Anchor: THE AFFLUENZA TEEN
AWAITING PROBATION AFTER
ESCAPING PROBATION.
HIS LAWYERS ARGUE MISPARENTS
WERE PARTIALLY TO BLAME BECAUSE
THEY NEVER SET ANY LIMITS FOR
HIM AND ALWAYS GAVE HIM WHAT HE
WANTED KNOWN AS THE AFFLUENZA
DEFENSE.
THE TEXAS DISTRICT ATTORNEY CASE
SAYING COUCH MAY ONLY GET 120
DAYS FOR VIOLATING HIS PROBATION
JOINING US THIS MORNING TO TALK
ABOUT THE AFF LEW UENZA DEFENSE
AND HOW IT WORK IS ELLOCAL
ATTORNEY RHONDA PEOPLES WATER,
SO HOW DOES THIS WORK AND THE
FACT THAT HE DID RUN OFF HIS
MOTHER?
DOES THAT HELP HIS CASE THAT HIS
MOTHER WAS IN A SENSE ENABLING
HIM.
ABSOLUTELY, THE DEFENSE WHEN
HE WAS INITIALLY BEING SENTENCED
PUT FORTH THIS AFFLUENZA DEFENSE
SAYING HE NEVER UNDERSTOOD THERE
WERE CONSEQUENCES FOR HIS
ACTIONS FOR WAY HIS PARENTS
RAISED HIM BEING RICH AND
SOCIETAL CIRCUMSTANCES, AND SO
NOW OBVIOUSLY WE'RE SEEING A
CONTINUATION OF THAT BECAUSE HE
AND HIS MOTHER FLED THE COUNTRY
AND THERE ARE ISSUES THAT THERE
ARE ISSUES THAT WILL PLAY OUT
AND THE COURT WILL HAVE TO MAKE
A DECISION ON WHETHER OR NOT HE
WILL REMAIN IN THE JUVENILE
SYSTEM OR WHETHER HIS CASE
SHOULD BE CHFERRED TO THE ADULT
SYSTEM.
HIS MOM COULD BE PUNISHED
FOR THIS.
SHE COULD AND ACTUALLY
CHARGES HAVE BEEN BROUGHT
AGAINST HER FOR WHAT WE WOULD
CALL LIKE HARBORING A FUGITIVE
AND HELPING HIM TO EVADE
AUTHORITIES AND SHE'S ACTUALLY
LOOKING AT UP TO TEN YEARS IN
PRISON UNDER TEXAS LAW AS WELL.
TALK ABOUT HOW THIS SETS
PRECEDENT.
WE WERE TALKING BEFORE THE BREAK
THAT IT SEEMS LIKE ANYBODY COULD
USE EXCUES IF YOU HAVE MONEY OR
ALSO IF DELETE S IT KIND OF
GIVES YOU THE ARGUMENT ABOUT
WHAT ABOUT THE KIDS THAT DIDN'T
HAVE MONEY AND THEY WEREN'T
AROUND TO TEACH THEM ANYTHING OR
GIVE THEM BOUNDARIES EITHER.
HOW DOES THAT WORK?
AND ABSOLUTELY, A COURT AND
OUR JEUDZ ADDITIONAL SYSTEM IS
SET UP TO UNDERSTAND WHAT YOUR
BACKGROUND IS AS AN INDIVIDUAL
DEFENDANT AND ANY MISSION, IT
COULD JUST AS WELL BE MITIGATION
THAT A POOR FAMILY DIDN'T HAVE
THIS UPBRINGING.
SO WHAT THE COURT HAS TO DO IS
REALLY BALANCE ALONG WITH YOUR
BACKGROUNDS WITH THE
CONSEQUENCES OF WHAT THE CRIMES
ARE.
IT IS NOT VERY COMMON TO SEE
CASES LIKE THIS BUT IT SEEM TO
BE SOMETHING THAT IS BENEFICIAL
TOO THE CHILD?
TO ME IT DOESN'T SEEM LIKE A
VERY BIG CONSEQUENCE, HOW WILL
THE CHILD EVER LEARN?
ABSOLUTELY AND THAT IS WHAT
THE COURT SYSTEM IS NOW GOING
FACE, BECAUSE IF HE GOES INTO
THE ADULT SYSTEM, EVEN HE WILL
NOW BE LOOKING AT MUCH HUGE,
MUCH LARGER CONSEQUENCES AND
BEGIN LOOKING AT A SUBSTANTIAL
AMOUNT OF PRISON TIME WHEN HE
MAY HAVE BEEN ABLE TO LEARN
THOSE CONSEQUENCES BEEN BETTER
AND HARSHER IN JUVENILE COURT.
TALK ABOUT WHAT IS NEXT THIS
CASE NOW THAT THIS HAS HAPPENED.
ABSOLUTELY, AGAIN, THE
PROSECUTION WILL DECIDE AND ASK
IF THEY CAN SEND HIM NOT JUST IN
JUVENILE COURT, BUT HE WILL BE
RELEASED AT AGE 19 IN A COUPLE
OF MONTHS BUT IF HE'S
TRANSFERRED TO ADULT COURT HE'LL
STILL HAVE ABOUT EIGHT YEARS OF
PROBATION AND IF HE HAS A ANY
NEW VIOLATIONS HE CAN SERVE UP
TO TEN YEARS IN PRISON FOR EACH
ONE OF THOSE FOUR DEATHS.
THAT IS A BIG DEAL, WHAT DO
YOU THINK IS GOING TO HAPPEN, I
KNOW YOU'RE NOT A PART OF THIS
CASE BUT JUST OUTSIDE LIKING IN.
I THINK THE COURT IS GOING
THE BE UNDER QUITE A BIT OF
PRESSURE TO LOOK FOR ANY
ALLOWANCES IN THE LAW THAT WILL
ALLOW HIM TO REMAIN IN THE ADULT
SYSTEM AND UNDER THE CONFINES OF
THE.
IS.
THEY SEE HE'S HAVING PROBLEMS
ABIDING BY THE LAW AS IT WAS
ALREADY PROVIDED TO HIM.
WE APPRECIATE YOUR
PERSPECTIVE AND WE WILL
DEFINITELY CONTINUE TO WATCH
THIS CASE.
FOR THE TIME BEING, ETHAN COUCH
REMAINS IN MEXICO.
TONYA COUCH FACES A TWO TO