A 16-year-old avoided spending time in prison for killing four people in a car accident in June after the judge bought his lawyers' argument that he was the victim of wealth.

CBSDFW reports that Ethan Couch was sentenced in a Fort Worth, Tex. juvenile court to 10 years probation for the drunk driving crash that ended the lives of youth pastor, Brian Jennings; Hollie and Shelby Boyles; and Breanna Mitchell.

Prosecutors asked that Couch serve 20 years in prison. His blood alcohol level was .24, three times the legal limit for an adult.

Psychologist G. Dick Miller testified for the defense that Couch suffered from "affluenza," a condition in which "his family felt that wealth bought privilege and there was no rational link between behavior and consequences," KHOU reported.

Miller said Couch's parents never punished him for his behavior, even when, in a separate incident, cops found him passed out in a car with a naked 14-year-old girl.

As part of his sentence, Couch will be sent to a private counseling center that costs $450,000, which will be paid for by his father.

Money and privilege has helped defendants avoid serious prison time for violent crimes before. In a particularly clear example, cited
by journalist Glenn Greenwald, hedge fund manager Martin Joel Erzinger served just 90 days in jail after driving the car that seriously injured a bicyclist and fled the scene of the accident in 2010.

The district attorney in the case charged Erzlinger with two misdemeanors instead of a felony, noting that "felony convictions have
some pretty serious job implications for someone in Mr. Erzinger's profession."

[url=m.huffpost.com/us/entry/4426722]Source[/url]

Turns out there's a separate justice system for the rich all over the world, not just the third world. SMH for the parents who think they're helping their obviously troubled son. If care isn't taken, he might self-destruct. The world has truly gone to the dogs!

gadamn it..i cant believe this..well i pray it doesnt happen to us ,if dis hapen den u will knw i can sef ascribe my own justice i will walk d face of the earth back and forth till i get my own pound of flesh..my mum always makes a proverb to us to treat people who will better off with leverage and liberality cuz a poor man always has sumtin d rich with all d miney dont..food for thots..i will destroy the so called wealthy man he wud wish d son had gone to prison..but it will be too late.

k4kenny:
Turns out there's a separate justice system for the rich all over the world, not just the third world. SMH for the parents who think they're helping their obviously troubled son. If care isn't taken, he might self-destruct. The world has truly gone to the dogs!

Watched this case on YouTube recently and felt there was something awfully familiar about this story, then I dug out this thread.

Update

He violated his probation in less than 2 years, fled to Mexico where he was caught and extradited back to the US. He was eventually sentenced to 2 years in jail and he's free again partying around without a care in the world about the people he killed as a result of his negligence. Not once has he reached out to the loved ones of the victims. The justice system was truly designed for the poor and middle class all over the world

So affluenza kid finally got his.