Everyone get their Affluenza shots?

**Cream Soda** · 2013-12-16 12:17

A 16-year-old avoided spending time in prison for killing four people in a car accident in June after the judge bought his lawyers' argument that he was the victim of wealth.

CBSDFW reports that Ethan Couch was sentenced in a Fort Worth, Tex. juvenile court to 10 years probation for the drunk driving crash that ended the lives of youth pastor, Brian Jennings; Hollie and Shelby Boyles; and Breanna Mitchell.

Prosecutors asked that Couch serve 20 years in prison. His blood alcohol level was .24, three times the legal limit for an adult.

Psychologist G. Dick Miller testified for the defense that Couch suffered from "affluenza," a condition in which "his family felt that wealth bought privilege and there was no rational link between behavior and consequences," KHOU reported.

Miller said Couch's parents never punished him for his behavior, even when, in a separate incident, cops found him passed out in a car with a naked 14-year-old girl.

As part of his sentence, Couch will be sent to a private counseling center that costs $450,000, which will be paid for by his father.

Money and privilege has helped defendants avoid serious prison time for violent crimes before.

In a particularly clear example, cited by journalist Glenn Greenwald, hedge fund manager Martin Joel Erzinger served just 90 days in jail after driving the car that seriously injured a bicyclist and fled the scene of the accident in 2010.

The district attorney in the case charged Erzlinger with two misdemeanors instead of a felony, noting that "felony convictions have some pretty serious job implications for someone in Mr. Erzinger's profession."

I need that lawyer if I ever fuck up

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/1...n_4426722.html

**Dimmauk** · 2013-12-16 13:42

We need real life Dexter Morgans and/or Frank Castles

**myreality** · 2013-12-16 14:04

Kid basically kills an entire family and gets off with...."im to fucking rich to be held responsible!". I hope a family member of the victims family asks for a retrial.

I also need to win the lottery.

**Azull** · 2013-12-16 14:22

The affluenza argument was made by the defense, there is no indication if it factored into the judges decision. The sentence likely has to do with his age and some sort of plea bargain more then anything. While I agree that his punishment is not harsh enough (I have a brother serving 30 years confinement for less) I do hope the defenses argument does open the door for him and his parents being taken for everything in the inevitable civil suits which are coming.

**Callisto** · 2013-12-16 14:28

Originally Posted by Azull

I do hope the defenses argument does open the door for him and his parents being taken for everything in the inevitable civil suits which are coming.

This is what I thought, even if he skated out of criminal charges I'm pretty sure his rich family will be much less rich after the victim's cashes in on a wrongful death suit.

**BaneTheBrawler** · 2013-12-16 14:46

never taught right from wrong, ethan and his family lost everything after a tragic accident. now forced to live like their former servants, they struggle to adapt in this heartwarming sitcom

**Serra** · 2013-12-16 14:59

This defense is mind numbing. Can't anyone use this defense now?

My parents never told me murder was wrong, so I killed someone.
My parents never told me that stealing was wrong, so I stole.
My parents never told me there was a such thing as a speed limit, so I sped.
etc, etc etc..

Hell, just never punish your kids, and if they ever get in trouble, there's their defense -- they never knew it was wrong! I mean fuck, even if they never punished him, did they not tell him, this is wrong, don't do it?

Beyond that bullshit though, I doubt any amount of money from the resulting civil suits is going to make the guy who lost his wife and daughter feel any better..

**Lucavi** · 2013-12-16 15:00

Originally Posted by Azull

The affluenza argument was made by the defense, there is no indication if it factored into the judges decision. The sentence likely has to do with his age and some sort of plea bargain more then anything. While I agree that his punishment is not harsh enough (I have a brother serving 30 years confinement for less) I do hope the defenses argument does open the door for him and his parents being taken for everything in the inevitable civil suits which are coming.

1) Age and Plea bargain have nothing to do with it. Judge sentenced a poor black 16-year-old to 20 years for murdering one person via punching them in the face, causing them to fall back and strike their head. This kid got off because he was rich and the judge would rather suffer the backlash from the poor and powerless (average citizens) than a backlash from the rich and powerful (able to do many things, like get a judge removed from their position).

2) This kid's parents will get slaughtered in court in civil trials, asbsolutely.

3) Even if this kid slips up during his 10-year-probation, if anyone thinks that he'll get anything outside of another stint in cushy rehab-land, they've got another thing coming. Unless his parents are poor by the time he inevitably fucks up again, he'll get out. I'd like to say that he'd keep walking until he did something truly horrific, but if crashing a truck carrying 6 of your friends into a pile of people in a residential neighborhood at 70 MPH at night while drunk and high after stealing alcohol from the walmart earlier that day doesn't land your ass in prison right off, nothing will.

@Serra: Any of those defenses work if your parents are rich and influential, yes. This kid essentially has diplomatic immunity by means of finances and influence by his spawn.

**Meresgi** · 2013-12-16 15:29

Straight up Merica!

Wife told me about this, I laughed my ass off at the "Affluenza" defense...like that's a fucking actual medical term. "Doctor, this man is too rich to give a shit, he needs help stat!"

**Serra** · 2013-12-16 17:14

I'll admit, I'm not a lawyer and my experience with the law is basically what I've seen on shows like Law and Order, so this might be completely wrong, but doesn't this in effect establish a precedence for this defense now? And beyond just this case, doesn't this set up for defenses like: "My parents bought everything for me, I've never had to deal with money. I didn't know I had to pay for this PS4!" And what happened to ignorance is no excuse for breaking the law.. Fuck, every time I think about this I just get more and more frustrated >.>;

**SamanosukeShiva** · 2013-12-16 17:25

The lesson the judge is teaching to a kid who thinks there are no consequences for killing people is no consequences for killing people. Genius.

**Kyreth** · 2013-12-16 22:40

Originally Posted by SamanosukeShiva

The lesson the judge is teaching to a kid who thinks there are no consequences for killing people is no consequences for killing people. Genius.

The only consequence is "you have to spend some more money".

Might as well allow for weregild and leave it at that.

**ronin sparthos** · 2013-12-17 01:17

Originally Posted by SamanosukeShiva

The lesson the judge is teaching to a kid who thinks there are no consequences for killing people is no consequences for killing people. Genius.

You need only look at political leaders, military bigwigs, CEOs and other captains of industry to see that once you approach top tier the rules no longer apply to you. Society just accepts that you can probably snort coke on live TV as a celeb and at worst be forced to do a PSA reminding the kiddies that coke is for rich people and jails are for plebs. Time after time the overlords get hit with the kiddie gloves while we send plebs on 20 year adventures over some weed.

...unless you kill cats. Then it's on.

**Drex** · 2013-12-17 01:30

Originally Posted by Cream Soda

I need that lawyer if I ever fuck up

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/1...n_4426722.html

why? the kid was convicted. "affluenza" defense failed. the psychologist wasn't even the one to call it that: a witness did. him going to rehab is also a weird thing to get mad about: it's not like it was rehab or jail.

entertainment and sensationalism as news.

**ronin sparthos** · 2013-12-17 01:42

10 years probation is a fucking joke for killing four people drunk behind the wheel.

**Ksandra** · 2013-12-17 02:15

Originally Posted by Drex

why? the kid was convicted. "affluenza" defense failed. the psychologist wasn't even the one to call it that: a witness did. him going to rehab is also a weird thing to get mad about: it's not like it was rehab or jail.

entertainment and sensationalism as news.

You can't be serious....

**Kohan** · 2013-12-17 02:33

Originally Posted by ronin sparthos

10 years probation is a fucking joke for killing four people drunk behind the wheel.

Our country's laws in relation to killing people while behind the wheel are total garbage in general.

http://www.theblaze.com/stories/2013...lled-by-a-car/

http://www.bendbulletin.com/news/127...-kill-cyclists

**Silenka** · 2013-12-17 14:03

Originally Posted by SamanosukeShiva

The lesson the judge is teaching to a kid who thinks there are no consequences for killing people is no consequences for killing people. Genius.

My thoughts exactly after I read it.

**Dimmauk** · 2013-12-17 16:48

The Parents should have gone to jail for being shitty parents and then the victims family should fucking sue the shit out of those rich folks too.

**Howie Roary** · 2013-12-17 19:26

why did a rich kid get excused due to his socio-economic status and the pitfalls that came with it but all the poor kids that grow up with limited options never get a break due to their SEC?

apologies for posting on topic

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