‘Affluenza’ teen allegedly defies probation to play beer pong

FORT WORTH, Texas — Law enforcement authorities launched an investigation on Thursday into a video that allegedly shows the Texas teen from a wealthy family who killed four people while driving drunk among revelers at a party, possibly in violation of his probation.. . . . . . . . . . . . The six-second video was posted on Twitter by a user on Wednesday. It shows a few people around a table covered with red plastic cups and cans of beer in a game of beer pong.

As a young man dives onto the table, the camera pans to show a male resembling the wealthy teen jumping and clapping at the sight.

‘Affluenza’ teen allegedly defies probation to play beer pong

Though this case went down while I was on my second deployment, I remember hearing about the trial and the outrage that the kid got only probation and rehab at an exclusive rehab facility.

If this story pans out, I seriously think this kid needs to be maxed out for each life he cost that night. He got a break, it's been two years and he's an adult (now) and should know the difference between right and wrong. Daddy's money should no longer be able to protect him. Cancel this motherf****** probation and let him get passed around state prison for the next 30 years or so, even if that doesn't fix him in the end, at least he won't be spitting on the graves of those he killed and got away with and at least we can be sure he won't be putting anyone else's life in danger. Once again, if this is truly him (it's looking that way), he has shown he has no remorse, and he does not care in the slightest.

Cases like this piss me off just as much as other cases I condemn (such as when Mike Brown's parents had the audacity to call him a 'gentle giant' immediately after he violently robs a convenience store and assaults a cop several times) and I want it to be known that we have common ground, regardless of our feelings on other issues.

Surely this is something all of ATS can agree on?


Is anyone else as irritated by this as me?

Kids like that get a free pass in life.

it's the natural order of things. We pay, they get away.

from royalty to affluent snobs. it's the same...

and yes, something needs to change.

Well, why don't we go after the real culprits..... You know, the ones making laws saying this is ok?

This case really ticked me off. I couldn't believe the audacity of the court accepting this affluenza BS that would never be acceptable for the common folks. I don't know how long he had probation for, but I can guarantee you that not drinking alcohol is part of the probation. I say throw his punk a$$ in prison!

ETA: 10 years probation with no drinking. Unreal that they say the affluenza sheilded him from understanding consequences, so they let him walk away from a quadruple manslaughter because of the families wealth. If that would have been any other teen, he would have been tried as an adult.

originally posted by: benwyatt
Well, why don't we go after the real culprits..... You know, the ones making laws saying this is ok?

That is the problem. There is no law saying 'affluenza' is some excuse or anything but some psyco-babbel that this psychiatrist made up. But it was the judge that had the discretion and abused it severely. In some states like I believe Florida it is mandatory jail time with a dui or dui homicide. It is the law makers that need to put in a minimum mandatory so this kind of thing is not allowed. I will bet the judge and prosecutor were paid off. I know a lawyer that got a friends dad off. It cost him $80,000 for his second dui, no injuries. The lawyer paid the judge and prosecutor at a lunch meeting approximately half the $80K. So, if you got the money, you would be surprised at what one can walk away from.

So a kid that kinda resembles someone, that may or may not have violated probation, that may or may not have been somewhere where people were drinking is being plastered all over the news.

Great. I think it probably was the same kid, but the media acting like this is incredibly troubling.

The media needs to be reigned in. They speculate like crazy, there was no proof, they should get the crap sued out them. It's dangerous and it's terrifying. Are you at all average? What happens when someone that lives a block down that looks like you gets plastered all over the news with your name? Anything for a scoop, better to ask for an apology. Again, yeah probably the same kid, but you don't report that until you are CERTAIN.

a reply to: Domo1

Good point about it may be someone else. But, it looks a lot like him.

a reply to: spirit_horse

That is the problem. There is no law saying 'affluenza' is some excuse or anything but some psyco-babbel that this psychiatrist made up. But it was the judge that had the discretion and abused it severely.

Did the judge actually give him a lesser sentence because the defense said something about affluenza?

I know a lawyer that got a friends dad off. It cost him $80,000 for his second dui, no injuries. The lawyer paid the judge and prosecutor at a lunch meeting approximately half the $80K. So, if you got the money, you would be surprised at what one can walk away from.

Crazy! What state was that?

a reply to: Domo1

That was in Florida. Down here the sentence for a vehicular homicide by DUi carries a 15 year sentence on average. They normally get paroled within 3-5 years however. I am not sure now about Texas, but Texas and Florida are normally pretty close on the law. I suspect the public backlash was because probation is not the normal punishment handed out.

ETA: According to MADD Texas DUI Fatality carries a 2 - 20 year sentence, without other charges.

The source is a PDF from MADD

a reply to: spirit_horse

That's the trouble though, I look like a lot of people too.

I'm 5'10, blonde hair, blue eyes, 185 pounds (maybe more after last week), pretty much always wear jeans and a North Face jacket and clean cut. I'm EVERYONE where I live.

The media should not be sending this kind of thing out. We have a right to know, but not before things are verified.

I think this is probably straightforward and the kid should get his ass handed to him.

I also think it's far more important that we don't devolve and assume just because something appears to be a certain way it is a certain way. It's hard sometimes, but I believe we always need to follow protocol, presumption of innocence, and take a breath or two.

We don't have enough to condemn some young man, we may have suspicions, and we're probably right, but that's been said before and a lot of people have been thrown in jail and executed wrongfully so let's wait a minute and give our courts a try. They may not be perfect, but I know they're better than my knee jerk reaction

You are exactly right about that! I won't even go into the executions routinely carried out extra-judicially. Everyone wants to get in the headlines so quick these days that it happens much more than people know.

a reply to: spirit_horse

Is that the clearest picture, or just a bad capture?

If that's the best/clearest picture, there's a bit of wiggle room there, 'cause that might not be him. Only might, mind you. There certainly is cause to investigate.

a reply to: chuck258

Made me sick when I first read of this POS and shows how justice can be brought.

Stick him in gen pop in a fedral prison!

originally posted by: spirit_horse
This case really ticked me off. I couldn't believe the audacity of the court accepting this affluenza BS that would never be acceptable for the common folks. I don't know how long he had probation for, but I can guarantee you that not drinking alcohol is part of the probation. I say throw his punk a$$ in prison!

ETA: 10 years probation with no drinking. Unreal that they say the affluenza sheilded him from understanding consequences, so they let him walk away from a quadruple manslaughter because of the families wealth. If that would have been any other teen, he would have been tried as an adult.

If I remember correctly tge same judge had indeed sent a poor black kid to prison a few months ealier for the same crime......

originally posted by: Domo1
a reply to: spirit_horse

That is the problem. There is no law saying 'affluenza' is some excuse or anything but some psyco-babbel that this psychiatrist made up. But it was the judge that had the discretion and abused it severely.

Did the judge actually give him a lesser sentence because the defense said something about affluenza?

I know a lawyer that got a friends dad off. It cost him $80,000 for his second dui, no injuries. The lawyer paid the judge and prosecutor at a lunch meeting approximately half the $80K. So, if you got the money, you would be surprised at what one can walk away from.

Crazy! What state was that?

Yes she did!

The dip# judge gave this vile bastard kid probation because she said he was to rich to understand the consequences of his actions!

Vigilante justice in this case is 100% justified as the "justice system " 100% failed!

a reply to: Domo1

The courts already failed with this POS.

Justice was never served!

This "young man" you speak of is a vile piece of # that escaped justice for multiple manslaughters deserves to be condemned! He has done more than enough to be condemned!

If it takes a wrongfull accusation of probation for him to be locked up were he belongs so be it! Call it delayed justice.

a reply to: crazyewok

Exactly! That was the issue everyone has had with this kid. He got off beyond light because the judge said he was so rich and spoiled that he didn't know right from wrong.

a reply to: crazyewok

Why?

You do know it's rather dangerous for "celebrity" inmates, right?

Which in turn makes it dangerous for the staff in those prisons. Because they're the ones who have to keep things under control.

originally posted by: seagull
a reply to: crazyewok

Why?

You do know it's rather dangerous for "celebrity" inmates, right?

Which in turn makes it dangerous for the staff in those prisons. Because they're the ones who have to keep things under control.

My heart bleeds for the little scumbag.


You may have a point on the staff, but dam the little #.

a reply to: crazyewok

I couldn't careless about him. But, the officers are required by law, on pain of going to jail themselves, to protect anyone in their care.

Lock the little micro-cephalic moron up in PC for the foreseeable future, and call it a good deed done.