyperbole at all . I wish nothing but suffering and sorrow for this little miscreant .

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Obviously I feel bad for the dead people. But at the same time, how many of us have driven drunk. It is a 16 year old kid who just killed 4 people on accident doing something millions of Americans have done. It's just bad luck and I think probation is a really good choice in that scenario.

Jail is for intentional violent criminals. Not people who make stupid mistakes that have horrible outcomes. Don't lock up otherwise good people who had something really really unlucky happen because of a stupid mistake.

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It was a female judge that's retiring next year. I still can't grasp the rationale for her decision.

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How hard is a quarter to a half million dollars to grasp

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I think the kid (tried as a juvenile) should have done time in a juvenile facility. However, I feel adult prison would be to harsh, he wouldn't last a day. You can't morally convict this kid to a 10 or more year sentence of rape, sexual slavery, physical and mental abuse on a level that would be maddening to anyone; this kid would be an easy target in the joint.

Additionally I have known two people, who due to their negligence and alcohol related driving incidents, have killed others. The first one over 18, wrecked while driving drunk running another car off the road and into a telephone pole killing the teenage male driver. He served 30 days in jail and got 5 years probation. He was poor and had a public defender. The second was underage, flipped his car doing 65mph+ in a 35mph zone on a snowy night after drinking but under the legal limit(not considered drunk). He killed a passenger (16 year old girl) and had a public defender as well. He got off with five years suspended license, 6 months reporting probation and 18 months non-reporting.

So, this sentence is in-line with what I have seen others get. BUT the coining and use of the term 'Affluenza' is a scary precedent.

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Affluenza, a portmanteau of affluence and influenza, is a term used by critics of consumerism. The book Affluenza: The All-Consuming Epidemic defines it as "a painful, contagious, socially transmitted condition of overload, debt, anxiety and waste resulting from the dogged pursuit of more".[1]

A potential criticism of the idea of affluenza is that it presents subjective social critique as an objective, inevitable and debilitating illness.

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