Ethan Couch Saga Opens Old Wounds For Survivors
NORTH TEXAS (CBSDFW.COM) - On June 15, 2013, Lucas McConnell, 12, saw his godfather, Pastor Brian Jennings, die in a horrific crash.
The teen who plowed into Jennings, killed 3 others, and dominated headlines with his 'affluenza' defense, is now back in the spotlight.
Ethan Couch, then 16 years old, was sentenced to 10 years of probation for driving drunk and causing the crash that also injured 12 people.
"It makes it impossible to move on," Kevin McConnell, Lucas' father, explains. He says seeing the Couch saga continue to play out has been difficult on victims and their families.
"It's like ripping a bandage off of a wound, right around the time we started to heal a little bit," says McConnell.
Lucas is now 15-years-old. McConnell describes him as well-grounded and says the teen is trying as best as he can to move forward.
McConnell doesn't believe the same is true for Couch. "When there's any kind of conflict, [Couch's] first reaction, is 'where is the nearest exit?'"
Last week, authorities found Couch and his mother Tonya in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico. Prosecutors believe they fled the country after a video of a beer pong party went viral. The video reportedly shows a now 18-year-old Couch at the party. It could be a possible violation of his probation. Couch also failed to meet with his probation officer.
"My first thought was, really, what a dumb plan," McConnell says.
"I couldn't believe after all the bad decisions Tonya Couch has made for her son, she would continue to make them," he says.
Attorney for Tonya Couch, Stephanie Patten released the following statement in late December:
"While the public may not like what she did, may not agree with what she did, or may have strong feelings against what she did, make no mistake — Tonya did not violate any law of the State of Texas and she is eager to have her day in court."
"Nothing is going to reach this guy until [consequences are] certain, swift, and severe. That would be a lengthy incarceration and zero contact with his parents for a long time," McConnell concludes.
Yet the man who lost a friend, and may have lost a son that night in 2013, says he will continue to pray for Couch.
"We do have hope for Ethan. No one is beyond redemption. Everybody can change."
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