Teen who killed 4 in drunken crash avoids jail

[Trip McNeely]

They should hang this SOB publicly.

[564826]

Unless they don't know who the person is who puts him under the ground or one of the parents of those slain does it and claims severe mental trauma.

You're preaching to the choir, trust me that if that were my loved one..

[Broncojohnny]

$700 a day for anything is beyond absurd. Sounds like rehab on the government teet. That kid should be in a place like Folsom with real convicts.

[Forever_frost]

But I promise you that the person who kills him is definitely going to jail.

Unless they don't know who the person is who puts him under the ground or one of the parents of those slain does it and claims severe mental trauma.

[564826]

I hope the same thing happens to him one day.

But I promise you that the person who kills him is definitely going to jail.

[line-em-up]

I hope the same thing happens to him one day.

Gets even worse.


Texas teenager Ethan Couch got drunk, got high, got behind the wheel, and killed four people. He avoided jail time because his parents were "too rich," and he didn't understand responsibility. Instead, his parents just had to pay for rehab. And now they won't even do that, for the most part.

Couch's lawyers had successfully defended him by arguing that he suffered from "affluenza," a mental condition that is not, weirdly enough, in the DSM-5. In short, he had never known responsibility in his life, and thus was not responsible for the deaths of four people and the serious injury of two others, despite plowing into them with his father's Ford F-350 with THC, valium, and muscle relaxants in his system.

Oh, and he also had a blood alcohol content of .24, or three times the legal limit. Or, rather it would be three times the legal limit, but at 17 he wasn't old enough to be drinking anything at all.

In short, an idiot, with the blood of six people on his hands.

Couch was sentenced to probation and rehab, instead of prison. Part of the terms of that deal was that his parents would pay for that rehab.

It turns out that under Texas state law, the state subsidizes rehab, and convicted criminals pay on a sliding scale. The maximum that they could pay, under that system, is just $1,170 a month, according to the Fort Worth Star-Telegram:

"The family respects the decision of the facility and of the court and will honor the payment system that the court has put in place," Lance Evans, the attorney for Couch's parents, said after the hearing.

I bet they do.

The rehab Couch is staying at really costs $715 a day. As he's been in treatment since February 19th, the total cost of his treatment will be $42,900 next week. Couch's parents will have paid $2,340, or just a little over 5% of the total cost.

So remember, folks:

If you are rich enough, you will never have to go to jail. Your parents will pay for you to go to jail, unless they won't actually have to pay much at all.

Ethan Couch, on his part, still hasn't apologized to his victims. He is too emotionally stunted, his lawyer told CNN.

http://jalopnik.com/affluenza-teen-who-killed-four-people-wont-pay-much-1562755903?rev=1397417914&utm_campaign=socialflow_jalopnik_facebook&utm_source=jalopnik_facebook&utm_medium=socialflow

[stevo]

Here comes the accusations of racism by the judge-

Rewind to another court date where this same judge Boyd reportedly sentenced a 14-year-old boy to 10 years last March. This teen, who happened to be black, was charged as a juvenile for punching someone who later died.

Stevo

[orphan Shelby]

Wonder what the pos is driving around in now. Would love to recognize him coming down the road and wreck his ass.

[ceyko]

Just tells me liberal thought process is getting deeper in TX.

[mardyn]

If he got jail time, he would have done a year or two max.

This could be a possible explanation for why the Judge opted for probation as opposed to a 2 year sentence in Juvenile Jail...

Given his past discrepancies, that little drunk should have been charge/tried as an adult and given a sentence appropriate for his actions.

I'm sure his defense team considered it a major victory just having him charged as a juvenile, and were probably even more shocked that the Judge bought their
bodacious defense argument....

and lastly;

How the f*ck does this punk get away with killing 4 people and maiming 2 more and get probation.... and the lady(?) stealing Christmas ornaments from front yards get convicted and sentenced to 70 years in prison?

WTF? Justice is supposed to be blind, but not totally stupid.


mardyn

[Chopped54]

Cleburne Sheet Metal is his company, well it goes by both names. They have apparently taken down their website since this has gone viral. He is a big commercial roofing company. He does about 20 mil a year in metal roofing. Guy makes bank I promise you.

My cousins old man is in commercial roofing and kills it so I know it can be done.

[stevo]

Cleburne Sheet Metal is his company, well it goes by both names. They have apparently taken down their website since this has gone viral. He is a big commercial roofing company. He does about 20 mil a year in metal roofing. Guy makes bank I promise you.

I didn't say he didn't, I was commenting to the person I quoted.

I love how the media paints a picture of them being ultra rich millionaires and yet they live in a ~$350k home....

Stevo

[bluecollar]

I love how the media paints a picture of them being ultra rich millionaires and yet they live in a ~$350k home....

Family friend lives in a old ranch house built in the '70s, probably worth around $200k. Don't know his exact worth other than it exceeds $50MM. He also daily drives his mid '80s truck that is beat to shit.

[The King]

Original word was that the elder Couch started the company, now the younger Couch may bankrupt it.