Will the victims of the drunk driving crash ever get justice?
Ethan Couch became famous for getting away with murder – more specifically, killing four people, and severely injuring another in a horrific 2013 DWI crash. For his actions the 16 year-old was only sentenced to 10 years probation and limited detention. The public was astonished.
Every one all over the world thought he should have been jailed and resented the defense’s psychologist saying he was a victim of “affluenza.” A video showing Ethan Couch with beer cup went viral a few months ago and Ethan and his mother took off. After an international manhunt, the two were arrested on Tuesday at a modest motel in Puerto Vallarta. The mother is in the process of being extradited back to Fort Worth, while Ethan has fied an appeal which will only delay his return.
A young man my firm represented, Sergio Molina, is paralyzed due to a severe brain injury. The victims’ stories are heart-breaking. Their families just spent another bitter Christmas with justice again denied.
Because the case remains in juvenile court, possibly until January 19th when a hearing is scheduled to move his case to the adult courts and Couch is extradited, the judge can only sentence Couch to the maximum of 120 days.
Chances are high that he will violate his probation again, this time while his case is in adult court, where he receive 10 years in jail for each of the victims. Hopefully, he will not hurt anyone else in the meantime.
The Dallas Morning News wrote a good article about the latest developments with my answer to the title: jail.
In the meantime, Couch’s mother will also pay a hopefully steep price for her son’s abhorrent behavior. Tanya Couch faces up to 10 years in prison for hindering apprehension of a criminal.
Ethan Couch should be the poster boy for why you shouldn’t drink and drive.
Be careful tonight on this, one of the most dangerous nights to be out driving. Happy new year!