U.S. "affluenza" teen case to move to adult court
Xinhua, February 20, 2016 Adjust font size:
The case of Ethan Couch, better known as the "affluenza" teen whose attorney used having too much wealth as a defense for a deadly drunk-driving collision, will be moved to adult court, a judge of the U.S. state of Texas said Friday.
The ruling by the judge in Fort Worth, a city in northern Texas, on Friday means the 18-year-old Couch could face 120 days in jail, then finish his 10-year probation. If he violates his probation during that time, he could get up to 10 years in prison for each crash victim, according to local TV station ABC13.
In 2013, Couch, 16, was put on probation after killing four people while driving drunk near Fort Worth. During his juvenile trial, a defense expert invoked the term "affluenza" while arguing Couch's wealthy parents had coddled him into a sense of irresponsibility.
Couch and his mother Tonya Couch were apprehended in Mexico on Dec. 28, 2015 following an international manhunt after he allegedly failed to appear at a court-mandated meeting with a probation officer. They were later deported to Texas.
On Feb. 5, 2015, Couch was moved from a juvenile detention facility to an adult jail in Fort Worth. Enditem