Kid Kills 4 in Drunk Driving/Excessive Speed Rampage;
Sentenced to Only Probation, Because Judge Agrees He's Been So Spoiled By His Parents That He Doesn't Understand the Consequences of His Actions

A very alarming story from Purple Avenger on the graveyard shift, also covered at Hot Air.

Even if one accepts that homicide-by-drunk-driving should not be charged like a murder or manslaughter, this particular case -- featuring a kid who stole beer, then got drunk at three times the legal limit, then sped around at 70 mph in a 40mph zone -- is one of what the law would call "willfulness," deliberately taking dangerous actions knowing the possible consequences but not caring. And that's manslaughter.

In some rare cases, a high level of willfulness has been found to be sufficient to charge someone with outright murder (which requires intent) -- the so called "depraved-heart murder" precedents. A rare thing, and I'm not sure I buy it, but such complete disregard for human life has been found to be the legal equivalent of intent to kill before.

Even if you don't think this kid should get life in prison, surely he owes the state a couple of years in prison, doesn't he?

A judge decided no, not at all. Not a year, not six months, not a month, not a week... no jail time at all.

Per CNN:

Simply put, Couch, 16, claims that his condition stemmed from having wealthy, privileged parents who never set limits for him.

But Eric Boyles, who lost his wife and daughter in the crash, said on CNN's "Anderson Cooper 360," "There are absolutely no consequences for what occurred that day. The primary message has to absolutely be that money and privilege can't buy justice in this country."

Even if the judge bought this nonsense -- then the decision was because this monster had previously faced no consequences for his behavior, he should continue facing no consequences for his behavior?

What? Because the kid think there's no such thing as consequences, he'll be sentenced to no consequences?

All he had do do was move out from his parents' control -- and what spoiled-rotten monster brat wouldn't love his own apartment? Half of them sue to be emancipated. He'll have ten years probation.

People will say this is a liberal judge. Perhaps, perhaps not. I tend to think liberal judges would tend to be outraged by bad behavior by the very rich. Why, they will sometimes treat rich felons the way conservatives say we should treat all felons.

Perhaps it is that.

But I don't know.

I can't help noticing that this sentence looks almost exactly like the sort of sentence the parents, the lawyers, and the brat would have imposed themselves. I can't help thinking that no one except the parents, their lawyers, and this little monster himself would approve of such a sentence.

So that makes me wonder why this judge decided this was a fitting sentence.

I'd like to see this judge investigated. I find this sentence to be impossible to justify, explain, or defend. So I'd like to know exactly what led to it.

I ain't accusin'. But I'm suspicious.

Correction (?) A commenter says the judge wasn't imposing the sentence per se, but was rather imposing an agreed-to sentence worked out as part of a plea deal.

Very well. Then I am suspicious of the prosecutors who gave up a career-making prosecution (it would be politically popular, and all prosecutors are really politicians) in order to let this little monster take a ten year vacation in Rehab Resort.

Purple Avenger on the graveyard shift, also covered at Hot Air. Even if one accepts that homicide-by-drunk-driving should not be charged like a murder or manslaughter, this particular case -- featuring a kid who stole...&topic=world_news"> posted by Ace at 05:28 PM

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