Can you remember exactly what you were doing a decade ago this week?
I can.
And I remember the months and years that followed tracking the case of one Ethan Couch, the so-called "affluenza" teen.
I was working with WFAA in Dallas at the time, and it was pretty clear from the get go the case was horrific.
A drunk 16-year-old plowing into a group of folks trying to help a young woman with a broken-down car.
Four people were killed.
I talked to each of the families over the years, and each has their own story.
- Brian Jennings, a local youth pastor and father of three.
- Breanna Mitchell, the driver of the stranded car, age 24.
- Hollie & Shelby Boyles, who lived nearby and came to help with the stalled car.
Eric Boyles lost his daughter and wife. The accident happened right in front of their home on Burleson Retta Road.
Can you imagine?
Breanna Mitchell died that night, too. Her car was the one that stalled out along the narrow stretch of pavement.
Pastor Brian Jennings was on his way home from a BBQ when he stopped to help. He was killed, and two youngsters in his car were injured.
As for Couch? He walked away with a few injuries, but nothing serious. His BAC was .24.
In the back of his speeding pickup truck were about a half dozen other teens, some of whom were severely injured. Sergio Molina was paralyzed.
As bad as it all was, it wasn't until the initial manslaughter case in the Tarrant County Juvenile system that everything seemed to spiral.
The longtime judge at the time, Jean Boyd, had a reputation of being stern but fair.
Suffice to say, people were stunned when she sentenced Ethan to 10 years probation and time in a "rehab" facility.
The victim's families were furious. The prosecutors were furious. Soon, the country was furious.
The defense psychologist who deemed the term "affluenza" would later tell my colleague he regretted using it, but by that point the term was rampant.
Was Ethan so coddled, spoiled and unaware that he couldn't be held fully responsible for his actions that night?
Then, just when we thought the story was slowing down, it sped up.
Couch violated the terms of his probation, caught on cell camera playing beer pong, and then missing a check in with his probation officer.
Authorities issued a warrant, tried to find him, but he and mom Tonya had already fled to Mexico.
I remember talking to his high-profile defense attorneys. What was he thinking?
Yes, there was a manhunt in Mexico, and we would report on what we could from afar.
But when he was captured, I was on the first flight out to Puerto Vallarta.
My photographer didn't have the right documentation to get into the country with his equipment, so I hooked up with the ABC National crew and set off on a bizarre few days.
Couch and his mom were extradited back to Texas, via LA, and soon there was two cases to track.
Both eventually did some "real" time, and I remember the gaggle of reporters running through downtown Fort Worth after they were released from the county jail.
Still, throughout it all, the victims remained at the forefront of my mind.
In talking to Shaunna Jennings this week, I was so impressed by her composure and acceptance.
There's a lot of emotion in this week every year for her and her three children. She lives in Waco now, embraced by a church and community pushing her forward.
Somehow, she holds no ill-will toward Couch and even forgives him for taking her husband's life.
From now on, that's what I'll remember most about the tragedy.
