article wrote:
A 16-year-old boy who drunkenly killed four people got probation this week because the judge — with no apparent irony — agreed with the boy's defense that he was a victim of "affluenza," whose parents taught him wealth and privilege shield consequences. The teen had faced up to twenty years in prison.
Sixteen-year-old Ethan Couch admitted to four counts of manslaughter after he and seven other boys stole alcohol from Walmart, piled into his car and struck and killed four pedestrians while going 70 miles per hour in a 40 zone. One of his passengers remains in the hospital with severe brain damage, and nine other bystanders were also injured.
Couch's BAC was a .24 and he also had Valium in his system. According to reports, he was belligerent at the scene, at one point saying, "I'm outta here." Prosecutors were hoping to get up to 20 years.
Couch's defense was that he was a victim of his parents' wealth and privilege; in that he never had to face consequences,
Sixteen-year-old Ethan Couch admitted to four counts of manslaughter after he and seven other boys stole alcohol from Walmart, piled into his car and struck and killed four pedestrians while going 70 miles per hour in a 40 zone. One of his passengers remains in the hospital with severe brain damage, and nine other bystanders were also injured.
Couch's BAC was a .24 and he also had Valium in his system. According to reports, he was belligerent at the scene, at one point saying, "I'm outta here." Prosecutors were hoping to get up to 20 years.
Couch's defense was that he was a victim of his parents' wealth and privilege; in that he never had to face consequences,
Now, I know I'm supposed to be angered by this, but here's why I'm not:
1) Even if was sentenced to 20 years, he could have done as little as 2 as a juvenile.
2) If he violates his probation, he gets re-sentenced to 10 years.
3) The little entitled douchebag will violate his probation & his parents have to foot the bill on a $500K per year therapy center.
4) Because his parents are also terrible people who raised a self-entitled douchebag, they get no contact with him AND they get sued out the *** for wrongful death by 4 separate families.
Most of the above information can only be found in the links in the article. But good job getting an initial rise out of me, Gawker!
Edited, Dec 11th 2013 1:11am by Omegavegeta