TARRANT COUNTY, Texas — In his North Richland Hills home, former Tarrant County prosecutor Richard Alpert is surrounded by moving boxes.
After giving 30 years to the county, the 63-year-old Alpert is now retired and focused on the next chapter of his life: being a professor at Baylor University School of Law.
As he heads to Waco, Alpert leaves countless criminal convictions surrounding vehicular homicide in his rearview mirror, which was his focus in the decades he gave to the county.
And perhaps it's fate, or just blind coincidence, that the case Alpert is most known for is hitting its 10th anniversary as he leaves -- a case that garnered global attention.
The defendant: Ethan Couch.
"This case is one of the two most high-profile cases I've worked on," Alpert said.
"Obviously, I wasn't happy with the result. I wasn't happy with the imposed sentence. He still hasn't been held accountable in any serious way for that crime, so for me to talk about it, it's not my favorite case."
Ethan Couch is a name most North Texans should be familiar with.
Ten years ago on June 15, 2013, Couch killed four and injured at least nine others in a drunk-driving crash in Burleson.
Couch was 16 at the time, now 26, when he crashed his father's truck into a group of people helping 24-year-old Breanna Mitchell, who had broken down on the side of the road.
As a result, Mitchell, Hollie Boyles, her daughter Shelby Boyles and youth pastor Brian Jennings all died.
Sergio Molina, a passenger in Couch's truck, was paralyzed from the neck down.
Investigators said that Couch's blood alcohol level was .26 at the time of the crash -- three times the legal limit in Texas.
They also said security footage caught Couch stealing beer from an area Walmart and that he was hosting a party before the incident.
Alpert was assigned the case from the get-go and began prepping for a trial in juvenile court.
"I remember it happening the day before Father's Day," Alpert said. "I realized that the case would become a media target."
Alpert's realization wasn't misplaced.
A trial never happened, though, because Couch pleaded guilty to four counts of intoxication manslaughter and two counts of intoxication assault.
But during sentencing, the media frenzy began.
Couch's attorneys argued that the teen suffered from "affluenza" and that Judge Jean Boyd should consider a lenient sentence.
"Affluenza" is a psychological illness affecting people by their privileged or wealthy upbringing.
In Couch's case, attorneys argued that he lacked a moral compass or didn't know right from wrong due to his family's wealth.
Couch's parents, Fred and Tonya, founded Cleburne Metal Works. The successful metal roofing company was established in 1986.
Alpert didn't think that Judge Boyd would entertain such a defense.
Couch chose Boyd, a juvenile judge, to decide his fate instead of a jury.
"When their psychiatric expert threw that word out, I literally leaned over and was like, 'did I just hear that right?' I'm pretty sure there might even have been a chuckle in the back of the courtroom because it was just absurd," Alpert said.
"It's an insult to people who have resources and money, and it's an insult to people that don't. It was a Hail Mary pass because they had nothing to lose."
Despite the Hail Mary legal play, Alpert and Tarrant County asked for 20 years of incarceration from Judge Boyd.
But on Dec. 10, 2013, the air was sucked out of the courtroom when Boyd gave Couch a much lighter sentence: 10 years probation.
"That would never have happened with a jury," Alpert said. "I got calls from judges all over the state that just wanted to take the time to tell me that they were shocked. That particular judge will be known by this sentence the same way Ethan will be known for killing those people."
Alpert said facing the victims' families after the sentencing was the most challenging part.
"I think there was just universal shock. I felt pain and disappointment for them. You never get used to that, either. I told them that this was a mistake -- and that I believed he would mess up while on probation. I promised I would be there when that happened, and I was," Alpert said.
Alpert's prediction rang true. On Dec. 2, 2015, Couch was filmed at a party around alcohol playing beer pong -- an apparent violation of his probation.
"There was a part of me that was thinking it wasn't going to happen this quickly, but yeah, it was an 'I told you so' moment," Alpert added.
The story went viral and by the time a probation officer tried to get to the bottom of the facts, Couch and his mother, Tonya, had disappeared.
The story gained global attention, with bounty hunters opining about where the two might go and international authorities working with the U.S. to track the pair down.
A little over two weeks after they went missing, both were captured near Puerto Vallarta, Mexico. Authorities tracked them down when they made a phone call to order pizza.
Couch and his mother were brought back to the states. Tonya was charged with money laundering and preventing the capture of a fugitive.
An adult court and a different judge ordered Couch to serve 720 days in jail for violating his probation -- 180 days for each victim.
Couch served his time in jail and was released in April 2018. His probation requirements at the time involved strict supervision.
An alcohol-monitoring patch, an ankle monitor, a camera-equipped ignition interlock device and a 9 p.m. curfew were part of the requirements.
In March 2019, Couch's ankle monitor was allowed to be removed, but he was back in jail in January 2020 when authorities said he tested positive for THC, or marijuana.
However, he was quickly released when the test was a "weak positive."
Couch will finish his probation on Dec. 10, 2023. WFAA reached out to his attorneys for comment but did not hear back.
WFAA also tried to contact Judge Boyd and went to her home but never heard from her. She has since retired.
Tonya Couch has been in and out of jail for bond violations over the years but has still not gone to trial on the charges connected to her fleeing to Mexico with Ethan.
She is appealing the constitutionality of the charges and is awaiting a ruling per the Tarrant County District Attorney's Office.
Every Father's Day, Alpert thinks of this case, and the lives lost.
As he begins a new career, he fears he'll hear Couch's name again.
"At the end of the day, has he learned anything? Has he changed his behavior? Even if he manages to stay out of trouble until the end of his probation, I have no confidence that we won't hear from him again."