Plainville Woman Accused Of Encouraging Boyfriend's Suicide Waives Right To Jury

PLAINVILLE, MA – Jury selection in the case of a Plainville woman accused of encouraging her high school boyfriend to kill himself over text was expected to start Monday, but that will not happen.

Michelle Carter, 20, chose to waive her right to a jury trial. The judge will hear the case and make a decision. She faces a manslaughter charge in the death of 18-year-old Conrad Roy III of Mattapoisett.

Opening statements are now expected to start Tuesday morning.

More than 80 people were expected to appear in Bristol Juvenile Court Monday, with 16 to be selected for the jury, according to the Sun Chronicle.

Carter is accused of pressuring her boyfriend to take his own life for about a week before he committed the act in 2014. In texts to Roy, Carter said "You can’t think about it. You just have to do it. You said you were gonna do it. Like I don’t get why you aren’t.”

Roy was found dead of carbon monoxide poisoning in his pickup truck in July of 2014. Carter was a 17-year-old student at King Philip Regional High School at the time.

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After Roy’s death, Carter reportedly attempted to organize a softball tournament in memory of Roy and posted on social media about how she missed Roy with several messages about suicide prevention.

Her lawyer, Joseph Cataldo of Franklin, has said that Roy has stated to family members and other that he had wanted to kill himself for years and Carter is not responsible for his death.

Carter has pleaded not guilty to the charges

The trial is expected to last about a month.

Daniel Libon (Patch Staff) contributed to this report.

Image Credit: George Rizer/The Boston Globe via AP, Pool