This podcast details true crime cases. It contains adult themes and may contain descriptions of violence.

It is not intended for children. Listener discretion is advised.

Thank you for joining me for today's episode of Once Upon a Crime. This is the last chapter in the series, Unusual Criminal Defenses, where I detail cases

where unusual defenses are used in court to try and mitigate the perpetrator's guilt.

This week, I share a case where a child of wealth and privilege makes choices that lead

to the death of four innocent people.

But the defense will claim that his very privileged

status itself should absolve him of any guilt. This is Chapter 4 of Unusual Criminal Defenses,

the affluenza defense. It was Saturday, June 15th, and 16-year-old Ethan Couch was throwing a party.

The reason for this party was that it happened to be his best friend Garrett's birthday,

and another friend, Avery, had enlisted in the Army and wanted to party before he went away.

But as it was, Ethan didn't need much of an excuse

to have a party. As a matter of fact, he'd just thrown one the weekend before. However, that party

had taken place at his parents' new 7,000 square foot house located in Fort Worth, Texas. There,

Ethan had the use of the large two-story guest house

located on the property behind the home. The previous week, he'd invited his friend Garrett

and Garrett's 15-year-old girlfriend's star to hang out and drink. This weekend, he had his family's

second home all to himself for this bigger party. In fact, he'd been living in the home by himself

for a while now, and it had become something of a party spot for Ethan and his friends.

Ethan's parents, Fred and Tanya Couch, had met in 1996 and were married soon after. Tanya had been

married once before when she was just a teen and had two children.

Ethan, Tanya and Fred's only child together, was born in 1997.

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