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Death of Conrad Roy
Conrad Roy
Location of Fairhaven in Bristol County in Massachusetts
LocationKmart parking lot in Fairhaven, Massachusetts, U.S.
DateJuly 12, 2014; 10 years ago (2014-07-12)
Attack type
Coerced suicide, homicide,[1][2] manslaughter
WeaponCarbon monoxide poisoning
VictimConrad Henri Roy III, aged 18
PerpetratorMichelle Diana Carter
MotiveAttention seeking (Carter)[3]
VerdictGuilty
ConvictionsInvoluntary manslaughter
Sentence15 months in prison (paroled after 11 months) plus 15 months probation[4]

Conrad Henri Roy III (September 12, 1995 – July 12, 2014) was an American marine salvage captain who died by suicide at the age of 18. His girlfriend, 17-year-old Michelle Carter, had encouraged him in text messages to kill himself.

The case was the subject of an investigation and involuntary manslaughter trial in Massachusetts, colloquially known as the "texting suicide case." It involved scores of text messages, emails, and phone calls recorded between Carter and Roy in the lead up to his death, in which Carter repeatedly texted Roy to kill himself. Roy had seen numerous mental health professionals and had been prescribed psychiatric medication.

After a bench trial, presiding judge Lawrence Moniz found Carter guilty of involuntary manslaughter, concluding that she wanted Roy dead and that her words coerced him to kill himself. Moniz's decision rested chiefly on Carter's final phone call in which she ordered a terrified Roy to go back inside his truck as it filled with carbon monoxide.[5][6] Initially sentenced to 2½ years in prison, Carter had her penalty later reduced to 15 months, of which she served 11 months and 12 days. The case raised questions pertaining to the nature and limits of criminal responsibility.[7]

Roy's mental health and relationship with Carter

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Conrad Roy was born on September 12, 1995, in Mattapoisett, Massachusetts. He worked with his father, grandfather, and uncle for several years in his family's marine salvage business, Tucker-Roy Marine Towing and Salvage, Inc., in the New England area.

In the spring of 2014, he earned his captain's license from the Northeast Maritime Institute by completing three months of night classes.[8] In June 2014, he graduated on the Honor Roll (highest grades) from Old Rochester Regional High School (ORR) in Mattapoisett. He was a high school athlete who played baseball, rowed crew, and ran track. He graduated with a 3.88 GPA and was accepted to Fitchburg State University to study business, which he never attended.[9][10]

Michelle Carter was born on August 11, 1996, in Massachusetts to Gail and David Carter. She went to King Philip Regional High School, in Wrentham. In 2014, she was prescribed citalopram, also known as Celexa, to treat anxiety and depression.[11]

Carter and Roy met in Florida in 2012 while each had been visiting relatives. After this initial encounter, they saw each other in person again only a handful of times over the course of two years, despite having lived only about 35 miles (56 km) away from each other.[9][12] Instead, they mostly exchanged text messages and emails.[13][14][15]

According to court documents, Roy had allegedly been physically hit by his father and verbally abused by his grandfather. He attempted suicide in October 2012, after the divorce of his parents.[13][16] After learning that he was planning to kill himself, Carter repeatedly discouraged him in 2012 and 2014, and encouraged him to "get professional help." However, her attitude changed in July 2014, when she started thinking that it would be a good thing "to help him die."[13] In June, Roy texted Carter suggesting they act like Romeo and Juliet, which implied that they both agreed to killing themselves.[17]

Roy struggled with social anxiety and depression for which he had seen several therapists and counselors, including a cognitive behavioral therapist in the weeks prior to his death. He had been hospitalized for an acetaminophen overdose at the age of 17; he was talking to a girl he had met in a group and she called the police.[8][9] Like Carter, he had also been taking the antidepressant citalopram.[18] In the United States, citalopram carries a boxed warning stating it may increase suicidal thinking and behavior in those under age 24. In 2016, the judge had refused the defense's request for funds to hire an expert on Celexa, describing it as "speculative".[19][20][21] Videos that Roy made of himself talking to a camera formed an important part of the case.[22]

Roy's death

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On Saturday, July 12, 2014, following digital exchanges with Carter, Roy died by suicide by poisoning himself with carbon monoxide fumes in his truck in a Kmart parking lot in Fairhaven, Massachusetts.

Roy's funeral was held on Saturday, July 19, 2014, at St. Anthony's Church in Mattapoisett. The Captain Conrad H. Roy III Scholarship Fund at the Northeast Maritime Institute in Fairhaven, Massachusetts, was established in his memory.[23]

Commonwealth v. Michelle Carter

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Commonwealth v. Michelle Carter
CourtNew Bedford Juvenile Court
Full case name The Commonwealth of Massachusetts v. Michelle Diana Carter
SubmittedFebruary 4, 2015
DecidedJune 16, 2017 (2017-06-16)
VerdictGuilty of involuntary manslaughter
Case history
Subsequent actionDefendant was sentenced to 2½ years in prison (sentence later reduced to 15 months).
Case opinions
Decision byLawrence Moniz

Michelle Carter was indicted on February 4, 2015, and arraigned the following day in New Bedford Juvenile Court in Taunton, Massachusetts on charges of involuntary manslaughter. The grand jury found enough to charge her with "wantonly and recklessly" assisting the suicide. She was 17 at the time and the court indicted her as a "youthful offender" rather than a "juvenile," meaning she could be sentenced as an adult.[24][25]

In June 2015, a district court judge denied a defense motion to remove the Bristol County District Attorney's office from the prosecution. The defense argued that DA Thomas M. Quinn III should be removed because he is first cousin to Roy's grandmother Janice Roy and therefore Conrad's first cousin twice removed. However, Quinn had already handed the case over to Deputy DA William McCauley.[26]

On July 1, 2016, an appeal of the grand jury indictment, to the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court was also denied, allowing the case to go forward.[27][28] Justice Robert J. Cordy, writing for the unanimous court, found there was probable cause to sustain the manslaughter indictment.[29][30]

On June 5, 2017, the day before the trial was scheduled to begin, Carter waived her right to a jury trial. Therefore, the case was heard by Judge Lawrence Moniz in the Bristol County Juvenile Court of Massachusetts, in Taunton.[31][32] Carter was represented by Joseph P. Cataldo and Cory Madera.[33] As there was limited legal precedent for prosecuting the encouragement of suicide, Cataldo initially asked a Taunton Juvenile Court judge for summary dismissal, arguing that Carter's texts were protected under the First Amendment and that the text history showed that Roy had been contemplating suicide without Carter's input. The judge declined this motion.[34][35]

On June 16, 2017, Moniz found Carter guilty of involuntary manslaughter.[33][36][37][38] He stated prior to his ruling that it was Carter's phone calls with Roy when he was in his truck gassing himself (as described by Carter's texts to friends), rather than the preceding text messages, that caused him to go through with killing himself.[39] Moniz found that Roy had broken the "chain of self-causation" towards his suicide when he exited the truck. Carter urged Roy to return to his truck, and it was her wanton and reckless encouragement that caused his death.[29]

After the guilty verdict, Roy's father stated publicly that the family was pleased with the verdict but that they wanted privacy. Roy's mother, Lynn, appeared on the CBS 48 Hours show, saying she didn't believe Carter had a conscience and that she knew exactly what she was doing.[40]

Carter remained free on bail pending her sentencing.[41] On August 3, 2017, Moniz sentenced Carter to serve a two-and-a-half-year term, with 15 months to be served in the Bristol County House of Corrections, the balance of the term suspended, and five years of probation.[42][43] Soon after the sentencing, Carter's lawyers asked Moniz to issue a stay of the sentence until all of Carter's Massachusetts court appeals were exhausted. Moniz granted the stay with condition that Carter avoid the Roy family.[44]

On February 6, 2019, the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court ruled that Carter acted with criminal intent when she encouraged Roy's suicide, so her involuntary manslaughter conviction was upheld and Carter's 15-month prison sentence would be enforced.[45] The rest of the 2½-year sentence was suspended, followed by five years of probation.[46]

Under order from a Massachusetts judge, Carter began serving her sentence on February 11, 2019.[47][48][49] Carter had a parole hearing for early release and her request was denied on September 20, 2019.[50]

Carter's lawyers appealed the case to the Supreme Court of the United States in July 2019 based upon First Amendment and Fifth Amendment grounds.[51] Carter's defense lawyers argued that Roy had a history of suicide attempts and the decision to end his life was his own,[52] that Carter was "bewildered" over the case against her, and that, "taking all the texts in context, she tried to talk him out of it."[53] They argued in initial hearings that the defendant had broken no law, had a First Amendment right to free speech, and was a juvenile. The Supreme Court declined to hear the case in January 2020, leaving in place her conviction.[54]

On January 23, 2020, Carter was released from prison more than three months early due to good conduct.[55] Massachusetts state law allows inmates to reduce their sentences by 10 days per month for exemplary behavior. Carter served 11 months and 12 days of her 15-month sentence.[56]

[edit]

Possible effects

[edit]

Some expected the case to set a legal precedent,[57] regarding, as Ray Sanchez and Natisha Lance of CNN put it, "whether it's a crime to tell someone to commit suicide." Sanchez and Lance also stated that "The ruling [...] may spur lawmakers to codify the behavior highlighted in the case as criminal."[58] The judge had noted that Carter had willed Roy's death, that she did not order him out of the truck and that her actions "put him in that toxic environment" which "constituted reckless conduct" and "that the conduct caused the death of Mr. Roy."[58]

While U.S. law does not allow the lower-court decision to bind other courts,[59] legal professionals believe it could have a social effect by raising other courts' attention to new, digital methods of committing crimes.[60] The case also attempts to redefine the social spectrum in which attitudes and behaviors would qualify as criminal that were not considered criminal before.[61]

Civil suit

[edit]

In August 2017, Lynn Roy filed a $4.2 million wrongful death lawsuit for the death of her son against Carter, a suit which Lynn Roy's attorney later reported as "resolved" without comment, and which was dismissed "with prejudice and without costs."[62] This docket record appearance is consistent with an out-of-court settlement. Settlement agreements often contain provisions that limit public comment by the parties.

In media

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On June 16, 2017, 48 Hours aired "Death by Text," an in-depth investigation of the events surrounding Roy's death.[40]

On September 23, 2018, Lifetime released a telefilm entitled Conrad & Michelle: If Words Could Kill which stars Austin P. McKenzie as Conrad Roy and Bella Thorne as Michelle Carter.[63]

A Dateline NBC episode regarding the case, entitled "Reckless," aired on NBC on February 8, 2019. In addition to covering the court proceedings of Carter's conviction, Dateline correspondent Andrea Canning interviewed both the prosecution and defense attorneys, along with Conrad Roy's family members.[64]

On July 9, 2019, HBO released a two-part documentary on the case called I Love You, Now Die: The Commonwealth Vs. Michelle Carter, which explored the complicated relationship between Carter and Roy, drawing on some of the thousands of texts they exchanged over two years to chronicle their courtship and its tragic consequences. The film premiered at South by Southwest 2019, and was directed and produced by Erin Lee Carr.[65] The same week as the documentary release, Carter's lawyers submitted a petition[66] to the Supreme Court to consider her encouragement to commit suicide as protected free speech. Constitutional law scholar Eugene Volokh was reported as saying he did not expect the justices to take the case.[67] The court declined to take up the case in January 2020.[68]

On August 15, 2019, it was announced that Universal Cable Productions was developing a television series inspired by the case.[69] On August 7, 2020, Variety reported that Elle Fanning would be starring as Michelle Carter and the series would be titled The Girl from Plainville which would be on Hulu.[70] Fanning, Liz Hannah, Patrick Macmanus and Brittany Kahan Ward are executive producers of the series and Unbelievable director Lisa Cholodenko was announced to direct the first two episodes.[71]

On May 7, 2021, the band SKYND, known for their true crime-inspired music, released a single titled "Michelle Carter" based on the events of the case.[72] SKYND commented on the case to Wall of Sound, saying, "She could have helped him but instead she repeated herself over and over again telling Conrad to kill himself."[73]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "Michelle Carter, who urged her boyfriend to commit suicide, found guilty in his death". The Washington Post.
  2. ^ "Where Is Michelle Carter Now?". April 2022.
  3. ^ "Inside Michelle Carter's suicide texting trial". CBS News. August 3, 2017. Retrieved September 14, 2022.
  4. ^ "Michelle Carter's probation for involuntary manslaughter in death of Conrad Roy has ended".
  5. ^ Durkin Richer, Alanna (February 6, 2019). "High court upholds texting suicide manslaughter conviction". Associated Press. Archived from the original on December 30, 2020. Retrieved March 7, 2022.
  6. ^ Tunick, Mark (April 16, 2019). Texting, Suicide, and The Law. doi:10.4324/9780429242977. ISBN 9780429242977. S2CID 197742682.
  7. ^ Truesdell, Jff (June 6, 2017). "5 Things to Know: The Teen Girl Who Allegedly Urged Her Boyfriend to Kill Himself Via Texts". People. Archived from the original on June 6, 2017. Retrieved March 7, 2022.
  8. ^ a b Lawrence, Mike. "Court filing reopens wound for family of Conrad Roy III". southcoasttoday.com. Retrieved June 26, 2017.
  9. ^ a b c "Does Encouraging Suicide Make You a Killer?". The Cut. March 1, 2016. Retrieved June 26, 2017.
  10. ^ "Michelle Carter trial: Conrad Roy's mother chokes up while testifying about last day they spent together". masslive.com. Retrieved June 26, 2017.
  11. ^ Harris, Chris (June 12, 2017). "Michelle Carter Trial: Psychiatrist Testifies". PEOPLE.com. Retrieved June 22, 2022.
  12. ^ La Miere, Jason (June 16, 2017). "WHO IS MICHELLE CARTER? VERDICT REACHED IN TEXTING SUICIDE TRIAL INVOLVING DEATH OF CONRAD ROY III". Newsweek. Retrieved August 6, 2017.
  13. ^ a b c Seelye, Katharine Q.; Bidgood, Jess (June 12, 2017). "Trial Over Suicide and Texting Lays Bare Pain of 2 Teenagers". The New York Times. Retrieved February 6, 2019.
  14. ^ "Death by Text: The case against Michelle Carter". CBS News. June 16, 2017.
  15. ^ Taylor, Kate (July 9, 2019). "What We Know About the Michelle Carter Suicide Texting Case". The New York Times.
  16. ^ Linton, David. "Judge hears two different portraits of Plainville woman during texting-suicide trial". The Sun Chronicle. Retrieved June 28, 2017.
  17. ^ "Michelle Carter trial: Was Conrad Roy 'Romeo' or a 'pawn?' Defense and prosecution clash in opening statements". masslive.com. Retrieved June 26, 2017.
  18. ^ "Attorney for teen accused of encouraging boyfriend to kill himself raises questions about antidepressant". Boston.com. July 29, 2016. Retrieved June 20, 2017.
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  20. ^ "Celexa (citalopram hydrobromide) Tablets/Oral Solution" (PDF). Prescribing Information. Forest Laboratories, Inc.
  21. ^ "Judge denies funds for drug expert in texting suicide case". Wpri.com. Associated Press. December 1, 2016. Retrieved August 7, 2017.
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  25. ^ "Trial Begins for Teen Accused of Urging Boyfriend to Suicide". Rolling Stone. Retrieved June 26, 2017.
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  28. ^ "Court OKs trial for girl who texted boyfriend urging suicide". AP News. Retrieved June 26, 2017.
  29. ^ a b , Recent Case: Trial Court Convicts Defendant of Involuntary Manslaughter Based on Encouragement of Suicide, 131 Harv. L. Rev. 918 (2018).
  30. ^ Commonwealth v. Carter, 52 N.E.3d 1054 (Mass. 2016).
  31. ^ Krause, Nancy; Machado, Steph (June 6, 2017). "Michelle Carter waives right to jury trial; judge will decide case". Wwlp.com. Archived from the original on June 8, 2017. Retrieved June 26, 2017.
  32. ^ Ellement, John R.; Ransom, Jan (June 5, 2017). "Judge, not jury, will decide texting suicide case". Boston Globe.
  33. ^ a b Demick, Barbara (June 16, 2017). "Michelle Carter found guilty in Massachusetts texting suicide case". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved January 11, 2018.
  34. ^ "Five facts to know about Michelle Carter, the Plainville teen accused of encouraging her boyfriend's suicide". Masslive.com. March 2016. Retrieved June 13, 2017.
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  44. ^ Lam, Katherine (August 3, 2017). "Michelle Carter, woman in suicide texting case, sentenced". Fox News. Retrieved August 3, 2017.
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  46. ^ "State's highest court affirms involuntary manslaughter conviction in texting-suicide case". WCVB. February 6, 2019. Retrieved February 6, 2019.
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  55. ^ "Michelle Carter, Who Encouraged Her Boyfriend To Kill Himself, Was Released From Prison Early". BuzzFeed News. January 23, 2020. Retrieved January 23, 2020.
  56. ^ Truesdell, Jeff (January 23, 2020). "Why Michelle Carter Was Released More than 3 Months Early From Her Prison Sentence". People.com. People. Retrieved June 12, 2021.
  57. ^ "McGovern: Michelle Carter case set to make legal history". Bostonherald.com. June 16, 2017. Retrieved February 6, 2019.
  58. ^ a b Ray Sanchez; Natisha Lance (June 16, 2017). "Judge finds Michelle Carter guilty of manslaughter in texting suicide case". CNN. Retrieved February 6, 2019.
  59. ^ Seelye, Katharine Q.; Bidgood, Jess (June 16, 2017). "Guilty Verdict for Young Woman Who Urged Friend to Kill Himself". The New York Times. Retrieved February 6, 2019.
  60. ^ Bever, Lindsey (June 16, 2017). "e Michelle Carter, who urged her boyfriend to attempt suicide, found guilty in his death". Fred Ryan. Washington Post. Retrieved June 17, 2017.
  61. ^ Seelye, Katharine Q. (June 16, 2017). "Michelle Carter Is Guilty of Manslaughter in Texting Suicide Case". The New York Times. Retrieved June 17, 2017.
  62. ^ Burke, Minyvonne (April 10, 2019). "Wrongful death lawsuit against Michelle Carter who encouraged boyfriend's suicide is dismissed". NBC News. Retrieved November 4, 2022.
  63. ^ Baty, Emma (August 27, 2018). "Bella Thorne Will Play Michelle Carter in New Lifetime Movie About Conrad Roy III's Suicide". Cosmopolitan. Retrieved September 25, 2018.
  64. ^ Truesdell, Jeff (February 8, 2019). "After Urging Boyfriend to Kill Himself, Mass. Teen Told His Grieving Family She Tried to Save Him". People. Retrieved February 9, 2019.
  65. ^ "I Love You, Now Die: The Commonwealth vs. Michelle Carter". HBO. Retrieved July 8, 2019.
  66. ^ Daniel N. Marx (July 8, 2019). "PETITION FOR WRIT OF CERTIORARI" (PDF). Retrieved July 10, 2019.
  67. ^ Stanley-Becker, Isaac (July 9, 2019). "She urged her boyfriend to die. Now she's asking the Supreme Court to call it free speech". The Washington Post. Retrieved July 10, 2019.
  68. ^ Amy Howe (January 13, 2020). "Justices issue more orders, but no action on high-profile cases". SCOTUSblog. Retrieved May 29, 2020.
  69. ^ Petski, Denise; Andreeva, Nellie (August 15, 2019). "UCP To Develop True Crime Series About Texting Suicide Case". Deadline. Retrieved August 24, 2019.
  70. ^ Otterson, Joe (August 7, 2020). "Elle Fanning to Star in Hulu Series Based on Michelle Carter Texting Suicide Case". Variety. Retrieved August 7, 2020.
  71. ^ White, Peter (April 14, 2021). "Lisa Cholodenko To Direct Elle Fanning Hulu Series 'The Girl from Plainville'". Deadline Hollywood. Deadline. Retrieved June 12, 2021.
  72. ^ "NEWS: SKYND release new song, 'Michelle Carter'!". DEAD PRESS! | It's more than "just music" to us. May 7, 2021. Archived from the original on May 7, 2021. Retrieved May 7, 2021.
  73. ^ Brown, Paul 'Browny' (May 8, 2021). "SKYND Return with New True Crime Track 'Michelle Carter'". Wall Of Sound. Retrieved May 10, 2021.
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