eathan turned 16 and now has his drivers lincences

Authorities later estimated that he was going 70 mph in a 40 mph zone. He veered into a crowd of people helping the driver of a disabled vehicle on the side of the road. The two were apprehended in a Mexican resort city in December and sent back to the United States.Couch has been in custody since.Ĭouch lost control of his family’s pickup truck after he and his friends had played beer pong and drank beer that some of them had stolen from a Wal-Mart. Shortly after the video surfaced, Couch and his mother, Tonya, fled to Mexico. Drinking alcohol is a violation of Couch’s probation. Miller used the term “affluenza,” which has stuck with the case ever since.Ĭouch ended up in trouble again last year after a cellphone video showed him at what appeared to be a party with alcohol. Dick Miller, that Couch had been coddled into a dangerous sense of irresponsibility by his wealthy parents. It was not clear if that would include the time Couch has already spent in jail.Ī juvenile court judge originally sentenced Couch only to probation, angering the families of his victims and prosecutors who had pushed for detention time.įurther sparking outrage was the contention of a defense psychologist, Dr.

But he reconsidered his ruling after hearing an argument from prosecutors that Couch should be sentenced not to a maximum of 120 days in jail, but for 180 days for each of four counts of intoxication manslaughter under a separate part of Texas code. Initially, state District Judge Wayne Salvant said he would not immediately rule on how much longerCouch would spend in Tarrant County jail.

FORT WORTH, Texas (AP) - The Texas teenager who used an “affluenza” defense in a fatal drunken-driving wreck must serve nearly two years in jail, a judge ordered Wednesday.Įthan Couch, who turned 19 Monday, was making his first appearance in adult court.

Eathan turned 16 and now has his drivers lincences