Ethan Couch

Ethan Couch
Born
Ethan Anthony Couch

(1997-04-11) April 11, 1997 (age 27)[2]
Tarrant County, Texas, U.S.[3]
OccupationEmployee at family's sheet metal business[4]
Known forDefense of "affluenza" against charge of intoxication manslaughter
Criminal statusReleased
Parents
  • Tonya Couch (mother)
  • Frederick Couch (father)
Conviction(s)Intoxication manslaughter (4 counts), intoxication assault (2 counts)
Criminal penalty10 years probation; later 1 year, 11 months, and 25 days in jail added due to a probation violation[1]
Details
DateJune 15, 2013
CountryUnited States
State(s)Texas
Killed4
Injured9 (incl. Ethan Couch, aged 16)
Date apprehended
After fleeing to Mexico on probation violation, December 28, 2015

Ethan Anthony Couch (born April 11, 1997) killed four people at the age of 16 while driving under the influence on June 15, 2013, in Burleson, Texas. Couch, while intoxicated and under the influence of drugs, was driving on a restricted license and speeding in a residential area when he was involved in a fatal crash as a young man. He lost control of his vehicle, colliding with a group of people assisting another driver with a disabled SUV. The collision killed four people and injured nine people.[5] Two passengers in Couch's pickup truck suffered serious injuries, with one passenger suffering complete paralysis.

Couch was indicted on four counts of intoxication manslaughter for recklessly driving under the influence. In December 2013, Judge Jean Hudson Boyd sentenced Couch to ten years of probation, subsequently ordering him to undergo therapy at a long term inpatient facility.[6] Before sentencing, Couch's attorneys had argued that Couch had "affluenza" and needed rehabilitation instead of prison, arguing that Couch had no understanding of boundaries as his affluent parents had never given him any.[7] Couch's sentence, judged by many as outrageously lenient, set off what The New York Times called "an emotional, angry debate that has stretched far beyond the North Texas suburbs".[8]

On December 11, 2015, after a video was posted online purporting to show Couch drinking at a party, Couch became the subject of a manhunt, and was listed in the National Fugitive Database after attempts by his probation officer to contact him failed.[9] On December 28, 2015, authorities detained Couch and his mother in the Mexican resort city of Puerto Vallarta, Jalisco.[10] On April 13, 2016, Couch was sentenced to serve two years in prison, and was released in 2018.[2] On January 2, 2020, Couch returned to jail for an alleged probation violation, failing a mandated drug test for tetrahydrocannabinol (THC). He was released a day later, pending an investigation into whether the positive test result for THC came from illegal marijuana or from cannabidiol oil.[11]

  1. ^ "Judge orders 'affluenza' teen Ethan Couch to nearly 2 years in jail". Chicago Tribune. April 13, 2016. Archived from the original on November 8, 2020. Retrieved June 18, 2016.
  2. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference fox-13-4-16 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  3. ^ "All Texas Birth Index, 1903-1997 results for Ethan Couch". Ancestry.com. Retrieved October 31, 2024.
  4. ^ Dooley, Sean; Effron, Lauren (October 16, 2015). "'Affluenza' DUI Case: Never-Before-Seen Deposition Tapes Reveal New Details of Fatal Crash, Teen's Upbringing". ABC News. Archived from the original on May 8, 2016.
  5. ^ Smith, Matt (September 12, 2013). "Burleson teen charged with four counts of manslaughter". Cleburne Times-Review. Archived from the original on March 18, 2015. Retrieved December 19, 2015.
  6. ^ Cite error: The named reference star-telegram1 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  7. ^ Alcindor, Yamiche (December 14, 2013). "What's the future for 'affluenza' defenses?". USA Today. Archived from the original on February 28, 2020. Retrieved January 13, 2014.
  8. ^ Fernandez, Manny; Schwartz, John (December 13, 2013). "Teenager's Sentence in Fatal Drunken-Driving Case Stirs 'Affluenza' Debate". The New York Times. Archived from the original on January 5, 2016. Retrieved December 15, 2013.
  9. ^ Richter, Marice (December 17, 2015). "Manhunt for Texas affluenza teen after he apparently goes missing". Reuters. Archived from the original on January 15, 2017. Retrieved December 18, 2015.
  10. ^ Perez, Evan (December 28, 2015). "'Affluenza' teen Ethan Couch detained in Mexico". CNN. Archived from the original on February 2, 2017. Retrieved December 28, 2015.
  11. ^ Cite error: The named reference cnn was invoked but never defined (see the help page).