Ethan Couch: ‘Affluenza’ teen was traced in Mexico after ordering pizza

The teenager escaped jail after killing four people in a drunk driving incident by citing 'affluenza' as a legal defense

American Ethan Couch in custody in Mexico, where he was found with his mother. He killed four pedestrians in 2013 (AFP)

An eighteen year old fugitive who was discovered hiding in Mexico, accidentally revealed his hideout location when he used a mobile phone to order a pizza, it has emerged.

Local authorities say that they received a tip off from a US Marshals Service agent that Ethan Couch and his mother, Tonya, were in the area. Local authorities have revealed that they found the pair after one of them reportedly placed a delivery order from Domino’s Pizza. Police say they were then able to trace the mother and son to a condominium in Puerto Vallarta.

Couch sparked international debate two years ago when he used an “affluenza” defence whilst on trial for killing four people in a drink driving incident. His defence team argued that Couch, then 16, had a diminished capacity for responsibility having been so spoilt due his parents’ immense wealth that he could not distinguish right from wrong.

“Afluenza” is not a condition which is recognised medically. However, Couch was sentenced to rehab followed by 10 years’ probation, instead of the 20 years prison sentence which is typical for such crimes.

Ethan Couch pictured aged 16 at a court hearing (ABC/CNN)

Tarrant County Sherriff Dee Anderson said that he believes Couch and his mother ran away to Mexico in late November amid fears that evidence had emerged which could have depicted the teenager breaching his probation terms. Anderson said that they fled after a video surfaced apparently showing Couch at a party where people were drinking; contrary to the terms of his probation.

Authorities began searching for the pair after he missed a mandatory meeting with his probation officer on 10 December.

Anderson said that Couch and his mother had crossed the border in the latter’s pickup truck. It is believed that they dyed his blonde hair black in a bid to avoid being recognised.

Anderson said: “They had planned to disappear. They even had something that was almost akin to a going-away party before leaving town.”

Ricardo Ariel Vera, a representative of Mexico’s immigration institute, said that the mother and son were being held at immigration offices in Guadalajara and would be returned to the United States on a commercial flight. They are expected to arrive later today.

Tarrant County District Attorney Sharen Wilson said that at the hearing she plans to ask a judge to transfer Ethan Couch's case to adult court. Couch would then face up to 120 days in an adult jail, followed by 10-year probation. If he violates probation, he could face up to 10 years in prison per death, Wilson said.

If the judge declines to transfer Couch to adult court, Wilson will ask that his probation be revoked, in which case he could be held in a juvenile facility until his sentence expires when he turns 19 next April.

Anderson said an arrest warrant was being issued for Tonya Couch on charges of hindering an apprehension, a third-degree felony that carries a sentence of two to 10 years in prison.

With additional reporting by AP