AFFLUENZA

[Duchess]

Have you ever heard of it? I hadn't until today and apparently it's a legitimate defense in a court of law. Jesus.

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 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."

Story

[HairOfTheDog]

That's a new one to me; never heard of someone like Couch being described as an "Affluenza" sufferer before.

Where I come from, we always just called them spoiled rotten entitled little pieces of shit.

Money talks. In this case it's screaming "injustice" to me.

Imagine a neglected ghetto kid killing four people like that and claiming, in defense, "I didn't understand the consequences of my actions because no one was ever around to teach/discipline me so I've been fending and figuring shit out for myself." Essentially, the same but more legitimate excuse - poor parenting.

Lacking the $450k, the neglected ghetto kid would likely be in a juvenile facility for some time.

Anyway, I hope the Couch parents are mandated to get some monitored counseling/therapy regarding how to parent/discipline children before little Ethan kills someone else - since they admit that they passed the Affluenza on to their son.

[Duchess]

There is no justice for those poor dead people & those that loved them.

I couldn't possibly know this but I don't feel that little bastard has learned a damn thing other than what he already knew, his family's money has helped him out of a jam again.

[Cynical Ninja]

Only the rich being able to afford the best lawyers was bad enough but now they are using the fact they are rich as a defence in court?!

I look forward to hearing a gang banger using the fact he hasn't got a pot to piss as a defence in court now. What's good for the haves is good enough for the have nots your honour.

[ramseycat]

I can't even believe a judge bought that load of crap. Even if he is a spoiled brat that has never been disciplined, not throwing his ass in jail is just more of the same. It's not teaching him anything except it's not my fault. It's my parents fault for being too good to me.

[ZEROSPHERES]

I argue that making the parents impecunious so their offspring can be treated fairly (like the rest of us) is in order. Since they can't be trusted to parent wisely because their enormous wealth clouds their decisions I submit their entire fortune should be awarded to the victims and the victim's families.

[ramseycat]

I've been reading a lot of articles and peoples responses to this story. People are outraged that this kid is basically getting away with murder because he comes from a wealthy family. I really hope this judge gets removed from the bench. Also, the prosecuter could file an appeal to the sentencing but chose not too.

This kids BAL was three times the legal limit and he had Valium in his system. He killed FOUR people. He didn't just get busted for DWI. Not putting this kid in prison is just reinforcing this "affluenza." I've seen cases where people do go to jail for DWI and they go out and do it again. This kid gets no punishment for driving drunk. He is going to do it again. He has shown no remorse and didn't even say he was sorry for what he did.

[Duchess]

This isn't the first fucked up judge we've heard about. Remember the one who sent a rapist to jail for a month?

[SIXFOOTERsez]

Yes, even Texas has some fucked up judges.

[Cynical Ninja]

This isn't the first fucked up judge we've heard about. Remember the one who sent a rapist to jail for a month?

Really? Even the senile old cunts we have in court rooms in the UK aren't that bad!

I remember a very famous footballer called Paul Gascoigne was in court a good few years ago now when he was incredibly famous and well known (he still is well into his retirement). Everyone knew him as “gazza” even old farts with no interest in football knew him all about him he was always all over the news because of his footballing skills and crazy personality and lifestyle.

So he's in court as a witness at the height of his popularity in a high profile case and the senile old fart judging the case looks up from his notes and says “who or what is gazza?”

And everyone groaned and thought this old fart is deciding if people get locked up for decades or not.

Jesus.

Its like a judge in America saying “who or what is the shaq attack?”

[HairOfTheDog]

I argue that making the parents impecunious so their offspring can be treated fairly (like the rest of us) is in order. Since they can't be trusted to parent wisely because their enormous wealth clouds their decisions I submit their entire fortune should be awarded to the victims and the victim's families.

I like it, Zero.

If money and its effects are a legitimate excuse for manslaughter, take away the money.

That seems to be what the families of Couch's victims have in mind. I hope that they succeed and the civil courts offer more justice here than did the criminal court.

Snip:
Couch is facing five lawsuits brought by families of the crash victims. The suits also target Couch's father, Fred Couch, as well as Fred's company, Cleburne Metal Works, which owned the pickup Couch was driving during the fatal wreck.

Marla Mitchell, mother of Breanna Mitchell, 24, who was killed in the crash, is suing for unspecified damages, as is Shaunna Jennings, wife of 41-year-old youth pastor Brian Jennings, who was also killed, reports NBC Dallas-Fort Worth. Eric and Marguerite Boyles are suing on behalf of deceased family members Hollie Boyles, 52, and Shelby Boyles, 21. The parents of two injured victims are also suing.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/12/18..._ref=crime

[ZEROSPHERES]

[ZEROSPHERES]

DNA of Sandy Hook killer Adam Lanza to be examined for ’evil’ gene in first study of its kind ever conducted on a mass murderer



http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-...z2GTpxJWZA

[HairOfTheDog]

This isn't the first fucked up judge we've heard about. Remember the one who sent a rapist to jail for a month?

Was disappointed yesterday when the judge did it again, despite all of the backlash.

Ethan Couch was back in court, before the same judge that sentenced him to probation for the four deaths that he caused.

Prosecutors sought a 20 year sentence for the two people that Couch severely injured.

The judge instead granted the defense's request to have poor rich little Ethan admitted to a swanky rehab facility (not sure if it's the one the family wanted on the California coast).

Ref: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/02/05...29821.html


In cases like this, I'm really glad that the civil courts offer the families an alternate form of justice, or at least compensation.

[Duchess]

Those parents have crippled their child and the judge is reinforcing it. It's disgusting.

[Donovan]

I'm just waiting for them to set a legal precedent for killing somebody while afflicted with Lack-a-nookie. I got a list...

[Cynical Ninja]

The tory cunts in the UK are cutting legal aid for poorer people so we are heading more down the route of the US.

If you can afford the best lawyers you get off whether you are innocent or guilty.

If you are rich you are eccentric if you are poor you are crazy. If you can use being rich as an excuse for your actions surely you can use being poor as an excuse for your actions?

Or as usual is it a case of “sorry the door doesn't swing both ways”

[cladking]

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.

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."

Rich people have been paying for a different "justice" since before even the Articles of Confederation. In this country it simply costs money to buy things like legislation or wrist slaps. Look at Ted Kennedy. While fleeing what he believed to be a police officer while drunk he killed a passenger in his vehicle. He then swam to the mainland to try to establish an alibi. He was never charged with anything more serious than a traffic violation and it was thrown out. He then went on to represent MA for decades in Congress.

A poor man might stillbe rotting in jail.

[cladking]

The tory cunts in the UK are cutting legal aid for poorer people so we are heading more down the route of the US.

If you can afford the best lawyers you get off whether you are innocent or guilty.

If you are rich you are eccentric if you are poor you are crazy. If you can use being rich as an excuse for your actions surely you can use being poor as an excuse for your actions?

Or as usual is it a case of “sorry the door doesn't swing both ways”

You guys haven't quite jumped the shark yet though you are powering up for it.

John Corzine led MF Global into bankruptcy. As it went under depositor money and gold somehow "slipped through the cracks" and ended up in bonuses and at JP Morgan. The gold was owned outright by depositors who had paid exorbitant "dusting fees" on it for decades. Yet it disappeared and the bosses at MF Global all "made out like bandits" despite having driven it to failure.

Fortunately most depositors have since been made mostly whole but no one was ever charged with wrong doing and no money was returned by the principles, to my knowledge. Corzine himself got a big promotion and is now handling the finances of the US, I believe.

There is no accountability. If you steal $10 you might spend 20 years in prison but if you steal 10 million you don't even have to give it back and now days there are almost no taxes sao most of it is free and clear even if you don't have an account in the Caymans. We reward greed and gambling by banks that are too big to fail and knuckle under to their threats to destroy the economy. We encourage the destruction of free enterprise because millions can be made when businesses fail. With no taxes on large amounts of money we encourage the concentration of resources in the hands of those who will do anything to make ever more. Meanwhile quality of products and services continues to fall at alarming rates.

Never have so few had so much while everything is falling apart and they aren't responsible.

[Cynical Ninja]

Exactly, in the UK rich bankers, speculators and hedge fund gurus rolled the dice once too much and came up with craps thus causing the economic meltdown.

Who is now being told they have to pay to repair the damage caused by the meltdown? Single parents, physically and mentally disabled people, people on low wages etc.

I know a broken single man who is now a mentally impaired alcoholic who is terminally ill with irreversible liver damage. Government assessors classed him as “fit for work” and suspended all his welfare until he found a job. He needs carers in 4 times a day everyday for help with basic tasks and he will probably be dead within the next 3 or 4 months but the government said he was “fit for work”.

What penalties did the banks and bankers get? None, in fact they were given billions of taxpayers money to “bail them out”. And now the Conservative lead coalition government are giving the super rich tax cuts while at the same time slashing welfare and public services.

Its like they are saying to poor people “you better hope and pray the banks and bankers don't fuck up again! Because you will paying for it if they do!”