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Friend Of ‘Affluenza Teen’ Ethan Couch's Victim Killed In Crash, Speaks Out | Megyn Kelly TODAY - YouTube
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you begin today with the so-called
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affluenza teen do you remember this guy
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remember that term Ethan couch killed
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four people in a drunk driving crash
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injuring several others his attorneys
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argued that his wealth and privilege
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excused him from his own choices saying
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he was never taught right from wrong
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that seemed to be enough to convince a
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judge because couch managed to avoid any
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jail time for the deaths and was instead
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sentenced to 10 years probation but that
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was not the end of his story
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you see couch went on to violate his
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probation and fled to Mexico with the
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help of his mother eventually he was
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caught and he was sentenced to two years
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in jail for violating the probation
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that's what he went to jail for as of 24
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hours ago couch is a free man more now
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from NBC's Gabe Gutierrez Ethan couch
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once known worldwide as the affluenza
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teen walked out of jail Monday chaplain
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Tim Williams who lost his best friend
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and couch his drunk driving crash says
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the now twenty-year-old is a changed man
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Ethan has made clear to me that he wants
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to walk that straight and narrow path
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couch served just under two years for
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violating his probation after killing
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four people and injuring nine others in
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a horrific drunk driving crash in 2013
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when he was a juvenile from the start
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the case generated one shocking headline
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after another starting with the
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affluenza defense not a recognized
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medical condition suggesting couches
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affluent upbringing left him unable to
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know right from wrong and he deserved
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leniency couch was sentenced to 10 years
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probation and therapy tell us your name
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please sir Ethan the couch two years
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later couch was questioned it's part of
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a civil suit by the family of one of the
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victims shortly after that the story
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took another bizarre turn after this
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video surfaced appearing to show couch
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violating his probation by being at a
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party with alcohol he and his mother
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Tonya fled the two were tracked down to
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Mexico and returned to Texas then 19
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that's when the stiffer two-year
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sentence was imposed on Ethan his mother
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was charged with two felonies but freed
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on bail then just last week she was
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really ting her terms of bail
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failure urine test and was sent to the
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same jail as her son his critics say 180
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days behind bars for each person he
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killed is a travesty I'm horribly
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offended and I'm horribly angry that our
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legal system has let down these victims
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Gabe Gutierrez NBC News Fort Worth Texas
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joining me now with more chaplain Tim
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Williams his friend Brian Jennings was
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killed that night that Ethan couch chose
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to get behind the wheel thank you so
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much for being here Tim yes thank you
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you and Brian grew up together
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ultimately Ethan couch served 180 80
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days in prison for killing your friend
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Brian what sure what what is your
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reaction first of all to that that fact
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180 days in jail per victim right my
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opinion has been it's it's never been
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enough but it is what the judge ruled
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it's the best that they could do and so
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we've had to accept it but it didn't
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feel right tell us a little bit about
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Brian sure Brian and I grew up together
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in high school and in church and Brian
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committed his life to ministry after his
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senior year in high school so he he
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really devoted to help kids
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oddly enough like Ethan he was a family
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man himself yes yeah three kids married
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to Shawna mm-hmm and that night there
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was a woman parked on the side of the
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road with car trouble
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Brian pulled over to help her he did he
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sure did told the boys to stay in that
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truck yes and Ethan came by with several
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kids in his car and ran them down ran
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them down because his blood-alcohol
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limit was three times the legal limit
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which was shocking and horrifying and
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yet what really made news was his
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defense of his own actions when you
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heard that he was looking to escape
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responsibility by saying his wealth and
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privilege led him to not understand that
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it was wrong to get behind the wheel
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after consuming that much alcohol what
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was your reaction I was very upsetting
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to hear the this new word this made-up
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word that I'm too wealthy to have been
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taught right and wrong I think that all
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of us know that even as little kids were
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taught that you know
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kindergarten onward so it just didn't
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really fly with me because it was his
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choice to consume the alcohol and get
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behind the wheel at age 16 it was his
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choice
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and that's why Mothers Against Drunk
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Driving is so angry about this verdict
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and what's happened with this young man
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because they don't feel that adequate
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punishment or an adequate message has
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been sent to society you're an
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extraordinary man because not only did
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you lose your friend in this
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circumstance but is it true you went to
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visit Ethan couch in prison and that is
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true after he went to Mexico the thought
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came to mind that maybe I should visit
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with him just to see if there's any hope
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or to see where he's at it was that
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simple what happened well in the
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transfer trials when he got captured and
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he was brought back to Tarrant County he
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went through the juvenile system and
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then was transferred to the adult system
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and in those hearings I just bumped into
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the sheriff at the time a couple of
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times and I asked him maybe is it
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possible to meet with Ethan certainly
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but you know with the glass in between
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us mm-hmm and so when you did that what
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was he like
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well even was in solitary at the time so
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it was a video conference for many
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months which as you might imagine is not
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very personal to meet this kind of guy
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right through video conferencing and so
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he was of course shocked with the
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connection he didn't understand why
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would you be here because basically you
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know I feel hated by everybody and I
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said well yes but you know as a
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Christian I'm here to see if there's
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hope for you I'm here to see if
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forgiveness is something you can receive
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did he want forgiveness he felt he
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didn't deserve it so he didn't even have
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the mindset to seek it because when we
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see him playing the beer pong after four
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people are dead and a fifth is paralyzed
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and can no longer speak and he hurts so
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many people and went in there and argued
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that his wealth excused it he doesn't
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have that much empathy from people we
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haven't heard the call for forgiveness
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or the request on his part no we haven't
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and well the public hasn't Ethan and I
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have gone through this but I would say
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that you know obviously when you look at
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what he did
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and then he did again I think it's easy
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to conclude I don't think you're getting
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at Ethan mm-hmm and do you think that
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now I do I think that it took a lot of
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of time just really helping to discuss
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like things that some parents teach kids
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right and just try to fill in some gaps
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and deal with some character development
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beyond the pain and the suffering he
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caused and all this loss I mean that
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that was later so but now that he's out
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do you think he's prepared to act as a
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responsible citizen well I've said
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before that I think he has the tools I
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think we've spent a lot of time together
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discussing good character who you hang
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out with influential issues making wise
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decisions not just some impulsive
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decision so I think he has the tools the
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of course the balls in his court as they
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say right like he has the ability to
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make another bad choice how-how's
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Brian's family how are his kids it's
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really tough every time this comes up
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you know it even makes me you know get
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emotional it's very tough to see the
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news it's tough to hear that he got out
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it's it's just very hard Wow
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thank you for coming on telling us your
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story I want to let you know that we got
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a statement from Ethan couches attorneys
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that reads in part Ethan has admitted
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his conduct accepted responsibility for
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his actions and felt true remorse for
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the terrible consequences of those
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actions he does not wish to draw
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attention to himself and requests
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privacy all the best to you sir thank
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you we'll be right back hello today fans
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