Affluenza teen Ethan Couch was released from jail Monday morning, just 720 days after being locked away for the drunken-driving killing of four.
The 20-year-old who drew international attention after a psychologist testified on his behalf and said he suffered from something called affluenza was released just after 8.30am local time from a jail in Tarrant County, Texas.
He has spent his first few minutes out of jail in a probation office and has yet to step into the sunshine for the first time in nearly two years.
The president of Mothers Against Drunk Driving, Colleen Sheehey-Church, called his release a ‘grave injustice. She said the organization will be closely following his release amid outrage from its members, according to CBS DFW.
On June 15, 2013 Couch was behind the wheel of his father’s red For F-350 pick-up, speeding 70mph down the road from his home in Burleson, Texas, where he had hosted a drunken teenage party.
Affluenza teen Ethan Crouch is set to be released from jail Monday morning, just 720 days after being locked away for the drunken-driving killing of four
The president of Mothers Against Drunk Driving, Colleen Sheehey-Church, called his release a ‘grave injustice. She said the organization will be closely following his release amid outrage from its members. Pictured is Couch’s car after the crash in June 2013
Earlier in the day he and two friends had stolen three cases of Miller Light from a local Walmart.
As the party got into its swing, one of the guests found she needed a tampon and everyone piled into the truck to go to a nearby convenience store.
After being caught underage drinking in 2016, Ethan and his mother Tonya Couch fled to Puerto Vallerta, Mexico, and were later picked up by police and taken back to the United States
The then 16-year-old then smashed into an SUV that had stopped by the side of the road after its tire blew, killing its driver Breanna Mitchell, 24. The crash also killed three people had to come to her aid, including Brian Jennings, who was on the way home from his son’s graduation, and mother-and-daughter neighbors Holliie and Shelby Boyles.
Sergio Molina, one of Couch’s passengers, was paralyzed and can now only communicate by blinking.
A blood test taken three hours after the crash showed COuch was
Because of his affluenza, Couch was apparently left unable to anticipate the consequences of his actions.
Affluenza impacts individuals whose wealthy parents failed to set boundaries throughout his childhood, and a judge agreed this left him not responsible for the drunken driving murders.
Though Couch killed four and left a fifth victim paralyzed, he wasn’t initially sentenced to any jail time.
Because of his affluenza, he was instead sentenced to 10 years of probation.
But two years later a video surfaced of the then-teen playing beer pong on Twitter, and he and his mother Tonya Couch fled the United States.
Ethan thought his probation would be revoked because he was drinking, again, underage, so he and his mother headed to Puerto Vallarta, Mexico.
Victims: Couch slammed into the SUV of 24-year-old Breanna Mitchell (left) and mother-and-daughter neighbors Hollie and Shelby Boyles (right)
Sergio Molina, one of Couch’s passengers, was paralyzed and can now communicate only by blinking
The mother-son pair were caught when authorities traced an order for Domino’s pizza made from one of their smartphones. Tonya came back to the United States on New Year’s eve 2015, and Ethan came back late January after fighting extradition.
When he returned his probation was being supervised by the juvenile court system, which meant he could only be on probation until his 19th birthday in April 2016. At that time he was transferred to the adult probation system and given 180 days for each of the four people killed.
Those sentenced were served consecutively.
MADD said Monday will be a tough day for his victims’ families.
‘As an organization we’ll be there to serve them if they need us,’ Sheehey-Church told CBS.
‘We’ll continue to watch him because we have a partnership with Tarrant County to make sure that he at least adheres to all his rules of probation when he does get out on Monday.’
According to Tim WIlliams, the best friend of Couch’s victim Brian Jennings, said in an interview with DailyMailTV two weeks ago that he believes Couch does finally understand the severity of his actions. Williams (right) and Jennings are pictured together
When he is released he will have a 9pm curfew and have to wear a GPS and alcohol monitor. He will also have an ignition interlock device attached to his car.
According to Tim WIlliams, the best friend of Couch’s victim Brian Jennings, said in an interview with DailyMailTV two weeks ago that he believes Couch does finally understand the severity of his actions.
‘He told me “I don’t want to scam the system anymore. I don’t want to figure out how I can get around my probation. I just want to do what I need to do.”‘
‘I was astonished. I didn’t anticipate that,’ Williams told DailyMailTV.