Jean Hudson Boyd

Jean Hudson Boyd (née Lucy Jean Hudson; born August 26, 1954) is an American former judge who served as the Presiding Judge of Texas's 323rd District Court. 2013 probation sentencing of Ethan Couch, a 16-year-old who killed four people and injured 11 while driving drunk.

Education and career Boyd earned a Bachelor's degree from Texas Tech University and a J.D. degree from South Texas College of Law. After accepting his guilty plea, Boyd sentenced Couch to ten years' probation for his crimes, and also ordered him confined to a rehabilitation facility for treatment. being a minor in possession of alcohol, consuming alcohol as a minor, driving drunk, and vehicular manslaughter of four individuals. The 2004 case did differ to some extent from the Couch case, though, in that the defendant in the 2004 case committed a separate felony on the night in question, stealing a truck. However, in Couch's case, he had stolen a truck from his father, which was viewed as a lesser offense, and had also stolen the beer he'd consumed. Boyd has a history of long probationary sentences for juveniles and keeping juveniles in the juvenile court system, although at least one juvenile, convicted of murder, was sentenced to 40 years' imprisonment following his conviction. A year later, Boyd stepped down from her position officially on December 31, 2014, after serving as judge for 20 years.

Two years into the 10-year probation sentence handed down by Boyd, Couch violated his probation and disappeared with his mother. On December 28, 2015, Mexican authorities detained Couch and his mother near the Pacific beach resort town of Puerto Vallarta.

Personal life Lucy Jean Hudson married John G. Boyd, D.D.S., in 1977 and the two have a child.

Awards Silver Gavel Award (2011), selected by the Texas Center for the Judiciary