

Wealthy sixteen year old teen spared jail after killing four people - legacy2013
http://www.nydailynews.com/news/national/wealthy-16-year-old-killed-4-drunken-crash-spared-jail-article-1.1544508

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swalkergibson
Affluenza? Seems like a huge teaching moment just slipped by.

My heart goes out to the victims and their families. An unimaginable tragedy
compounded by no justice.

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mathattack
This just leaves me scratching my head for the other side of the story. When
things are so irrational, there has to be something, but I just can't think of
it. It's one thing to be wealthy and hire an expensive attorney, but to
actually go in front of a jury of peers to say, "Sorry, forgive me for being
rich" just seems too flagrant and irrational.

Anyone have more backdrop on the story?

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wting
One rationalization is that a 10 year probation means he'll be under police
watch for a significant amount of time.

On the other hand if he was given a sentence as a minor, he would be released
in 2 years when he's 18. That leads to the question why he wasn't tried as an
adult, but IANAL.

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louthy
"Defense attorneys said the boy suffered from 'affluenza' and blamed the boy's
parents, saying they gave him everything he wanted and didn't teach him about
consequences."

Which should have been an argument that he needed a life lesson. Even a short
custodial sentence would have done that. Now he's learned that his wealth can
buy him out of anything.

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bryanlarsen
He's used up his "get out of jail free" card. The judge made it quite clear
that if he ever gets in trouble with the law again the hammer will come down.

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swalkergibson
Four people are dead. Why should he get any second chances? He made his bed,
he should lie in it.

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bryanlarsen
The key word in the title is "teen", not "wealthy". Light sentences are common
in the juvenile court system.

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swalkergibson
Did you read the article? The defense presented is a bullshit justification
called affluenza. Not "boys will be boys." I can absolutely guarantee there
are teenagers serving lengthy drug sentences in Texas. This punk killed four
people. There is no way to rationalize this at all.

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bryanlarsen
The teenagers serving lengthy drug sentences in Texas were sent there by an
adult court system.

