‘Affluenza’ boy deported to US after dropping appeal
Mexico has finally put on plane a rich US boy who was known for his so-called affluenza defense in a case involving drunken-driving accident, flying him back to Texas where he will face charges.
Authorities in Mexican immigration institute said on Thursday that they took Ethan Couch, 18, to the Mexico City airport where he would be placed on a commercial flight to Dallas, Texas.
Couch had been convicted of intoxication manslaughter after he killed four people in a driving incident in 2013 in Texas. Many had criticized the verdict, saying the court rewarded the teen a privilege with leniency.
But the trial sparked a huge controversy after a psychologist for Couch argued in the court that the boy was so rich and affluent that he could not distinguish between right and wrong, claiming that he was suffering from "affluenza" when the fatal accident happened.
Officials said on Monday that Couch had dropped an appeal against his deportation, hence making it possible to fly him back to his hometown in Texas to face an array of charges.
Couch and his mother were detained late December in the Pacific resort of Puerto Vallarta following a two-week-long international manhunt. The mother was released after posting bail and returned to the US where she was again arrested.
After the controversial trial, Couch was sentenced to 10 years of probation free from drug and alcohol.
He has been held in a migrants' detention center in Mexico City. Officials in his home town of Tarrant County, Texas, said Couch will be placed in juvenile detention upon arrival.
If he is found guilty of violating the probation, he would face a four-month adult detention. He is expected to face a trial in February to decide whether his case will be transferred to an adult system.
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