Get Out of Jail Free Card

We all know that money, fame, power can get you out of A LOT!

This might be an all time... low.

Texas teen Ethan Couch gets 10 years' probation for driving drunk, killing 4

Lawyers for Couch, 16, had argued that the teen's parents should share part of the blame for the crash because they never set limits for the boy and gave him everything he wanted.

 

According to CNN affiliate WFAA, a psychologist called by the defense described Couch as a product of "affluenza."

He reportedly testified that the teen's family felt wealth bought privilege...

Earlier on the night of the accident, June 15, Couch and some friends had stolen beer from a local Walmart. Three hours after the crash, tests showed he had a blood alcohol content of 0.24, three times the legal limit, according to the district attorney's office.

http://www.cnn.com/2013/12/11/us/texas-teen-dwi-wreck/

16, stealing beer, driving drunk, and killing 4 people? That's 10 years probation? That's a 30 years or more in prison for most people.

This kid will be back in court eventually someday and hopefully it's not for killing anymore people.

They spoil him and then we punish him. Doesnt sound fair.

Its like u spoil your own kid and then ground him for being a spoiled brat.

read about this yesterday.

he was never told there were consequences for actions so lets continue to not have any consequences so that he'll learn.

kinda makes me sick. I hope they arrest the judge when they see that he received a bribe. Than I hope they re-try this case and he gets life

I believe its still involuntary manslaughter, so he cant get life for it.

4 counts of involuntary manslaughter can add up to a looooong time. It's shit like this that removes all faith in the justice system. Why should anyone respect the the rules when they don't apply for everyone equally? How the fuck can someone go to jail for petty bullshit without ever causing harm to anyone, and this half of a douche gets probation? Fuck outta here.

He's 16 years old and did something without the intention of harming anyone. I think this is one of those cases where not being an adult comes into play bigtime because it wasn't malicious. He's not a threat to society based on this one mistake. For all you know he's a nice kid that will cry every night for the rest of his life because of this mistake he made.

Also, no offense but when it comes to drunk driving, people who have access to subways and buses and cabs really don't get it. The decision to get in your car drunk, especially at that age, becomes a lot easier when your other options are shit.

edit: just read there were kids in the bed of his truck. That's fucking stupid. But I still don't think life in prison for a 16 year old kid for doing something non-malicious and under serious impairment of judgement is worthy of life in prison or anything close to it.

He's 16 years old and did something without the intention of harming anyone. I think this is one of those cases where not being an adult comes into play bigtime because it wasn't malicious. He's not a threat to society based on this one mistake. For all you know he's a nice kid that will cry every night for the rest of his life because of this mistake he made.

 

Also, no offense but when it comes to drunk driving, people who have access to subways and buses and cabs really don't get it. The decision to get in your car drunk, especially at that age, becomes a lot easier when your other options are shit.

 

edit: just read there were kids in the bed of his truck. That's fucking stupid. But I still don't think life in prison for a 16 year old kid for doing something non-malicious and under serious impairment of judgement is worthy of life in prison or anything close to it.

He stole beer, drove drunk, and killed 4 people. I don't give a fuck if he's Moses' long lost son. Stealing, and driving drunk isn't a threat to society? Who gives a fuck if he cries every night for the rest of his life? He killed 4 people, he should cry every night, just like the families of those he took the lives from senselessly will cry every night. The excuse about not having cabs, subways, buses, etc .. is bullshit. How hard is it to pick a phone up and call someone to get you?

I think your missing the point. Maybe it is "non-malicious" but there is not another person that would not get extended jail time for that.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sn4IjAql5bo&feature=share

I think your missing the point. Maybe it is "non-malicious" but there is not another person that would not get extended jail time for that.

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sn4IjAql5bo&feature=share

Stealing is malicious, as is drunk driving. You wanna make a case for him being drunk and not realizing what he was doing? Fine. What about when he was sober and stole the beer?

well I only went with his point because I don't think he intended to kill 4 people. I completely agree though. He did something reckless and dangerous and should be held for criminally negligent homicide, maybe manslaughter? We have any lawyers on the board forum?

No one goes out drunk driving intending to kill anyone.

For me, there's a well-defined line between a kid doing stupid things and a kid killing four people. A kid doing stupid stuff like stealing beer from Walmart and getting caught drinking it is worth of probation and a lesson-learned. A kid doing stupid stuff like stealing beer from Walmart, driving drunk, and killing four people is beyond stupid kid stuff and has an effect on other people's lives. There's no justice here.

well I only went with his point because I don't think he intended to kill 4 people. I completely agree though. He did something reckless and dangerous and should be held for criminally negligent homicide, maybe manslaughter? We have any lawyers on the board forum?

I don't think he intended to kill 4 people either. That doesn't mean he shouldn't be punished. Stealing is a crime, as well as drunk driving. And drunk driving is a pretty serious one. The laws for driving drunk get stricter, and stricter as the years go on. Why? Because you can kill people. "I didn't mean it" is not an excuse, as well as using the ol' "I didn't know". Stupidity isn't a defense. If he can use the excuse that he's spoiled, so it's ok to be a douche, shouldn't it be ok to use the other side of that spectrum from the less fortunate people? For example: I'm broke, I can't feed myself or family so I steal in order to eat. Those are the people that should be given a pass if it's going to be allowed, not the little asshole that has the world by the balls.

I don't think he intended to kill 4 people either. That doesn't mean he shouldn't be punished. Stealing is a crime, as well as drunk driving. And drunk driving is a pretty serious one. The laws for driving drunk get stricter, and stricter as the years go on. Why? Because you can kill people. "I didn't mean it" is not an excuse, as well as using the ol' "I didn't know". Stupidity isn't a defense. If he can use the excuse that he's spoiled, so it's ok to be a douche, shouldn't it be ok to use the other side of that spectrum from the less fortunate people? For example: I'm broke, I can't feed myself or family so I steal in order to eat. Those are the people that should be given a pass if it's going to be allowed, not the little asshole that has the world by the balls.

well, like I said, I totally agree.

but for the bold part, apparently now it is.

There are two different matters here. Lets not blend them together.

1.) The crime itself and the punishment that's appropriate

2.) The face that his family's wealth/status affects the sentence.

The crime is horrible. But since it did not have malicious intent, and he's 16 years old, I just don't think the punishment should be as extreme as some of you think it should be. As for the 2nd part, of course I'm with you guys and Anderson Cooper that it's bullshit that this kid is riding fucking horses and doing yoga as a form of punishment.

Another point I wanted to make is.... does him stealing the beer from walmart have anything to do with anything? That's like a tiny tiny piece of this story that's hardly worthy of mentioning. You stole alcohol from your parents, didn't you? Now.. if you stole a TV, who would it be worse to have stolen from, your parents or Walmart? Your parents. It's a petty little crime that many of us made in one form or another at that age. It's no way to judge his character.

The thing that gets me is he had buddies in the fucking bed of the truck. It wasn't like he was trying to cautiously get everyone home safely without getting caught. It was more of a WOOOOHOOO LOOK AS US!! This makes me think the punishment should be worse than I originally thought, but not as bad as you guys say.

The point is, and I hope you guys agree with me, it should be 4 counts of involuntary manslaughter (probably criminally negligent manslaughter), regardless of how good his lawyer is. What the standard punishment is for that offense by a 16 year old, I don't know.

The Law doesn't recognize ignorance.

apparently ... it does.