14 year old drunk driver kills 4, avoids jail

http://articles.latimes.com/2013/dec/12/nation/la-na-nn-texas-teen-drunk-driving-probation-affluenza-20131212

The defense was 'Affluenza.' What is affluenza? Being too rich to know right from wrong. And it worked. Wooo! 'Being too rich to know right from wrong' to me says ignorance of the law and that's not a defense. But a Texas judge bought it and 2 years after the crime, the kid gets 10 years probation instead of 20 years in prison that the DA was trying for.

So what exactly was the crime? Boozed up 14 year old, driving his daddy's truck with his friends, steal 2 cases of beer earlier that night. Not just boozed up, but traces of Valium too! He crashes into a broke down vehicle, and a good Samaritan youth pastor, killing 4 and seriously injuring 2.

The kid's defense even plead guilty to four counts manslaughter. But the catch is the kid is an unemotional zombie that just doesn't know right from wrong. If that's true he should be stuck in a federal institution for the 20 years to get help. Instead the parents are sending the teen to a 450,000$ a year rehab center in California.

I wonder what would have happened if the kid got a jury trial and not a judge trial.

What was that 14-year-old idiot thinking?

Uh let's get drunk and party ooops running low on beer time to drive and steal 2 more cases. I'm not even sure this was manslaughter if not murder. But they'd have to prove it and the only people that could prove it were probably his friends drunk, making them not viable witnesses.

Being richer than the victim is generally a sufficient proof of innocence. It's sound logic: God knows everything, so he knows if you are truly guilty or innocent. Furthermore, God is just and almighty, so if you are truly guilty, God will have punished you by making you poor, and if you are truly innocent, God will have rewarded you by making you rich.

Only a Godless heathen could claim that this system doesn't work -- and being a Godless heathen is being anti-American. You make Baby Jesus AND Uncle Sam cry by objecting with this verdict.

Gez said:

Being richer than the victim is generally a sufficient proof of innocence.

He's not rich. His parents are. If he had to steal beer instead of paying someone to go fetch him some beer... he's not rich.

geo said:

He's not rich. His parents are. If he had to steal beer instead of paying someone to go fetch him some beer... he's not rich.

Being son of rich people applies to the same rule, especially for a minor.

geo said:

He's not rich. His parents are. If he had to steal beer instead of paying someone to go fetch him some beer... he's not rich.

if the kid has no healthy concept of right or wrong, then i don't see it as too surprising that he'd go and steal beer from somewhere else, really. rich assholes can still be assholes if they want to.

He at least deserves an indefinite prohibition against using any dangerous machinery. For the rest of his life climbing into the driver's seat of anything that moves under its own power should send him to jail. He's proven he's too stupid to be trusted. That would even have the bonus effect of most local liquor stores refusing to sell him liquor because they're often too stupid to know you can buy it without a drivers' license.

geo said:

He's not rich. His parents are.

You know the saying, "what's the best way to obtain a small fortune? Inherit a big fortune".

Coming from you, that's a little bit rich.

Typical. Sounds like Canada.

Doomhuntress said:

if the kid has no healthy concept of right or wrong

That's why I wonder it was vehicular homicide and not vehicular manslaughter.

The irony here is he could dodge jail, but couldn't dodge a car at the side of the road.

Aliotroph? said:

He at least deserves an indefinite prohibition against using any dangerous machinery. For the rest of his life climbing into the driver's seat of anything that moves.

I agree. He's rich enough for a driver if he is forced to never drive again.

This kid was also found with a naked/passed out 14 year old girl in his truck and he got away with that shit as well. I say jail the kid and his parents.

^^^ I read about that. I think that was a different incident when he was 15. Maybe I'm incorrect about that. I've gotta question the judge on all of this. Especially in Texas where they're known to be stiffer on crimes and executions.

LIONEL TATE
This case kinda reminds me of Lionel Tate, some fat 13 year old doing wrestling moves on his 6 year old cousin and killed her. He was found guilty, jailed, but then later it was overturned. Then when he was out, he robbed a pizza delivery guy at gunpoint. Before that he was busted carrying a knife outside a church, which was a probation violation.

Nothing new on this planet

Its really scary that im not surprised that a 14 year old was drinking and driving under the legal age for driving and under the legal age of drinking.

Edit: oh wait the article says he was 16 but still.

Justice demands to kill him and his two parents.. and then random family member.. four makes four.. then give their wealth to poo.. eh no.. to ME!

(not serious)

This thread:
Rabble rabble rabble rabble!

Don't worry, this rich kid will be behind bars soon. People like him never learn. Let's just hope he doesn't kill anyone extra.

Doominator2 said:

Its really scary that im not surprised that a 14 year old was drinking and driving under the legal age for driving and under the legal age of drinking.

Edit: oh wait the article says he was 16 but still.

He's 16 now. Took 2 years to get to court. Usually trials that have a death involved take their sweet time on so it gives the families of the victims and the public in general a chance to simmer down.

This is why I'm ashamed to be part of this generation's teenagers (even if I'm one of the younger ones, being 13). The fact that he doesn't get at least 25 years in prison sickens me.

Teenagers weren't any different in the 90s. We just didn't have so many screens to stare at.

Ten years probation and a black mark like that on one's record is pretty rough. I'm only surprised he got off in Texas. Hopefully he's interested in working for the family business.