The "Affluenza teen," has been released from prison. Ethan Couch served two years after driving drunk and killing four people, then fleeing to Mexico with his mother to avoid prison. Reports by Reuters presented all of the information used in this opinion piece.

Couch is best known for giving an excuse that being too rich and having no responsibilities was the reason why he was recklessly driving drunk and caused a crash that took the lives of four people. Though he was only 16 at the time, he had a blood alcohol level three times the legal limit when he crashed his pickup truck.

His family even trotted out a psychologist during his trial who coined the term "Affluenza," to describe Couch's condition. He lived a life where there were no consequences for his actions. This made him not liable, in his family's eyes, for his actions. Thankfully, the court did not buy that defense and he was found guilty. However, his punishment barely fit the crime and left many, especially the loved ones of the deceased, outraged.

A bungled case

Despite his clear guilt and a laughable defense for it, Couch only received 10 years of probation as punishment. The public outcry was heavy but the verdict stood. That was until it was noted two years later that Couch was violating that probation.

He and his mother fled to Mexico to avoid being arrested and having his probation revoked. They were ultimately captured and returned to the United States. The depressing fact of the case is that the only reason Couch went to jail at all was because of his continued probation violations. The killing of four innocent people by an out of control drunk driver though remains unpunished.

Keeping a low profile

Unsurprisingly, the time spent in jail has given Couch some clarity on the whole situation. Where he was an unapologetic brat after his arrest and during his trial, he now is hoping to keep as low of a profile as possible, understanding that he is not a well-liked individual among the free people of the United States.

“Ethan does not wish to draw attention to himself and requests privacy so he may focus on successfully completing his community supervision and going forward as a law-abiding citizen,” his lawyers, Scott Brown and Reagan Wynn were quoted as Couch was released from prison. It would only make sense that Couch wants nothing to do with the public spotlight. I wouldn't expect him to make any upcoming interviews or public statements.

His mother remains jailed for her role in helping him flee to Mexico to avoid prosecution. Somehow, Couch is still getting others to pay for his crimes.
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