Affluenza, that was how defense-hired psychologist explained it, but in actuality it was purely teenage stupidity. Ethan Couch killed four people and injured another when he decided that he was sober enough to drive. At 16 years of age, he shouldn’t have had any alcohol in his system. But Couch was found with a blood alcohol level three times the legal limit.

Couch had been at a party with his friends and peers. He made the decision to pick up several drinks and he made the decision to put the keys in the ignition. So on June 15, 2013, he was the one who sat behind the wheel of a truck as it steered into four people. Those people had friends, family and all certainly had bright futures ahead of them. But the stupidity of one teenager ending up stealing it all from them.

Couch did a horrible thing, he was caught doing that horrible thing, and what does he say the reason he did that horrible thing? “Poor parenting.” He had thrown the party at a second home owned by his parents, which does show negligence on their part. There are plenty of other teenagers with negligent parents, a very small percentage of them are out getting drunk and mowing down their neighbors. At the end of the day, it was Couch who sat behind the wheel and it was Couch who killed those four people.

During the trial the defense pushed for 20 years in prison. By the time litigation ended, the defense had managed to snake their way down to 10 years of probation with time in a rehabilitation facility. The judge agreed, he believed that these 10 years and rehabilitation would stabilize this insolent teenager, maybe make him a better person. The judge never thought that Couch might skip probation and run away to Mexico with his mother, but he did. Couch and his mother were caught on Dec. 28 in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico. Once again, Couch demonstrated his inability to make morally correct decisions when his own interests are in question.

Couch killed four people when he drank the alcohol. Couch killed four people with his own stupidity, and instead of paying for what he did with his sentence, Couch decided to skip town and travel to Mexico. Was that due to “poor parenting” too? Or will Couch finally grow the integrity to admit it was his fault?

Savannah Houdeshell, staff writer

Freshman Savannah Houdeshell is a staff writer for the 2015-2016 Colonel. She participates in Operation Smile and is on the soccer team.