Ethan Couch killed 4 people and seriously injured two more in a drunk driving accident. And if you were outraged about his original sentence of 10 years probation, make sure you are sitting down when you read this next bit. Even though he was seen in a widely-circulated appeared to be drinking (a violation of his probation), then went on the run to Mexico with the help of his mother, he may be looking at a shockingly light punishment:
As of now, the most severe punishment Couch could face is 120 days in adult jail, Tarrant County District Attorney Sharen Wilson said at a press conference Tuesday.
The district attorney explained the dilemma she faces at a news conference Tuesday:
- Ethan Couch was sentenced as a juvenile and violated his probation as ordered by juvenile court system.
- Under Texas law, Couch, now 18, would be punished for his violation in the juvenile system.
- The maximum sentence that a juvenile judge can dish out is imprisonment in a juvenile facility until Couch turns 19, which is April 11, 2016.
- The DA wants to move Couch to adult court. But since the violation happened in the juvenile system, Couch effectively would start with a clean slate in the adult probation system. That is, the adult court judge could not punish Couch for violations he committed as a juvenile.
- At the time a judge reassesses Couch's probation in the adult system, he has the power to put Couch in adult jail for a maximum of 120 days.
They didn’t simply slip out under the cover of darkness, they had the gall to throw themselves a going away party:
Couch and his mom had something akin to a going away party before they fled, Anderson said at a news conference Tuesday morning.
The district attorney predicted this outcome during the original trial:
In his closing statements, Richard Alpert, Tarrant County assistant district attorney, argued that if given a light sentence, Couch would likely veer off the path.
“There can be no doubt that he will be in another courthouse one day blaming the lenient treatment he received here,” Alpert said.
Ethan’s mother, Tonya Couch, who helped her son flee, will now be facing charges as well:
No word on how long her probation sentence will be. /snark