'Affluenza' Teen's Attorney in Mexico: 'Not Here to Delve Into the Past' FoxNews.com
go to original January 3, 2016

'Affluenza' Teen's Attorney Comments on Developments in Case (ABC/News Hot)

An attorney for the Texas teen who cited "affluenza" as a defense in a deadly drunken-driving wreck told FoxNews.com he needed to ensure his client was not "mistreated according to the Mexican constitution."

Fernando Benitez, who has represented 18-year-old Ethan Couch in Mexico, spoke to FoxNews.com over the phone, and called the teen's current legal fight "an international law case only." He said that as a judge is currently considering Couch's detention and possible deportation, "we are not here to delve into the past."

Benitez denied reports that Couch had a gun at the time of his detention.

Couch won a delay in his deportation based on a constitutional appeal in Mexico that could lead to a trial process lasting weeks or even months. Any flaw in the process of his detention by Mexican immigration authorities can be considered a violation of due process and of his human rights, legal analysts say.

Benitez said Mexican authorities pushed for a "fast-track" deportation, which he argued would expose Couch to "a criminal procedure in the United States which may not be up to Mexican constitutional standards." He said Couch's Texas-based defense team asked him to intervene after the teen was caught in Mexico.

Read the rest at FoxNews.com

Related: 'Affluenza' Teen Ethan Couch: What Happened? What's Next? (Associated Press)

Related: Editorial: Outbreak of ‘Affluenza’ (Boston Herald)

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