D Magazine reports that Ethan Couch was born in April 1997 to Fred and Tonya Couch. By all accounts, his parents had an abusive and tumultuous marriage. Fred later referred to the union as a “mistake.” Although they eventually divorced, this did little to quell hostility between Fred and Tonya (seen above on the left). A social worker later noted that there were looming issues, including “the codependent relationship Ethan has with his mother and the father’s lack of a regular and consistent relationship with Ethan.” According to the Chicago Tribune, the family, however, was well off. In 1986, Fred founded Cleburne Metal Works, which reportedly made millions a year.
Even so, both Fred and Tonya faced several legal issues before their son’s crash (per Fox News). In 2003, Tonya received a charge for reckless driving and later lost her nursing license because she didn’t notify the Texas Board of Nursing of the said charge. As for Fred, CBS News states that he was arrested for assaulting an employee in 1999 and was later accused of sexual misconduct by a coworker in 2009.
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Regarding Couch’s upbringing, D Magazine writes that social workers believe that Tonya and Fred “adultified” Couch and “overly involved” him in their issues. Moreover, another individual added that Tonya simply “couldn’t say no” to her son.
If you or someone you know is dealing with domestic abuse, you can call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1−800−799−7233. You can also find more information, resources, and support at their website.
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