Victim's father assails "affluenza" teen's legal fight
The Texas teenager known for his controversial "affluenza" legal defense is being held at an immigration detention center in Mexico as his attorney fights to delay his deportation and keep him from returning to Texas for as long as possible.
But Ethan Couch's return to the U.S. remains uncertain, more than a week after he and his mother were picked up by Mexican immigration authorities, reports CBS News correspondent Manuel Bojorquez.
"Laws are there to protect everybody, not just the people we like," said Couch's high-profile Mexican attorney, Fernando Benitez. "We're dealing with an immigration case and that's all."
Benitez is calling for his client to be extradited, which involves the U.S.-Mexico extradition treaty. The 18-year-old is currently being considered for deportation, which gives him fewer rights under Mexican law.
"He deserves compassionate and human treatment and this is what he will get from his experience in my country and I will make sure of that," Benitez said.
"The correct legal proceeding here is actually an extradition," said Nicole DeBorde, a criminal defense attorney."It will take some time for all of the proper paperwork to be filled out in the United States, reviewed in Mexico, and then for appropriate actions to be taken."
Meanwhile, Couch's mother is still being held in a Los Angeles jail without bail, after Mexican officials deported her last week for staying in the country illegally. She is due in court Tuesday, facing a third degree felony charge for helping her son flee.
Ethan Couch and his mother fled to Mexico in December, violating his 10-year juvenile probation sentence for killing four people and injuring several others in a 2013 drunk driving crash.
Kevin McConnell, whose son Lucas was among the injured, says this latest incident makes it impossible to move on.
"It's like ripping a bandage off of a wound just about the time it's started to heal a little bit," McConnell said. "It's fresh in everyone's minds again."
Tonya Couch is expected to be sent to the Tarrant County jail in Texas. She faces a penalty of two to 10 years in prison.