Michelle Carter Guilty In Texting Suicide Case

TAUNTON, MA — Michelle Carter was more than 30 miles away when 18-year-old Conrad Roy III died in a shopping center parking lot, but her texts to him proved that she failed to act to prevent his July 2014 death, Judge Lawrence Moniz ruled Friday morning.

In a case that has drawn national attention, Carter, 20, of Plainville, was found guilty of involuntary manslaughter in a bench decision after she waived her right to a jury trial. She was charged as a youthful offender and will not be sentenced as an adult. Sentencing is scheduled for Aug. 3 and a required sentencing report from the probation department is due to the judge by July 26.

The ACLU of Massachusetts has condemned the conviction in a statement, saying it violates free speech laws and worried it "could chill important and worthwhile end-of-life discussions between loved ones across the Commonwealth." You can read the full statement here.

Until sentencing, Carter will remain free on $2,500 bail on the condition she has no contact with the Roy family or any witnesses that testified in the case, does not obtain a passport and remains in Massachusetts. A request by the Bristol County District Attorney's office to revoke her bail was denied.

On July 12, 2014, Roy died in the parking lot of the Fairhaven Kmart from carbon monoxide fumes from a gas-powered water pump. Texts between the two show then-17-year-old Carter spending days encouraging Roy to end his life and telling him to get back into the truck when he began to have second thoughts.

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In his decision, Moniz said that Carter telling Roy to go back into the truck, knowing that the toxic environment would likely kill him, was wanton and reckless conduct. Her failure to notify someone of Roy's location violated state law.

"When Miss Carter realizes Mr. Roy gets out of the truck, she instructs him to get back in the truck, which she knows is becoming a toxic environment. She is mindful the process in the truck will take 15 minutes. That is her state of mind based upon a text exchange," Moniz said. "When one's actions create a life-threatening risk to another, there is a duty to alleviate the risk. Failure to do so can result in manslaughter."

Prosecutors pointed to this text conversation as one of many that showed Carter pushing Roy to suffocate himself.

Carter said to Roy, “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 responded: “I don’t get it either. I don’t know.”

Carter: “So I guess you aren’t gonna do it then. All that for nothing. I’m just confused. Like you were so ready and determined.”

Roy: “I am gonna eventually. I really don’t know what I’m waiting for but I have everything lined up.”

Carter: “No, you’re not, Conrad. Last night was it. You kept pushing it off and you say you’ll do it, but you never do. It’s always gonna be that way if you don’t take action. You’re just making it harder on yourself by pushing it off. You just have to do it.”

Citing a 200-year-old case, Moniz said a state prison inmate was convicted of manslaughter for convincing another prisoner to hang himself hours before he was to be hanged.

Following his death, Carter 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. In court, friends of Carter testified that she admitted to hearing Roy die on the phone.

"I could have stopped him. I was on the phone with him and he got out of the car because it was working and he got scared and I (expletive) told him to get back in,” Carter said in one text.

In another text, Carter wrote, "They read my messages with him. I’m done. His family will hate me and I could go to jail.”

Carter's defense said Roy was suicidal and had attempted to take his life before. An expert witness for the defense said Carter's text to Roy encouraging his death was the result of involuntary intoxication from an anti-depressant medication. Moniz said he did not agree with the idea that a bad reaction to medicine caused her to encourage Roy's suicide. He also noted that following the earlier attempts, Roy had sought help and it is not up to the court to determine what would happen if he didn't return to the truck filled with toxic poison.

Carter faces up to 20 years in prison for involuntary manslaughter.

Image Credit: Glenn C.Silva/Fairhaven Neighborhood News, Pool