“Affluenza”: Ethan Couch Sentenced to 10 Years’ Probation for DUI Manslaughter

[Red]

“Affluenza” …16 Year Old Ethan Couch Sentenced to 10 Years’ Probation by Judge Jean Boyd For DUI Vehicular Manslaughter of Hollie & Shelby Boyles, Breanna Mitchell and Brian Jennings

http://scaredmonkeys.com/2013/12/20/affluenza-16-year-old-ethan-couch-sentenced-to-10-years-probation-by-judge-jean-boyd-for-dui-vehicular-manslaughter-of-hollie-shelby-boyles-breanna-mitchell-and-brian-jennings/

JUSTICE ??? No jail time for teen for the intoxication vehicular manslaughter of four individuals because of “affluenza,” are you frigging kidding me?

Ethan Couch was sentenced to 10 years’ probation by Judge Jean Boyd of the Fort Worth Juvenile Court for the vehicular manslaughter of Hollie and Shelby Boyles as the 16 year old was driving drunk with a blood alcohol content of over .20.  WTF!!! Too rich to be held responsible?  Huh, what kind of message does this send? Isn’t justice supposed to be blind with regards rich and poor?  Couch’s defense was because his family was so rich that they have no raised him to learn right from wrong. Um, what!!! What am I missing here? So this punk gets a lenient sentence because he is a rich, spoiled, white kid. Does anyone think that the poor black kid who has absentee parents who did not teach them right from wrong and robs a store and kills someone isn’t going to prison? What’s next, povertitis?  Honestly, I have never seen a case from start to finish that was so wrong in every sense.

Some one needs to explain how on Earth the following gets probation.:

    CRIME I: On June 15, 2013 Ethan Couch and some friends stole beer from a local Walmart store.
    CRIME II: Couch and his friends went to a party and drank the alcohol underage.
    CRIME III:  Three hours after the crash, tests showed he had a blood alcohol content of 0.24, three times the legal limit. [keep in mind there is no lega limit for a minor as they are not supposed to be drinking.]
    CRIME IV: Intoxication manslaughter of 4 individuals: Brian Jennings, 43, Breanna Mitchell, 24, Shelby Boyles, 21, and her 52-year-old mother Hollie Boyles.

 

Simply speechless

[MuffyBee]

“Affluenza” …16 Year Old Ethan Couch Sentenced to 10 Years’ Probation by Judge Jean Boyd For DUI Vehicular Manslaughter of Hollie & Shelby Boyles, Breanna Mitchell and Brian Jennings

http://scaredmonkeys.com/2013/12/20/affluenza-16-year-old-ethan-couch-sentenced-to-10-years-probation-by-judge-jean-boyd-for-dui-vehicular-manslaughter-of-hollie-shelby-boyles-breanna-mitchell-and-brian-jennings/

JUSTICE ??? No jail time for teen for the intoxication vehicular manslaughter of four individuals because of “affluenza,” are you frigging kidding me?

Ethan Couch was sentenced to 10 years’ probation by Judge Jean Boyd of the Fort Worth Juvenile Court for the vehicular manslaughter of Hollie and Shelby Boyles as the 16 year old was driving drunk with a blood alcohol content of over .20.  WTF!!! Too rich to be held responsible?  Huh, what kind of message does this send? Isn’t justice supposed to be blind with regards rich and poor?  Couch’s defense was because his family was so rich that they have no raised him to learn right from wrong. Um, what!!! What am I missing here? So this punk gets a lenient sentence because he is a rich, spoiled, white kid. Does anyone think that the poor black kid who has absentee parents who did not teach them right from wrong and robs a store and kills someone isn’t going to prison? What’s next, povertitis?  Honestly, I have never seen a case from start to finish that was so wrong in every sense.

Some one needs to explain how on Earth the following gets probation.:

    CRIME I: On June 15, 2013 Ethan Couch and some friends stole beer from a local Walmart store.
    CRIME II: Couch and his friends went to a party and drank the alcohol underage.
    CRIME III:  Three hours after the crash, tests showed he had a blood alcohol content of 0.24, three times the legal limit. [keep in mind there is no lega limit for a minor as they are not supposed to be drinking.]
    CRIME IV: Intoxication manslaughter of 4 individuals: Brian Jennings, 43, Breanna Mitchell, 24, Shelby Boyles, 21, and her 52-year-old mother Hollie Boyles.

 

Simply speechless

"Affluenza".  Absolutely ridiculous!!   

[Red]

Daily Commentary – Friday, December 20, 2013 – Have you Heard of the Affluenza Defense?

http://scaredmonkeys.com/2013/12/20/daily-commentary-friday-december-20-2013-have-you-heard-of-the-affluenza-defense/

Take a listen to Dana's comments on affluenza.

I couldn't agree more.

[texasmom]

Thank you Red and Dana for speaking out on this subject.  I agree with both of you.

I was appalled when I read about the story (after the verdict) and especially upset that this blatant miscarriage of justice took place in a Texas court! 

My heart breaks for the victim's families, nothing can bring their loved ones back or reverse the permanent injuries to others that were injured; but they deserve justice. 

And they didn't get it!   

http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/1312/13/lvab.01.html

KAYE: In the end, four people dead and two of Couch's friends thrown from the bed of the pickup, including Sergio Molina, who is now paralyzed and had been in a coma.

His parents, we've learned, are suing Ethan Couch, Couch's parents and the family business, Cleburne Metal Works, which owned the Ford F-350 pickup truck Couch was driving.

Sergio Molina's parents are seeking as much as $20 million to care for their son in the future. The complaint points out Couch had a history of arrests, including one where he pleaded no contest to charges of possessing and drinking alcohol. That court date was just three months before the fatal wreck.

We got our hands on notes taken during Couch's manslaughter trial. They belong to the attorney for Eric Boyles who lost his wife and daughter in the crash.

According to that attorney, witnesses testify that Ethan Couch was caught fleeing on foot about a quarter mile from the accident scene.

He could be heard at the scene, the attorney's notes say, yelling to one of his passengers, quote, "I'm Ethan Couch. I'll get you out of this."

But in the end with four people dead, all Ethan Couch got for his actions was a slap on the wrist, Judge Jean Boyd sending him to alcohol rehab with 10 years probation.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BANFIELD: That was Randi Kaye reporting for us.

And, so, what that judge essentially ruled is this. It is not this poor kids' fault if his parents spoiled him and failed to teach him right from wrong. Let that settle for a minute. Our Anderson Cooper spoke to the psychologist who in court said that Ethan couch has "affluenza," and it is quite the conversation.

Ethan Couch knew right from wrong.  That was evident in the fact that he RAN from the scene!

He'd been in trouble before and he knew he was in trouble again. 

He should be in jail!

JMO

 

[texasmom]

http://www.cleburnetimesreview.com/local/x1005129914/Couch-still-faces-possible-jail-time

December 19, 2013
Couch still faces possible jail time

By Tammye Nash/reporter3@trcle.com

 

In a statement emailed Wednesday to the Times-Review, Shannon said, “During his recent trial, the 16-year-old admitted his guilt in four cases of intoxication manslaughter and two cases of intoxication assault. There has been no verdict formally entered in the two intoxication assault cases. Every case deserves a verdict. The District Attorney’s Office is asking the court to incarcerate the teen on the two intoxication assault cases. Due to limitations in the Family Code, we are unable to make additional comments.”

Under Texas juvenile law, the maximum sentence Couch faces on the two intoxication assault charges is three years in a Texas Juvenile Justice Department facility. He would have to be released when he turns 19. On the other end of the spectrum, the judge could choose to assess no punishment.

[MuffyBee]

http://www.statesman.com/ap/ap/texas/teen-given-probation-for-fatal-wreck-due-in-court/ndDJT/
Teen given probation for fatal wreck due in court
February 5, 2014

FORT WORTH, Texas — A Texas teenager sentenced to probation for a drunken-driving crash that killed four people is expected back in court.
A Wednesday hearing is scheduled in the case of Ethan Couch, who was given 10 years' probation for the wreck last year that also severely injured two people. Couch was 16 at the time.
 
Judge Jean Boyd issued the original sentence, but has not ruled on a prosecution request to give Couch jail time on charges related to the two people who were injured.
She also hasn't decided whether to send Couch to a pricey California rehab facility, as his attorneys have requested.

[MuffyBee]

http://www.kvue.com/news/state/243854821.html
Teen convicted in fatal DWI crash going to Texas treatment center
February 5, 2014

FORT WORTH — Ethan Couch, the teenager whose case sparked national outrage after he was sentenced to 10 years' probation for killing four people in a drunken driving accident, returned to court for a hearing Wednesday afternoon.
At a meeting closed to the news media and the public, Judge Jean Boyd determined that Couch will go to a "lock-down" residential treatment facility in Texas for which his parents will foot the bill.
The location of that center and the length of time Couch will spend there have not been disclosed.
According to Eric Boyles, who lost  both a daughter and wife in the accident, it was revealed at the hearing that an upscale treatment center in California refused to accept Couch after publicity surrounding the case
 
Boyd scheduled the hearing for 3:30 p.m. and ordered the court cleared about 15 minutes before it was set to begin. Media was never permitted to return.
Couch was 16 when he barreled his Ford pickup truck into a stalled SUV at a speed between 68 and 70 miles-per-hour. Youth pastor Brian Jennings; mother and daughter Hollie and Shelby Boyles; and 24-year-old Breanna Mitchell, the driver of the stalled SUV, died in the June 15, 2013  accident along the side of a Burleson road that had a posted speed limit of 40 mph.
Jennings and the Boyles pulled over to help Mitchell with a flat tire. The teen's blood alcohol content at the time of the wreck was 0.24, more than three times the legal limit of 0.08. It is, however, illegal for a minor to drive under the influence of any alcohol.
Couch was convicted in December and sentenced to 10 years' probation. Judge Boyd could have sent the teen to prison for up to 20 years.
As a condition of his probation, the teen is not premitted to drive and must not use drugs or alcohol for 10 years. Any violation could send him to prison.
The defense argued that Couch was brought up in an environment that was bereft of punishment.  Psychologist Dr. G. Dick Miller testified that Couch was given “freedoms no young person should have” and that he felt no rational link between behavior and consequences. He coined this “affluenza.”
Miller has since expressed regret that the defense used that term as a diagnosis.
“This kid had medical problems, he had social anxiety disorder, he had all sorts of things. He had depression. He found alcohol was his medicine,” Miller said from his Bedford home in December. “I think that term, ‘affluenza,’ which I was just using to describe what we used to call spoiled brats, it’s not a diagnosis.”
Couch had two prior alcohol citations before the crash. On Feb. 19, 2013, Lakeside police ticketed him for being a minor in possession of alcohol and consuming alcohol as a minor after he was found with a 12-ounce can of beer and a 1.75-liter bottle of vodka. He pled no contest to each citation.
After being sentenced to probation following the crash, Couch’s father vowed to pay $450,000 a year for his son to go to an intensive California in-patient center.
However, Boyd has not addressed a request from Tarrant County District Attorney Joe Shannon to try Couch on two cases of intoxication assault which were not part of his original conviction.
"There has been no verdict formally entered in the two intoxication assault cases," read a statement issued by the district attorney’s office in December. "Every case deserves a verdict. The District Attorney’s Office is asking the court to incarcerate the teen on the two intoxication assault cases. Due to limitations in the Family Code, we are unable to make additional comments."
 

[MuffyBee]

http://www.myfoxdfw.com/story/24646771/no-additional-jail-time-for-ethan-couch-will-be-sent-to-rehab
No additional jail time for Ethan Couch, will be sent to rehab
February 5, 2014

The teenager who killed four people while drunk at the wheel will get no additional jail time and be sent to an unknown rehab facility, a judge ruled Wednesday.

Ethan Couch, 16, has previously received 10 years of probation from Judge Jean Boyd for a drunken driving wreck that killed four people in June 2013. The sentence triggered a controversy in North Texas and across the United States.

Boyd decided on a rehabilitation facility for Couch, but the facility was not named publicly and it's not known when Couch will begin rehab. Couch will stay at the rehab facility until the center determines he is fully rehabilitated.

Couch's father had offered to pay for him to stay at a $1,200 per day rehab facility in California. Judge Boyd said she would evaluate that center and others closer to home that the probation department suggested.
 

[MuffyBee]

http://www.kvue.com/news/250893081.html
Families of 2 'affluenza' case victims settle civil suits
March 18, 2014

The families of a woman who was killed and a teen who was injured in a prominent drunk driving case last year have reached settlements in civil lawsuits against the driver's family.

The family of Ethan Couch and his father's Cleburne business will pay Isaiah McLaughlin and his family a total of nearly $114,000 in the agreement.
The terms of the settlement with the family of Breanna Mitchell were not released.

In June 2013, then-16-year-old Couch was speeding in his father's company truck when he struck and killed four pedestrians, including Breanna Mitchell, Hollie and Shelby Boyles, and youth pastor Brian Jennings. Couch's blood alcohol content at the time of the crash was 0.24, three times the limit for those of legal drinking age.

In all, six civil lawsuits related to the crash were filed against Couch's family and his father's business. The McLaughlin and Mitchell families were the first of those to reach settlements.
 

[MuffyBee]

Bolded by me.
If what the psychologist claimed was true, then this would be a perfect time to change the "atmosphere of affluenza" surrounding Couch and give him consequences for is reckless and dangerous actions that resulted in deaths of others.  Instead, Couch got a pass imo and Judge Boyd becomes another enabler.  We can't predict the future, but I wonder who else may die or be injured because proper action wasn't taken in this case?  JMHO 


http://www.wfaa.com/news/crime/One-victim-from-infamous-affluenza-drunk-driving-case-refuses-to-settle--252532401.html
'Affluenza' drunk driving victim seeks trial to settle civil lawsuit
March 26, 2014

BURLESON — The McConnell family made one thing clear Wednesday: They want a jury trial to reach a verdict in their civil lawsuit against Ethan Couch and his parents.
Couch was driving drunk last June when he plowed into a group of people off Burleson-Retta Road trying to help a stranded motorist.
Four people were killed.
In December, a juvenile judge ruled that Couch — who was 16 at the time of the fatal crash — would only receive ten years of probation and rehabilitation as punishment.
Part of his defense strategy included testimony from a psychologist who claimed Couch suffered from too much wealth and too few consequences, which helped create an atmosphere of "affluenza."
Families of the victims were outraged.
At least five of the families recently settled with the parents of Ethan Couch and the family business.
But the case involving 13-year-old Lucas McConnell will move forward.
In a heartfelt plea Wednesday afternoon, the young teenager spoke of his close relationship with Brian Jennings, a youth pastor who was killed in the accident. McConnell was in Jennings' car when Couch slammed into the group.
"I know everyone says everything happens for a reason, but I don't know the reason here," he said.
The youngster was taken to Cook Children's Medical Center after the accident, where he had shattered glass removed from his head.
His father Kevin said even though his son is alive, he feels the Couch family hasn't taken adequate responsibility for what happened to his son, the other injured kids, or the families of the four who died.
 
Attorneys for the McConnells say they expect depositions to begin next month. They will seek a trial  date soon after, although it's likely that process could drag out for months.
Couch is spending an undetermined amount of time at an undisclosed rehab facility in Texas.

[cw618]

maybe the parents should do the jail time, as the  psychologist said the boy was taught by parents
wealth buys privileges,
JMO what a crock
BBM


In December 2013, State District Judge Jean Boyd sentenced a North Texas teenager, Ethan Couch[6][7] to 10 years probation for drunk driving and killing four pedestrians and injuring 11[8] after his attorneys successfully argued that the teen suffered from affluenza and needed rehabilitation, and not prison.[9] The defendant was witnessed on surveillance video stealing beer from a store, driving with seven passengers in his father's Ford F-350, speeding (70 MPH in a 40 MPH zone), and had a blood alcohol content of .24%, three times the legal limit for an adult in Texas, when he was tested 3 hours after the accident. Traces of Valium were also in his system. G. Dick Miller, a psychologist hired as an expert by the defense, testified in court that the teen was a product of affluenza and was unable to link his bad behavior with consequences due to his parents teaching him that wealth buys privilege.[9] The rehabilitation facility near Newport Beach, California that the teen will be attending will cost his family $450,000 annually.[10][11] At a February 5, 2014 hearing, Eric Boyles, whose wife and daughter were killed in the crash, said "Had he not had money to have the defense there, to also have the experts testify, and also offer to pay for the treatment, I think the results would have been different."[9]
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Affluenza#As_a_legal_defense

[MuffyBee]

http://www.wfaa.com/news/local/tarrant/Judge-orders-Ethan-Couchs-parents-to--254925901.html
Parents of Ethan Couch to pay fraction of rehab bill
April 11, 2014

BURLESON -- A judge has ordered the parents of Ethan Couch to pay less than the actual cost of their son's treatment in a state-run rehabilitation hospital.
Couch's parents will have to pay $1,170 per month. A placement officer said the actual cost of Vernon State Hospital is $715 per day. This means that they'll be paying for less than two days of every month their son is there. The rest will come from the state mental health care budget.
The officer told News 8 that the hospital requires families to pay on a sliding scale.
 
A psychologist previously testified Ethan Couch has multiple mental health issues, including depression and substance abuse.

[theboyzmom]

This angers me on so many levels. This family was "so rich" they could not teach him right from wrong but can not pay for treatment that they AGREED to pay for?  Many others (my husband being one of them) have to pay full price for court ordered treatment for kids. Why not this family?

[MuffyBee]

This angers me on so many levels. This family was "so rich" they could not teach him right from wrong but can not pay for treatment that they AGREED to pay for?  Many others (my husband being one of them) have to pay full price for court ordered treatment for kids. Why not this family?

ITA with you on this, tbm. 

[Green Eyes]

This angers me on so many levels. This family was "so rich" they could not teach him right from wrong but can not pay for treatment that they AGREED to pay for?  Many others (my husband being one of them) have to pay full price for court ordered treatment for kids. Why not this family?

This angers me too TMB on may levels

[cookie]

Just wrong!

[texasmom]

I agree with tbm too.   

[MuffyBee]

The headlines in this article make it sound like this victim is going to be rolling in dough.   At age 17, Sergio Molina is paralyzed and will need care the rest of his life.  See my bold.  It doesn't look like he and his family are going to be living high on the hog.  Look at the legal fees...

http://www.wfaa.com/news/crime/One-of-victims-in-Affluenza-case-to-receive-millions-258047671.html
Teen paralyzed in 'affluenza' drunk driving case to receive millions
May 5, 2014

FORT WORTH — According to newly-filed documents in Tarrant County District Court, one of the victims in the Ethan Couch case has settled for close to $3 million in cash and other payments.
Sergio Molina, 17, was paralyzed in a June 2013 crash when then 16-year-old Ethan Couch killed four people south of Fort Worth.
Couch was drunk. Molina was riding in the back of his pickup truck.
This story was first reported by the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, a WFAA media partner.
Molina's family and other victims filed lawsuits against Couch's family and their family company Cleburne Metal Works.
Many of the settlements haven't been disclosed, but in a final civil judgment signed off on Friday by Judge R. H. Wallace, some key details emerge.
A special trust for Molina is set to receive just over $1 million in cash. There also will be close to $800,000 distributed in annuity payments over the coming decades.
Molina's family will receive a separate $215,000 cash payment,  More than $950,000 is also expected to be paid toward the family's ongoing legal and attorney fees, according to the filing.
News 8 reached out to a number of the attorneys involved in the case, but has yet to hear back.
Couch was only sentenced to probation and rehabilitation by a juvenile judge in December.
His defense team had an expert witness claim the young man was a victim of "affluenza," spoiled to such an extent by his parents that he never before had faced legitimate consequences for his actions.

[MuffyBee]

http://www.statesman.com/ap/ap/texas/affluenza-teens-family-to-pay-victim-2m/nfqGT/
Affluenza' teen's family to pay victim $2M
May 6, 2014

FORT WORTH, Texas — The family of a Texas teenager who killed four people in a drunken-driving wreck has agreed to pay more than $2 million to the family of a boy who was paralyzed in the accident, according to court documents detailing the first approved settlement in the case.
The liability insurer of Ethan Couch's parents agreed to pay more than $1 million in cash and the rest in annuities to a trust established for Sergio E. Molina, who was among 12 people injured in the wreck last year near Fort Worth.
Couch's case drew national attention after his attorneys argued that his wealthy parents coddled the then-16-year-old into a sense of irresponsibility, which one witness termed "affluenza." He was sentenced to 10 years of probation and ordered to a rehab facility.
Molina, who was riding in the back of Couch's pickup when it flipped, can now only smile and blink, according to his parents. He has been in the hospital since the June accident.
 
Along with the cash payment, the Couches' insurer will buy two annuities to make monthly payments of $1,515 and $1,837 to the trust starting in July, and another annuity to cover attorneys' fees, according to Tarrant County court documents.
Molina was in the back of Couch's pickup truck on June 15, 2013, when Couch swerved and hit a stranded motorist and three people who had stopped to help her. All four were killed.
 
Molina's parents sued Couch and his parents after the accident. Five other families of the injured or killed also have settled with the Couches, pending court approval. Details of those settlements haven't been released. One family is seeking a jury trial.
Randy Nelson, the attorney representing Couch's parents, Fred and Tonya Couch, declined comment to The Associated Press on Tuesday.

Interesting comments...

[MuffyBee]

http://kxan.com/2014/05/16/affluenza-wreck-victim-wants-doctors-testimony/
‘Affluenza’ wreck victim wants doctor’s testimony
May 16, 2014

FORT WORTH, Texas (AP) — A judge will not immediately rule on whether the psychologist who said a teenage drunken driver who killed four people had “affluenza” will have to testify in a civil case.
 

The crash got national attention thanks in part to the testimony of psychologist Dick Miller. He said Couch was coddled into a sense of irresponsibility by his wealthy parents, a condition he termed “affluenza.”

The attorneys of one of the injured boys say Miller should be forced to testify again in their lawsuit, but Couch’s lawyers argue that would violate attorney-client and doctor-patient privileges.