Affluenza Teen Sentenced to Two Years as Affluenza Adult After Stint as Affluenza Mexican Fugitive
Ethan Couch, the infamous “affluenza teen” who skated on probation after killing four people in a drunk driving accident in 2013, has finally been tagged with the extended prison sentence he and his family fled the country to avoid.
Judge Wayne Salvant sentenced Couch, who appeared in adult court for the first time, to 180 days in prison for each of the four people who died when he slammed into an SUV that had pulled over the side of the road. The 720-day sentence comes out to just shy of two years. Judge Salvant is giving Couch’s attorneys two weeks to prepare an argument against the sentence.
The hearing in the Fort Worth, Tex. courtroom this afternoon was triggered in December, when Couch and his mother fled the country to Mexico to avoid a possible probation violation relating to a leaked video of Couch playing beer pong. Couch and his mom were captured in Puerto Vallarta two days before the new year and shipped back to Texas after they ultimately declined to fight their extradition.
Couch’s new sentence will also bar him from drinking, using drugs, and driving once he leaves prison, though, obviously, that’s never stopped him before.