some very long true crime

In 2013, 16-year-old Ethan Couch killed four people and severely injured two others while driving drunk in Texas. Despite the severity of his actions, Couch avoided prison time when his attorneys successfully argued that he suffered from "affluenza" - a made-up condition suggesting his wealthy upbringing prevented him from understanding consequences. Instead of jail, he received 10 years probation and was sent to an expensive rehabilitation facility.

Two years later, after a video surfaced showing Couch apparently violating his probation by drinking, he and his mother Tonya fled to Mexico. They were eventually caught, and Couch served nearly two years in jail for the probation violation before being released in 2018. He violated probation again in 2020 when he was found with THC, but received only additional community service rather than jail time.

Couch completed his probation in April 2024, having largely avoided serious consequences for his actions. Meanwhile, the victims' families continue to suffer, including Sergio Molina who was left paralyzed from the crash and requires constant care. The case became a national symbol of how wealth and privilege can influence the justice system, with critics pointing out that a less affluent defendant would likely have faced decades in prison for the same crimes.