"Affluenza" teen Ethan Couch now legally an adult
FORT WORTH, Texas --ATexas teenager who used an "affluenza" defense in a fatal drunken-driving wreck is eligible as of Monday to have his case transferred to the state's adult justice system.
Ethan Couch has turned 19, the age at which teens are no longer eligible to have their cases heard in Texas' juvenile courts. On Feb. 19, a Texas juvenile court judge ruled that after Couch's birthday, his case could be transferred to the adult system.
The teen, who was 16 when killed four and injured nine in a 2013 drunken driving crash, faces up to 120 days in jail. Couch will make his first appearance in adult court on Apr. 18.
Authorities say Couch and his mother, Tonya, fled the U.S. in December, as Texas prosecutors investigated whether a video showing the teen at a party where alcohol was present meant he violated his probation.
The adult court judge could make prison a condition of any future probation violation. In such a case, Couch could face up to 40 years behind bars -- 10 years for each of the four people who died in the 2013 wreck.
Tonya Couch is on house arrest at her other son's home after she was charged with helping Ethan Couch flee. The 48-year-old faces between two and 10 years in prison if convicted of hindering the apprehension of a felon.