The mother of a fugitive 18-year-old who used an "affluenza" defense in a drunken-driving case was expected to appear in a Los Angeles courtroom for an extradition hearing today.
Prosecutors were expected to ask that Tonya Couch, 38, be extradited to Texas. Couch was deported from Mexico and flown to Los Angeles early Thursday morning.
Couch and her 18-year-old son, Ethan, were taken into custody last week in Mexico, where authorities believe the pair fled in November as Texas prosecutors investigated whether he had violated his probation.
More From This Section
In Texas, prosecutors charged Tonya Couch with hindering apprehension of a felon. Her bond there was set at USD 1 million.
Her attorneys released a statement saying she had done nothing illegal and wanted to get back to Texas as soon as possible.
Ethan Couch was driving drunk and speeding near Fort Worth in June 2013 when he crashed into a disabled SUV, killing four people and injuring several others, including passengers in his pickup truck. He was sentenced to probation.
During the sentencing phase of his trial, a defense expert argued that his wealthy parents 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 during the legal proceedings drew ridicule.