Texas teen too rich to go to prison

[Queen Mab]

(CNN) -- To the families of the victims, Ethan Couch was a killer on the road, a drunken teenage driver who caused a crash that left four people dead.

To the defense, the youth is himself a victim -- of "affluenza," according to one psychologist -- the product of wealthy, privileged parents who never set limits for the boy.

To a judge, who sentenced Couch to 10 years' probation but no jail time, he's a defendant in need of treatment.

The decision disappointed prosecutors and stunned victims' family members, who say they feel that Couch got off too easy. Prosecutors had asked for the maximum of 20 years behind bars.

"Let's face it. ... There needs to be some justice here," Eric Boyles, who lost his wife and daughter, told CNN's "Anderson Cooper 360" on Wednesday night.

"For 25 weeks, I've been going through a healing process. And so when the verdict came out, I mean, my immediate reaction is -- I'm back to week 1. We have accomplished nothing here. My healing process is out the window," he said.

Lawyers for Couch, 16, had argued that the teen's parents should share part of the blame for the crash because they never set limits for the boy and gave him everything he wanted.

According to CNN affiliate WFAA, a psychologist called by the defense described Couch as a product of "affluenza."

He reportedly testified that the teen's family felt wealth bought privilege, and that Couch's life could be turned around with one to two years of treatment and no contact with his parents.

Couch was sentenced by a juvenile court judge Tuesday. If he violates the terms of his probation, he could face up to 10 years of incarceration, according to a statement from the Tarrant County Criminal District Attorney's Office.

Judge Jean Boyd told the court she would not release Couch to his parents, but would work to find the teen a long-term treatment facility.

"There are absolutely no consequences for what occurred that day," said Boyles. "The primary message has to absolutely be that money and privilege can't buy justice in this country."

His wife, Hollie Boyles, and daughter, Shelby, left their home to help Breanna Mitchell, whose SUV had broken down. Brian Jennings, a youth pastor, was driving past and also stopped to help.

All four were killed when the teen's pickup plowed into the pedestrians. Couch's vehicle also struck a parked car, which then slid into another vehicle driving in the opposite direction.

Two people riding in the bed of the teen's pickup were tossed in the crash and severely injured.

One is no longer able to move or talk because of a brain injury, while the other suffered internal injuries and broken bones.

"There is nothing the judge could have done to lessen the suffering for any of those families," said defense attorney Scott Brown, CNN affiliate KTVT reported.

"(The judge) fashioned a sentence that is going to keep Ethan under the thumb of the justice system for the next 10 years," he said. "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."

Earlier on the night of the accident, June 15, Couch and some friends had stolen beer from a local Walmart. Three hours after the crash, tests showed he had a blood alcohol content of 0.24, three times the legal limit, according to the district attorney's office.

"We are disappointed by the punishment assessed but have no power under the law to change or overturn it," said Assistant District Attorney Richard Alpert. "Our thoughts and prayers are with the families and we regret that this outcome has added to the pain and suffering they have endured."

It is very rare, but not impossible, for prosecutors to challenge the sentence on the ground that it was too lenient, CNN legal analyst Sunny Hostin said.

"To give him a pass this time given the egregious nature of his conduct -- four deaths -- is just incomprehensible," she said.

It is unfair that other young defendants without the same wealth could end up in jail for a lot less, said Hostin, of CNN's "New Day" morning show.

"I think in terms of policy, this really flies in the face of our criminal justice system," she said. "There have to be consequences to actions, and that is what our system is about, even for juveniles."

http://www.cnn.com/2013/12/11/us/texas-teen-dwi-wreck/

Three cheers for the capitalist justice system!

[Flying Purple People Eater]

What a fucking ridiculous excuse. "I'm crazy with power so I don't deserve the penalty!"

Couldn't you basically excuse every single crime on the planet with this kind of logic?

'Affluenza' :laugh: . Give me a fucking break.

[Often incredulous]

What a fucking ridiculous excuse. "I'm crazy with power so I don't deserve the penalty!"

Couldn't you basically excuse every single crime on the planet with this excuse

I'm sure it's not the last we'll hear of such specious excuses. It could be a trial balloon...

[Proteus2]

Imagine another 16 year old kid who has known nothing but the misery and stress of poverty all their life and commits the same crime, they would get the 20 years, that's for sure. If being rich is an reason for causing mental problems and requires leniency, what would the judge have to say about poverty and what that does to peoples minds?

[Bostana]

I bet you that judge was a conservative who is in favour of capital punishment on the mentally ill....

[Ocean Seal]

Its interesting how one of the most vicious states when it coming to punishing anything lets you emerge with this blatant contradiction.

[Tenka]

Ten years' probation is not a bad sentence in itself; it is the unevenness with which the law is applied that is especially objectionable. Bougie justice system is soft on those of high socio-economic status in bourgeois society, obviously. If he was poor and black they would wish he were old enough for the death sentence.

[Os Cangaceiros]

I'd be willing to put money on this kid fucking up his probation at some point during the next 10 years.

[Os Cangaceiros]

His PO will probably cut him some slack though. Although maybe not considering how extreme the crime was, with four dead and all.

[Raquin]

Media circus time again, eh? The Defense's argument wasn't that the kid is too rich to go to prison. Their argument was that his parents were so neglectful that they were de facto abusing him and some other shit like that to try and paint him as the actual victim here. If you ask me the little fucker robbed 4 innocent people of their lives and doesn't deserve anything less than a bullet to the back of his skull.

[Gia]

Altough this shit makes my blood boil, it really does not surprise me. The USA justice system is widely known for its ipocrisy, if there had been a poor, black/latino kid doing this, they would have risen hell, after all, Trevor Martin was killed simply for existing. On the top of that, it's fucking Texas, the home state of death sentences, but I guess this is one of those cases of "Oh well...":rolleyes:. Just think of the horrible living conditions that 16 year old has had to face up until that point, he's been showered with money and favors and his irresponsible parents refused him nothing, oh, but, oh, how could it have been his fault?:rolleyes:

Don't ya folks get it? It's the poor people's fault for being poor (read "lazy") and thus suffering, the black/latino/indian etc./gay/transexual people and women's fault for being inferior and thus being discriminated against, but a whithey richie-rich kid drives drunk and ends up killing 4 persons? Affluenza, I say! <- Oh, the good ol' right wing, conservative mindset. Never ceases to disgust.

[AmilcarCabral]

This is not related to this topic about this specific crime, but I think it's a little bit related to it. I just wanna add my 2 cents about how the middle classes of America maybe side with that upper class killer. We have to realize that without a soft middle class like the song "You can call me al" by Paul Simon that says: "Why I am soft in the middle now?" (Without a soft big middle class that we all see every day buying food at Wal Marts, driving the shiny new recent years SUVs, Toyota Avalon, Honda Accords who eat at Cracker Barrel, Charlyes etc. without that middle class, the US capitalist rulers wouldn't be able to prevent a socialist revolution. How ever we also have to add, that the lower working class of USA is also a right-wing pro-upper classes class (most oppressed americans do not envy the wealth of the upper classes, they love them not envy them)

So I really can't understand how if there are about 100 million people in poverty in USA and another 100 million billed to death, taxed to death and stressed to death be so happy and not angry enough.

Some guy told me that most americans are so happy and co-pacetic like this song says "Bound to the floor"


E2Oe5YKhzCE
The oppressed in USA are bound for the floor and copacetic


because most americans haven't traveled to other great countries where people live a real happy life with a lot more opportunities. Like Uruguay, China, Norway, Argentina where the Buenos Aires university is free, like in Venezuela where health care is free for all venezuelans, and there are many popular activities almost for free like concerts, book-fairs, etc. You don't see none of that in America. America is becoming like Saudi Arabia with theme parks like Disney World at 100 dollars per day, restaurants with pizzas at 60 dollars, gym memberships at 100 dollars per month, university professions at 50,000 dollars. Hotels at 100 dollars per day, apartments and houses at 1000 a month. This is almost like India, Qatar and any of those cleptocracies and dynasties of the medieval ages





Imagine another 16 year old kid who has known nothing but the misery and stress of poverty all their life and commits the same crime, they would get the 20 years, that's for sure. If being rich is an reason for causing mental problems and requires leniency, what would the judge have to say about poverty and what that does to peoples minds?

[AmilcarCabral]

Dear friends, I also wanna add something about crime and punishments. That in the future in a socialist and communist society, which will be a more scientific society. Many crimes will be treated from a scientific perspective, and the punishments might be based on reforming the accused and not really on torturing and revenging against the accused. Because from a scientific perspective, the more you torture a criminal, the worse he will become once he gets out of jail. Besides if a criminal has commited murder, torturing and punishing him in a mean unhuman way will not really bring back to life the people that he killed, and won't make him a better person once he gets out of jail

.

[Remus Bleys]

Dear friends, I also wanna add something about crime and punishments. That in the future in a socialist and communist society, which will be a more scientific society. Many crimes will be treated from a scientific perspective, and the punishments might be based on reforming the accused and not really on torturing and revenging against the accused. Because from a scientific perspective, the more you torture a criminal, the worse he will become once he gets out of jail. Besides if a criminal has commited murder, torturing and punishing him in a mean unhuman way will not really bring back to life the people that he killed, and won't make him a better person once he gets out of jail

.
Well yes, but the sheer audacity in this, the fact is the only reason he got free was because he was rich. It wasnt even covered up. Leftists shouldnt get pissed because someone wasn't punished enough, but the mere fact that while this happens, at my city in Cleveland, cops shot a guy to death for speeding.

[tanklv]

Imagine another 16 year old kid who has known nothing but the misery and stress of poverty all their life and commits the same crime, they would get the 20 years, that's for sure. If being rich is an reason for causing mental problems and requires leniency, what would the judge have to say about poverty and what that does to peoples minds?

It has already happened within the past couple days. I don't have a link to the story. It was a black kid (what a surprise - not).

[Prometeo liberado]

What the kid needs is rehab an new parents until he's 18. And a tax on his inheritance to help fund rehab for teens. And his family name changed to phucker.

[Aleister Granger]

Goodness, I'm reading comments from idiots saying that the judge was a liberal and if she were a conservative, he'd have gotten a harsher sentence.

Jesus. Jesus. Jesus. I don't care about Jesus, but Jesus. How delusional are these right-wingers nowadays?

[Red Commissar]

What's interesting about the conservative outrage in this respect is here in Texas, they've been responsible the most for supporting and constructing the way the legal system is here. So it's bizarre really seeing these guys do a double take at why he was sentenced the way he was. AFAIK the court district he was tried in is pretty reliably controlled by Republicans. As best I can tell looking at archives, the judge in question is a Republican (or at least he runs in Republican primaries), and Texas is unique in the sense that judges are both popularly elected and that they are partisan elections.

It's become an issue in the gubernatorial race here, so both the Republican and Democratic candidates have been trying to posture around that the kid should've gotten a "tougher" sentence. As has been said earlier though, the real issue here is not so much his sentence specifically, but whether or not he would've been sentenced differently were it not for his social status. But right now it's a matter of both parties trying to benefit off the populist rage being whipped up.

[blake 3:17]

What's interesting about the conservative outrage in this respect is here in Texas, they've been responsible the most for supporting and constructing the way the legal system is here. So it's bizarre really seeing these guys do a double take at why he was sentenced the way he was. AFAIK the court district he was tried in is pretty reliably controlled by Republicans. As best I can tell looking at archives, the judge in question is a Republican (or at least he runs in Republican primaries), and Texas is unique in the sense that judges are both popularly elected and that they are partisan elections.

It's become an issue in the gubernatorial race here, so both the Republican and Democratic candidates have been trying to posture around that the kid should've gotten a "tougher" sentence. As has been said earlier though, the real issue here is not so much his sentence specifically, but whether or not he would've been sentenced differently were it not for his social status. But right now it's a matter of both parties trying to benefit off the populist rage being whipped up.

The power of the state shouldn't be a sudden frenzy or some electoral gain over some other stupid gangster.

http://www.theatlantic.com/national/archive/2013/09/an-elected-judge-speaks-out-against-judicial-elections/279263/

[bcbm]

i used to be like 'communism is not a flower watered in blood' but now i kind of just want all the rich fuckers heads on pikes

[JudasMaiden]

While the mainstream news is extremely fucking glorifiying "news" such as stupid internet trends like "What does the fox say", sports, tips for shopping, celebrity gossip, Duck Dynasty or all that other stupid shit, actual news like this barely gets fucking mentioned! :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad:

[Red Commissar]

While the mainstream news is extremely fucking glorifiying "news" such as stupid internet trends like "What does the fox say", sports, tips for shopping, celebrity gossip, Duck Dynasty or all that other stupid shit, actual news like this barely gets fucking mentioned! :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad:

Well, for what it's worth locally this got quite a bit of mention and for what it's worth, mentions from national media and apparently notice from other countries as this thread indicates. It's just that this happened a while ago now so they've moved onto something else.


The power of the state shouldn't be a sudden frenzy or some electoral gain over some other stupid gangster.

http://www.theatlantic.com/national/archive/2013/09/an-elected-judge-speaks-out-against-judicial-elections/279263/

Yeah, criticism of the texas political structure has been growing but little has been done about it. The Texas government was fashioned by the agricultural populist Grange when writing the current constitution. On paper making all these spots popularly elected, along with other modifications of the legislature and executive, was thought to be a way to prevent power abuse and patronage networks. To the contrary, it has benefitted the elite far more than they thought, and made it easy for the Democrats and later Republicans to construct one party dominance. As such serious moves to change this get buried.

[BIXX]

i used to be like 'communism is not a flower watered in blood' but now i kind of just want all the rich fuckers heads on pikes


At times I stop even wanting some goal, I just wanna trash everything. It blows hard to see this shit and people don't really care.

Can't say I'm surprised.

[Sasha]

Necro'd too report the good news that this kid was caught breaking his 10 year no drinking probation (obviously) and took a runner with his mom to mexico (after throwing a goodbye party), they are both extradited and not only will hopefully be his probation revoked but his mom can get up to 10 years for taking him across the border.
may they rot in prison (and hopefully be introduced to some deep fryer oil in the face)

http://cheezburger.com/77101569?ref=mosaicthumb2