One of the more popular tropes in crime dramas that I've seen in recent times has youthful suspects, either teens or 20-somethings, from wealthy families who think their parents' money will get them off. It doesn't always work.
This week's Weasel is a real-life version of that trope.
Ethan Couch, now 18, made headlines in 2013 when he ran over 4 people while under the influence of alcohol & Valium. Instead of going to jail, he got probation when a shrink, no doubt paid off by Couch's parents, argued that Couch had been so spoiled he couldn't be held responsible.
Obviously, I call BS. "Affluenza", a term coined by Couch's case, is just a coward's way out. The Couches didn't want Ethan going to jail, and why was that? Were they afraid their little boy wouldn't survive prison? Apparently, yes.
Couch is back in the news because he and his mom decided to flee to Mexico to avoid Ethan finishing the terms of his probation. They were extradited back to Texas, and it's likely that both of them are headed off to jail. The District Attorney's office will seek to have the probation revoked, which would force Ethan to serve jail time, but Mommy will end up doing time, too. I can't see them getting off a 2nd time.
To borrow a line from Jewel Aikens' 1-hit wonder, "The Birds & the Bees", Ethan, it's time you learned about the facts of (real) life. Way past time. Your parents and their money are not always going to save you, and this time, you just have to man up and accept the consequences of your actions.
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