Fugitive teen, mom found in Mexico
Teen who used ‘affluenza’ defence for deadly DUI nabbed after ordering pizza
FORT WORTH, TEXAS— A teenage fugitive and his mother attempted to disguise themselves and disappear among the American tourists who flocked to a Mexican resort city for the holidays, but are now in custody and will be returned to the U.S. after a cellphone used to order pizza gave away their location, authorities said Tuesday.
Tarrant County Sheriff Dee Anderson said 18-year-old Ethan Couch — known for invoking an “affluenza” defence after he killed four people in a drunken driving wreck — and his mother had prepared to be gone a while, even dying Couch’s blond hair black, before being detained Monday in the city of Puerto Vallarta.
“They had planned to disappear. They even had something that was almost akin to a going-away party before leaving town,” Anderson said.
Couch was on juvenile probation for the wreck when he was16. During the sentencing phase of his trial, a defence expert argued that his wealthy parents coddled him into a sense of irresponsibility — a condition the expert termed “affluenza.” The condition is not recognized as a medical diagnosis by the American Psychiatric Association, and its invocation drew ridicule.
Anderson said Couch and his mother, Tonya Couch, apparently crossed the border in her pickup and drove to Puerto Vallarta. It was not clear whether they had any accomplices. No immediate charges were planned for others who may have known about or assisted with the flight plan, Anderson said. He said authorities have no evidence that Couch’s father was involved.
Jalisco state prosecutor Eduardo Almaguer Ramirez said U.S. authorities knew the mother and son were in Puerto Vallarta because of a phone call to Domino’s Pizza.
A U.S. Marshals Service agent tipped authorities in Mexico to the location of the phone on Monday, according to a police report issued by the Jalisco state prosecutor’s office. The phone had been used to order pizza for a room at a condominium complex in the beach resort city.
When agents went to the condo, the Couches had already moved on, but a tourism operator pointed agents to their new home at an apartment in Puerto Vallarta’s old town. Agents set up a surveillance operation and found the Couches that night.
Anderson said an arrest warrant was being issued for Tonya Couch on charges of hindering an apprehension, a third-degree felony that carries a sentence of two to 10 years in prison. Tarrant County District Attorney Sharen Wilson said that at the hearing she plans to ask a judge to transfer Ethan Couch’s case to adult court.
Couch would then face up to 120 days in an adult jail, followed by 10year probation. If he violates probation, he could face up to 10 years in prison per death, Wilson said.