Ethan Couch was released after spending two years in jail for violating his probation for a drunk driving crash that killed four people in 2013.
Ethan Couch — who became infamous for using "affluenza" as a defense in a drunk driving crash that killed four people in 2013 — was released from a Texas jail on Monday after serving two years for violating his parole.
Nick Oxford / Reuters
Couch's case garnered national outrage in 2013 after he initially avoided jail time for the fatal drunk-driving crash after his defense team argued that the then-16-year-old suffered from "affluenza" — or the affliction of being too spoiled by affluent parents, which left him without a sense of responsibility.
Ethan Couch in 2013.
Associated Press
Couch slammed his pickup truck into a 24-year-old stranded motorist, Breanna Mitchell, as well as three others who had stopped to help her. They included Hollie Boyles, 52, her daughter Shleby, 21, and 41-year-old youth pastor Brian Jennings. Couch's family agreed to pay an undisclosed amount of money to the families of Mitchell and Boyles.
Couch's family also agreed to pay more than $2 million to the family of 16-year-old Sergio E. Molina, who was paralyzed after being thrown out of Couch's truck during the crash.
Couch — whose blood-alcohol level at the time of the crash in 2013 was three times the legal limit — pleaded guilty to intoxication manslaughter, but was not sentenced to jail. He was instead got 10 years of probation and was ordered to spend time in a rehabilitation center.
AP
But in December 2015, Couch was reported missing after a video posted on social media showed a man who appeared to be him playing beer pong with his friends — a violation of his probation.
US Marshals Service via AP
Mexican authorities arrested Couch and his mother, Tonya Couch, after the two made a phone call ordering pizza in the resort city of Puerto Vallarta in 2015. The two had "carefully planned and timed" their escape to Mexico as evidenced by a "going away party" for Couch, authorities said.
Couch in custody in Mexico in 2015.
Mexico's Jalisco state prosecutor's office via AP
After Couch was extradited to the US, a Texas court sentenced him to two years behind bars for violating his parole.
Couch in his 2016 booking photo.
Tarrant County Sheriff's Department/Handout via Reuters
According to the terms of his current probation, Couch, 20, will have to wear an ankle monitor and an alcohol detecting patch, CNN reported. He will also have a 9 p.m. curfew and video interlock ignition device installed in his vehicle.
Nick Oxford / Reuters
Couch will also serve the remaining six years of his community supervision under the terms and conditions imposed by the court, his attorneys, Scott Brown and Reagan Wynn, said in a statement provided to BuzzFeed News.
"From the beginning, Ethan has admitted his conduct, accepted responsibility for his actions, and felt true remorse for the terrible consequences of those actions," the attorneys said. "Now, nearly five years after this horrific event, Ethan does not wish to draw attention to himself and requests privacy so he may focus on successfully completing his community supervision and going forward as a law-abiding citizen."
His mom, Tonya Couch, was back in the same jail as her son last week for violating her own parole by failing a court-ordered drug test, ABC News reported.
Tonya Couch in 2016.
Rodger Mallison / AP
She was serving parole after being charged with hindering the apprehension of a felon.
Mark J. Terrill / AP
LINK: "Affluenza" Teen Sentenced To Two Years In Jail For Violating Parole
LINK: "Affluenza" Teen's Case Moved To Adult Court
LINK: "Affluenza" Teen Ethan Couch To Be Held In Juvenile Facility As He Awaits Court Date
LINK: Texas Officials Are Searching For "Affluenza" Teen Who Killed 4 In DUI Crash
LINK: "Affluenza” Teen’s Mother Released From Jail
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