<p>I have plenty of words. None of them pretty. IMO, if the judge believes that this is the result of his upbringing, BOTH this murderer and his parents should be in jail. </p>
<p>Seems like an expansion of the …they had a hard childhood/grew up in a bad neighborhood/had abusive, neglectful, parenting defense. If SES affects behavior, both good and bad, then it affects it on both ends of the spectrum.</p>
<p>The DIFFERENCE, dietz (and I think that it’s a ridiculous comparison anyway), is that the low SES kids get locked up without a second thought regardless of their upbringing. They don’t go into “treatment”.</p>
<p>Just imagine how well “Povertuenza” would go over as a defense. Oh wait, we don’t have to because we already know the answer. </p>
<p>This is a new low. It is also just continuing the boys “afluenza” addiction. When will these uber wealthy learn! If you don’t change the behavior you won’t change the outcome. Sending him to a half million dollar rehab spa is just feeding into his addiction.</p>
<p>Learn what, parent? We make it clear in this country that the wealthy are untouchable. They have “earned” their wealth (gag) and all the privileges that come with it. As the income disparity grows, so will the class of “untouchables”.</p>
<p>Many on here know that drunk driving is a touchy (and personal) subject for me. I have been absolutely furious about this since I heard about it yesterday.</p>
<p>I do really feel bad for the families of those killed and injured. I wonder if the families of his passengers feel the same way about the sentence as the husband and father of the people in the other vehicle.</p>
<p>I was speechless when I heard this and read about the defense. And it just continues. And yeah, the poor people defense goes … nowhere. Anyone who thinks different is not paying attention.</p>
<p>This verdict is disgusting. This kid doesn’t need treatment; he needs discipline and consequences like he would’ve gotten if he were sent to jail.</p>
<p>I am waiting for the civil lawsuits to hit…if the courts do it right on their second chance, maybe the entire Couch family will be cured of affluenza.</p>
<p>I was unhappy about the sentence (yadda, yadda, yadda as previous), but even more sadly, I think the defense attorney’s description and that of the judge are likely true.</p>
<p>He also must have drank A LOT of Beer! If he is 140 lbs, it would be 11 beers in under two hours.</p>
<p>I posted this in another topic but I believe there must be something important left unsaid in these articles. It would be absolutely ridiculous and unbelievable if the truth is as stated. Additionally, does anyone know if this was a plea deal with the prosecutor or was this determined by the judge?</p>
<p>Most people who have ever dealt with the criminal justice system, especially when it involves high-paid lawyers or well-connected families, wouldn’t be surprised by this.</p>
<p>Determined by the judge.</p>
<p>ETA:
From the Time article:
</p>
<p>Hm. I wonder if this means they can appeal if the guidelines call for a minimum of 2 years.</p>
</p>