Rich Teen Kills 4, Avoids Prison Due to ‘Affluenza’
“The case of a rich Texas teenager who received probation but no jail time after killing four people in a drunk driving car crash in June has sparked a new debate about money, power, and punishment after the teen’s defense team argued he was the victim of “affluenza,” or the failure of his wealthy parents to set boundaries.
Judge Jean Boyd accepted Ethan Couch’s guilty pleas for killing four people and injuring nine, but the punishment — most likely a lengthy stay at a $1,200-a-day California drug treatment facility — brought widespread outrage because it seemed to suggest that the judge bought the defense theory “that because he has gotten off without serious punishment in the past, he cannot be seriously punished in this case either,” as Jaquielynn Floyd of the Dallas Morning News writes Thursday.
Judge Boyd made no further comments on her ruling, and has said she won’t comment on the case because of ethical restraints. She had previously said she will not run for reelection to her seat
