'Affluenza' teen's pizza order ultimately led to his arrest
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
You are now subscribed
Your newsletter sign-up was successful
Ethan Couch's downfall was a Domino's Pizza order.
A police report from the Jalisco state prosecutors' office reveals that the Texas teen fugitive, whose lawyers famously used the defense of "affluenza" — that his family's wealth left him unable to tell right from wrong — against 2013 drunken-driving manslaughter charges, was located after authorities were able to track a phone call made by him or his mother, Tonya Couch.
The Couches reportedly used one of their phones to order pizza to a room at a condominium in the Mexican beach resort city of Puerto Vallarta, leading to a U.S. Marshals Service agent alerting authorities of the phone's location. While the Couches were not at that location when authorities arrived, authorities were able to discover their new location that night and arrest the mother and son.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
The Couches had fled to Mexico in early December to prevent Ethan from going to jail for violating his probation. Tonya is being charged with hindering apprehension and could face up to 10 years in prison. Ethan will be sent to juvenile lockup.
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
-
How the FCC’s ‘equal time’ rule worksIn the Spotlight The law is at the heart of the Colbert-CBS conflict
-
What is the endgame in the DHS shutdown?Today’s Big Question Democrats want to rein in ICE’s immigration crackdown
-
‘Poor time management isn’t just an inconvenience’Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
-
Maxwell pleads 5th, offers Epstein answers for pardonSpeed Read She offered to talk only if she first received a pardon from President Donald Trump
-
Hong Kong jails democracy advocate Jimmy LaiSpeed Read The former media tycoon was sentenced to 20 years in prison
-
Ex-Illinois deputy gets 20 years for Massey murderSpeed Read Sean Grayson was sentenced for the 2024 killing of Sonya Massey
-
Sole suspect in Brown, MIT shootings found deadSpeed Read The mass shooting suspect, a former Brown grad student, died of self-inflicted gunshot wounds
-
France makes first arrests in Louvre jewels heistSpeed Read Two suspects were arrested in connection with the daytime theft of royal jewels from the museum
-
Trump pardons crypto titan who enriched familySpeed Read Binance founder Changpeng Zhao pleaded guilty in 2023 to enabling money laundering while CEO of the cryptocurrency exchange
-
Thieves nab French crown jewels from LouvreSpeed Read A gang of thieves stole 19th century royal jewels from the Paris museum’s Galerie d’Apollon
-
Arsonist who attacked Shapiro gets 25-50 yearsSpeed Read Cody Balmer broke into the Pennsylvania governor’s mansion and tried to burn it down