GUILTY TX - Ethan Couch 'Affluenza Teen' DUI driver who killed four gets probation, 2013 #1

[faw720]

I'm still wondering once he turns 19, if they can stack the charges against him for killing 4 people.

I read in an article posted here that they possibly could.

That is my understanding. The only problem is that they have to find him first. He must be present at the hearing when a judge rules he is no longer a juvenile.

 

[Archangel7]

Love an easy question in the early morning. It's a good question though.

Following is my personal layman's opinion and it and a $1 bill will get you a coffee at McDonald's: I think all people are born with the ability to distinguish right from wrong. Whether that ability fully develops or is entirely 'killed off' at some point, in my opinion depends on outside factors. I have no basis for thinking so other than... that's what I think. :cow:

I believe your basis is correct. <modsnip>

 

[Irisha]

What are the odds dad actually has no idea where either are ? Has he had a polygraph ?

Considering the fact the pathetic Mom N Pops don't get along, I doubt she would trust him. She's probably been ripping $$$$ off him for yrs. She also probably has that very noticeable vehicle hidden away in a storage unit. Just wait till the little snot gets into a fight with Mom, he threatens her, she calls the cops for help. One can hope.


PS He kinda reminds me of Joran <modsnip>, same attitude.:moo:

 

[KaaBoom]

I don't know. Right now I'm wondering if she had any close relatives like parents, siblings, aunts & uncles. However, I'm sure LE already know, unless 'hubby' has neglected giving them this info.

JMO, I don't think a trip into Mexico in a personal vehicle would be very safe for a lone female & young man. You have to remember that large sections of Mexico are controlled by drug cartels & they kill people just for recreational activity...........no other reason needed.

Don’t believe everything you hear on Faux News. Mexico is not a particularly safe country, but then neither is the US. You are three times more likely to be the victim of a crime in the US then in Mexico. You are six times more likely to be the victim of a gun crime in the US then in Mexico. You are two times more likely to be raped in the US then in Mexico. Most Americans wouldn’t even notice the difference in crime between the US and Mexico, and lots of Americans do drive into Mexico everyday.

Mexico and United States compared: Crime stats

 

[LaLaw2000]

I was thinking this afternoon that if they used the truck would they be smart enough to use cash for gas and expenses? Any credit card purchases would give them away. I'm wondering if they're holed up in some vacation cabin in the area or with friends or family. It might be a long shot, but stranger things have happened. And they said that the house was cleaned out of furniture except for a pinball machine. Who hauled it away and where did they take it? I haven't heard. And that was a fancy truck. If it's on the roads it should not be hard for someone who knows cars and trucks to spot.

BBM:

My brother has a white truck exactly like that black one and it was $65,000! He is a Harley nut. Other Harley enthusiasts would certainly notice the truck.

There are just so many places in every state where they could hide. They surely wouldn't need to continue to use that truck if they didn't want to be found. I want them found like right now!!

I am so infuriated with the boy, his mother, dad, and most of all that stupid, stupid judge!!! He deserved to go to jail for a long, long time, IMO.

MOO

 

[faw720]

Don’t believe everything you hear on Faux News. Mexico is not a particularly safe country, but then neither is the US. You are three times more likely to be the victim of a crime in the US then in Mexico. You are six times more likely to be the victim of a gun crime in the US then in Mexico. You are two times more likely to be raped in the US then in Mexico. Most Americans wouldn’t even notice the difference in crime between the US and Mexico, and lots of Americans do drive into Mexico everyday.

Mexico and United States compared: Crime stats

Respectfully, the link you posted shows that the murder rate in Mexico is 98% higher than the US. And I was not basing my original statement on something I heard on Faux News. I live in Texas & my nephew is a border patrol agent. I also have friends living very close to the border who share their experiences. Once upon a time going to Mexico was a fun thing to do but until someone gets control of the illegals & drug cartels, it's not really the smartest thing to do. JMO

 

[LaLaw2000]

My only son was killed by a drunk driver in 1999 on Thanksgiving Day. He was on his motorcycle and the drunk driver pulled out in front of him. The drunk driver didn't even go to the hospital and my son was DOA. I literally hate drunk drivers with a passion! I don't care how much people drink at home or if they have a designated driver, BUT DO NOT DRINK AND DRIVE!!!!

Please do not give me sympathy. That is not why I am telling my son's story. I am telling it because I belong to MADD and everyone needs to know there are consequences to driving drunk. It kills innocent people and destroys families.

In fact, I'm bowing out of this thread because it is a painful reminder to me. You guys are great and I hope this spoiled brat and horrible mother are found today!


:seeya:

 

[faw720]

A thought just popped into my head. Perhaps LE should check out the parking lots at the cruise terminals in Houston & Galveston. It is only a 4-5 hours drive from DFW to either of those cities. Mom & Ethan could have boarded a cruise ship & gone to Mexico, Central America, or any number of Caribbean ports & then just 'forgot' to re-board the ship.

 

[D H-J]

The fact that they have not found that truck yet concerns me. I agree with another poster that it may be in a storage shed or hidden in some other way. And LE must have asked the security people at every airport or other transportation hub to be on the lookout for it. So right now I'm thinking that they're still in the country and in hiding somewhere, possibly with the help of someone they trust. I base this only on the fact that I haven't seen any solid evidence that they've left the country. I'm also wondering if the mother has any medical conditions that need regular treatment. If she's diabetic or has some other condition then it's just a mater of time before she would have to come out of hiding to seek treatment.

 

[JeannaT]

I wonder what the odds are that the mom had planned this for a very long time - over a year even - in the event that there was a warrant issued for his arrest. They could really have this wrapped up neat and tidy, and have a lot of money and fake IDs somewhere.

 

[faw720]

The fact that they have not found that truck yet concerns me. I agree with another poster that it may be in a storage shed or hidden in some other way. And LE must have asked the security people at every airport or other transportation hub to be on the lookout for it. So right now I'm thinking that they're still in the country and in hiding somewhere, possibly with the help of someone they trust. I base this only on the fact that I haven't seen any solid evidence that they've left the country. I'm also wondering if the mother has any medical conditions that need regular treatment. If she's diabetic or has some other condition then it's just a mater of time before she would have to come out of hiding to seek treatment.

From what I've read, I think it's a good bet that mom & Ethan both need to be close to drugs & alcohol. Drugs for sure are not a problem in Mexico. You simply go to the pharmacy, ask for whatever you want, the pharmacists write your prescription & then fill it. It would not be quite so easy in the U.S.

I've also wondered if perhaps they have driven to one of the ski resorts in New Mexico, Colorado, or Utah. Some of the condos in any of those places probably have garages or they could just let snow cover the truck. Surely LE has a good travel history of the family up to this point. Wherever they are, it's likely they've been there before. All this is JMO.

 

[Sonya610]

Don&#8217;t believe everything you hear on Faux News.

And don't believe everything you hear about suspiciously low crime stats.

Some of the most violent crime ridden countries in the world have ridiculously LOW rates of theft, robbery and rape (far far lower than in the US) simply because the government can't or won't track and report those crimes.

Homicides are the most likely to be tracked and reported even when other crimes aren't so that is considered the best indicator. Mexico has over twice the number of murders when compared to the US and that is a good indicator of their overall crime rate.

Homicides per 100k:
Mexico -- 11.59
US -- 5.22

In his speech, the President (of Mexico) argued that 2014 saw the second-lowest crime statistics in 17 years, including for homicide and kidnapping, indicating that his government&#8217;s efforts to improve security and restore the rule of law had been successful.

However, Envipe, a victimization survey that polls Mexicans on the crime they experience, showed that 2014 was the third straight year of crime increases with 22.4 million Mexicans reporting that they had been the victims of crime, more than the 21.6 million that reported the same in 2012.

The survey also found that the number of total crimes, 33.1 million, was almost 50% higher than the 22.4 million recorded in 2011. The 2014 survey revealed that 73.3% of the country felt insecure &#8212; the second straight year that percentage has increased under Peña Nieto.

https://mises.org/blog/mistake-only-comparing-us-murder-rates-developed-countries

 

[SCHMAE]

http://www.wfaa.com/story/news/loca...nce-affluenza-judge-gave-other-teen/77777592/

''In 2004, Chaffin's 16-year-old grandson, Eric Bradlee Miller, was driving drunk in River Oaks when he slammed into another driver, killing him.
"In court, they kept telling us, 'Don't worry, Eric's going to get probation. Don't worry about it,'" Chaffin said.
Instead, Miller &#8212; who had a court-appointed attorney &#8212; got 20 years behind bars.
The person who determined that sentence? Judge Jean Boyd, the same judge who gave Ethan Couch 10 years probation for killing four people while the affluent teen drove drunk in Burleson when he, too, was 16 years old.''

:thinking: So she has been known to be very tough on drunk drivers who kill ONE person and then turned around and gave Couch probation for killing FOUR. I wonder what the difference was in her decision making process.

 

[Blondie in Spokane]

Affluenza?

 

[EllieBee]

From what I've read, I think it's a good bet that mom & Ethan both need to be close to drugs & alcohol. Drugs for sure are not a problem in Mexico. You simply go to the pharmacy, ask for whatever you want, the pharmacists write your prescription & then fill it. It would not be quite so easy in the U.S.

I've also wondered if perhaps they have driven to one of the ski resorts in New Mexico, Colorado, or Utah. Some of the condos in any of those places probably have garages or they could just let snow cover the truck. Surely LE has a good travel history of the family up to this point. Wherever they are, it's likely they've been there before. All this is JMO.

This is yet another reason I think Mexico.

 

[LillyP]

I keep checking every morning to see if this little **censored** has been caught yet.
I wonder how long it's going to take... days? weeks? months? years? Could they really last that long going unnoticed by law officials?

Dear Santa, please do everyone a favor and let him be found by Christmas morning!

 

[LillyP]

btw - A few days ago I posted about how the judge who gave Ethan 10 years probation for killing 4 people driving drunk is the same judge who gave a "poor, black teen" in 2004 20 years in prison for killing one person while driving drunk.
I apologize, I guess the teen who was sentenced for 20 years prison was not black. I only wrote that because that is what I saw written on another website and I just copied and pasted that sentence. I have never actually seen that teen etc. I should have done more research prior to posting that so I apologize.

I just saw that he is not black (not that it even matters - I just wanted to correct myself from my previous post) but he is indeed poor. Apparently in his case his public defender (of course he didn't have the $ for top notch attorneys) also told the judge that he should get a bit of a break - raised this way, it's all he knows, it's his upbringing etc (similar to Ethan's defense but the opposite since he was from a poor, troubled family).

Anyways, his family is of course telling the media they are outraged that this judge gave him 20 years prison at the age of 16 for killing one person and Ethan had 0 days in prison. How is that fair?

http://www.nydailynews.com/news/nat...e-miller-outraged-couch-lam-article-1.2471292

 

[Sonya610]

Anyways, his family is of course telling the media they are outraged that this judge gave him 20 years prison at the age of 16 for killing one person and Ethan had 0 days in prison. How is that fair?

http://www.nydailynews.com/news/nat...e-miller-outraged-couch-lam-article-1.2471292

No mention was made of past known criminal history. The kid that got 20 years had also stolen the truck, had he been convicted of various other things up until that point? Other car thefts? Burglary? Etc...?

Without knowing the history it is impossible to judge. Often groups with an agenda post numbers saying "Look how unfair, this group gets longer sentences than that group" without EVER trying to make sure it was an apples to apples comparison.

 

[LillyP]

good points but then again let's look at Ethan. No mention of any previous convictions - yet plenty of mentions of criminal activity that he was involved in that it seems he was never even charged for?

Such as the article listed a few pages back that mentions Ethan being caught urinating outside a gas station with a half naked 14 year old girl in his vehicle. Or what about the theft/robbery that was captured on film at the Walmart the night of this tragic drunk driving incident when he and his pals went to go steal cases of beer from Walmart? Ethan was the getaway driver in that store theft/robbery and it looked like they even had it on camera. Was he ever even charged with any of that?

 

[faw720]

For some reason I can't get the direct link to work but for anyone interested, there is a large front page story in the Dallas Morning News about the massive manhunt for Ethan & Tonya Couch.

http://www.dallasnews.com