Ethan Couch | SEONewsWire.net

Ethan Couch apprehended in Mexico

admin — Sat, 13 Feb 2016 01:01:26 +0000

The Couch case is an immediate flashpoint for numerous people who feel justice was not served in his case. The now 18-year-old Ethan Couch, a.k.a. the Affluenza kid, received a light sentence for killing four in a drunk-driving collision in 2013. His attorney argued successfully that he was so spoiled and rich that he did not know right from wrong.

Recently, Couch was featured in a video that showed him drinking and playing beer pong, clearly in violation of the conditions of his parole. The video found its way to the police. Additionally, Couch failed to arrive for a parole check-in. The police started looking for him and discovered he had vanished with his mother, Tonya Couch. They were eventually tracked to Puerto Vallarta.

Both son and mother were apprehended and arrested in Mexico. Currently the mother has been returned to the U.S., and Ethan remains in custody in Mexico. He may be sentenced to 10 years in jail for violating his probation. Whether he faces other charges is unclear at this time.

The case upset a number of people from all walks off life given the nature of the egregious behavior that led to the deaths of four people on June 15, 2013, in Burleson, Texas. At the time, he was driving on a restricted license, was inebriated and speeding. He lost control of his vehicle and ran into a group of people standing by a disabled SUV, subsequently hitting a parked car that was trying to help the people in the SUV.

Nine people were injured in that crash, two passengers in Couch’s truck sustained catastrophic injuries and four died. Couch was charged with four counts of intoxication manslaughter and two counts of intoxication assault. His ten-year probation and treatment in a low security “posh” facility sparked outrage across the nation. Why didn’t he get transferred to adult court and face the full weight of the law?

Indeed, why didn’t he? It is a question that continues to haunt many of those who worked the case, many in the legal community, parents and police officers. Plaintiff’s attorneys cringe when this case is mentioned. It is their sworn duty to find justice for the victims in cases just like this. Was justice served in the Couch case? Clearly, it was not.

Lee, Gober and Reyna – If you need a personal injury lawyer or help with an auto accident, motorcycle accident, wrongful death, or burn injury case, contact Lee, Gober and Reyna by visiting http://www.lgrlawfirm.com or calling 512.800.8000

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Legislators hope to keep affluent circumstances out of courtroom sentencing

admin — Thu, 05 Feb 2015 16:46:00 +0000

For months the media have doggedly generated headlines from the case of Ethan Couch. In December 2013, the Texas teen pled guilty to drinking and driving, and killing four people, using the affluenza defense of being swaddled into not being responsible for any of his actions during his upbringing.

Texas lawmakers disagree with the validation of this fabricated disease, and want to ban the defense from ever being used in court again. State representatives feel the decision was not only fundamentally flawed, but an insult to the criminal justice system. James White, a state representative from southeast Texas, introduced a bill to keep such financial circumstances out of the courtroom during sentencing. White is not the only representative to file such a bill. There are two others up for consideration.

The prevailing opinion of those focused on legal matters is that this so-called defense has made people distrust the justice system even more. How is such a defense valid for a defendant with money and for the less wealthy who commit a crime?

Although legislation banning this type of defense may be helpful, it is just as likely that it will cause problems down the road if it is challenged and goes to court for interpretation. It was certainly a creative defense, and achieved its goal of getting the boy into rehabilitation instead of jail, with 10 years of probation.

The post Legislators hope to keep affluent circumstances out of courtroom sentencing first appeared on SEONewsWire.net.

Ethan Couch Case Sparks Sentencing Controversy in Texas

admin — Wed, 16 Apr 2014 16:48:43 +0000

In 2004, Roy Adams, Jr. struck and killed a police officer who had another driver stopped by the side of the road in North Texas. When the case reached court, he was given a 12.5 year prison sentence for DUI and intoxicated manslaughter.

In a similar, well-publicized case, 16-year-old Ethan Couch was given a 10 year probation sentence. Adams’ mother believes that Couch’s family had both the influence and affluence to skew the justice system for their child, and she plans to picket the local courthouse until her own son is out of prison.

The Tarrant County District Attorney claims that the young Texan did receive a fair trial. While both cases involved intoxication manslaughter, they differ in their details. Couch was 16 years old when his accident occurred. Adams was 28 when he killed a police officer on duty. As such, Couch was tried as a juvenile, and Adams was tried as an adult. To date, Adams has not admitted he committed the offense, despite court records indicating that his blood alcohol content was .11 at the time of the accident. Accordingly, he has been denied parole.

As the diversity between these two cases exemplifies, no two DUI, intoxicated manslaughter or other personal injury cases are alike. Prison terms will differ based on specific circumstances; each case is individually tried on its facts. Adams’ mother may feel her son is being unduly punished, but an objective third party must consider all the facts before reaching conclusions on the case. For this reason alone, it is smart to hire a qualified personal injury attorney to handle such serious cases.

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