Judge who gave Ethan Couch his ‘affluenza’ punishment should have studied Chris Clary’s case

[ehrnst]

"Judge Jean Boyd, who sentenced 16-year-old Ethan Couch to probation after he killed four people while driving drunk might have done us all a favor by researching a similar history that I’ve written about previously on this blog. It’s the case of Chris Clary, another son of a well-to-do, influential North Texas father who got him off with probation after he killed a teenage girl riding in his car. Clary also was a drunk teenage driver.
In December 1998, Clary killed Stefani Robertson, a 15-year-old DeSoto High School student. Clary was drunk at the time, and Robertson was his passenger. As is often the case with rich kids, dad got a good lawyer. Clary, just like Couch, received 10 years of probation.

Amazingly, just like Couch, this wasn’t Clary’s first offense. About a year earlier, he had been cited for drunk driving but clearly hadn’t learned his lesson. Affluenza apparently has been sweeping the area for decades.

Did probation allow Clary to rehabilitate himself in the way that the judge envisions in Couch’s case? Hardly."

http://dallasmorningviewsblog.dallasnews.com/2013/12/judge-who-gave-ethan-couch-his-affluenza-punishment-should-have-studied-chris-clarys-case.html/

[djean111]

1. Can't find it right now, but yesterday I read somewhere that the probation sentence was likely

going to be more onerous for him than jailing him now as a minor.
Unless, of course, his mommy and daddy manage to buy his way out of probation. Probably just need to make a few phone calls in a year or so.

[LiberalEsto]

7. The butler will wear the electronic monitoring device, no doubt. nt

[aggiesal]

9. Probably donated to the . . .

Cheney's.
I'm sure they'll get rid of the probation.

[JimboBillyBubbaBob]

2. These types of cases...

...are clearly appalling. To that end, we need some mandatory sentencing in such cases. Drunk driving is premeditated murder when it results in another's death. I cannot fathom how it would be deemed otherwise.

[Berlum]

3. This is another case of degenerate Republicon "Family Values" in action. As usual.

The judge is a card-carrying Republicon. The Little Rich Kid is likely a Republicon, too, and thus we see the Republicon "Values" in action: Republicons do not do responsibility. The record is clear.

[Bernardo de La Paz]

11. Also Republican "Personal Responsibility" in action, too, not just "family values".

Aside from the lack of responsibility on the part of the minor, the parents are surely lacking in responsibility too, for raising their spoiled rotten kid that way. (Do recognize that in rare cases parents try and fail at raising kids for reasons truly out of their control.)

[Berlum]

17. Yup - there you have it.

A classic case.

[jsr]

4. There are no consequences for bad behavior. Why change?

The wealthy own our government, and every judge and DA has a price tag.

[randr]

5. Excusing this criminal due to poor parenting

should have resulted in the parents receiving the same penalty.

[ehrnst]

6. +1000. (nt)

[Laelth]

8. k&r for exposure. n/t

-Laelth

[Mz Pip]

10. The kid and his parents are smiling.

Big wow that they were insulted by the judge. The kid walked and will face few consequences. He'll drink and drive again because he's privileged.

Did the judge really think that calling out their wealth was somehow a fitting end to this horrible case? He should be removed from the bench.

[riqster]

12. ^^this^^

[packman]

13. To paraphrase the Great Ronnie

"It's just Trickle-Down Justice".

Didn't Laura (pre-Bush years) run down her ex-boyfriend "accidently" in Texas. Yah, accident my ass.

[joanbarnes]

14. Like Laura Bush getting off for killing someone, and GWB with his numerous drug offenses?

[valerief]

16. She only killed one person. Her husband killed thousands. nt

[valerief]

15. Good link, but, to be fair, some rich kids aren't like that. Some are worse and run

for office.

[RoccoR5955]

18. I wonder

just how much they paid the judge to get that probation.
I just know that they paid her off, and I couldn't afford the price, but I am quite curious to know what it cost.