'Affluenza' teen grew up in wealthy but unstable home

FORT WORTH, Texas (AP) — The Texas teenager who used an "affluenza" defense in a deadly drunken-driving wreck grew up in a wealthy yet unstable household where his parents underwent an acrimonious divorce, which included accusations that his mother was addicted to pain pills and his father was abusive.

[...] cases can take anywhere from two weeks to several months, depending on the priorities of the local courts and the actions of defense attorneys, said Richard Hunter, chief deputy for the U.S. Marshals Service in South Texas.

Couch was driving drunk and speeding south of Fort Worth in June 2013 when he crashed into a disabled SUV parked on the side of the road, killing four people and injuring several others, including passengers in his pickup truck.

During the sentencing phase of his trial, a defense expert argued that his wealthy parents had coddled him into a sense of irresponsibility — a condition the expert termed "affluenza."

The condition is not recognized as a medical diagnosis by the American Psychiatric Association, and its invocation drew ridicule.

After his parents' divorce, the Couches' son lived mainly with his mother in a gated, 5,000-square-foot ranch home set on 6 acres of land in rural Burleson, Texas.