'Affluenza' teen gets nearly 2 years in jail
FORT WORTH — In his first appearance in adult court, the Texas teen whose "affluenza" defense earned him probation for killing four people in a 2013 drunken-driving trial, was ordered to spend nearly two years in jail Wednesday.
State District Judge Wayne Salvant said Ethan Couch, 19, must spend 180 days in jail for each of the four people he killed when his pickup truck crashed into a crowd of people helping a motorist.
Initially, Salvant said he would not immediately rule on how much longer Couch would spend in Tarrant County jail. But he reconsidered his ruling after hearing an argument from prosecutors that Couch should be sentenced not to a maximum of 120 days in jail, but for 180 days for each of four counts of intoxication manslaughter under a separate part of Texas code.
Salvant said he would give both sides two weeks to file any response to his sentence, suggesting that he might reconsider.
'Affluenza' teen, now 19, is officially in adult court
The terms will be served consecutively. It was not clear whether that would include the time Couch has already spent in jail.
Couch has been serving time in a Tarrant County jail cell since his return from Mexico.
Couch's case officially moved to adult court from juvenile court when he turned 19 on Monday. Couch was 16 years old at the time of the crash and could not be certified as an adult.
He is known as the "affluenza" teen because during his trial, his defense attorney claimed his affluent upbringing prevented him from understanding his responsibility in the crash.
Couch is currently serving 10 years probation for the crash. The sentence angered the families of his victims and prosecutors who had pushed for detention time.
Late last year, Couch and his mother, Tonya, fled to Mexico after a video surfaced that appeared to show him playing beer pong at a party, a violation of his probation.
'Affluenza' teen's case moves to adult court
The Couches were found and detained in December after calling out for pizza in the resort city of Puerto Vallarta. Tonya Couch was quickly sent back to the United States, charged with hindering the apprehension of a felon and released from jail after posting bail.
Ethan Couch returned to Texas on Jan. 28 after 28 days in custody in Mexico.
On Wednesday, the courtroom was packed as Couch's father, Fred, families of the victims of the fatal crash and Mothers Against Drunk Driving were in attendance.
In a statement after the hearing, MADD President Colleen Sheehey-Church said, “We were gratified that our voice was heard this morning and the judge ordered the maximum number of days allowable by Texas law, giving Ethan Couch the birthday present he deserves — jail time. This is a small victory — after all 720 days in jail is nothing compared to the victims' lifetime sentence."
In the statement, Sheehey-Church noted that Couch's defense team will be able to argue against the judge's ruling of jail time.
"Know that we will be there once again, to ensure that everything is being done to result in some sort of justice for these families and for all families who have suffered from this 100% preventable crime,” Sheehey-Church said.
During the hearing Wednesday, the judge agreed with the defense team to seal all records transferred from juvenile court, so they will now be protected.
Salvant also discussed his gag order issued Monday to keep lawyers from sharing their opinions on the case publicly, saying it may hinder the pending case against Couch's mother, Tonya. A gag order was issued for her case in January. Salvant is presiding over her case as well.
She's waiting to learn whether she will be indicted for allegedly helping her son run away to Mexico to avoid meeting with probation officers.
Tonya Couch could face up to 10 years in prison if convicted.
After Ethan Couch completes the two-year sentence, he will then finish his 10-year probation sentence.
When released on probation, Salvant said Couch will not be able to drink and he'll have to undergo drug tests, along with other conditions of his probation.
Contributing: Monica Hernandez, WFAA-TV, Dallas-Fort Worth; The Associated Press. Follow Jim Douglas on Twitter:@wfaajdouglas