Sentencing In Texting Suicide Case Set For Thursday Afternoon

PLAINVILLE, MA — Michelle Carter could be heading to prison after Thursday afternoon.

The 20-year-old, who was found guilty of manslaughter in the suicide of her boyfriend Conrad Roy, will appear in Bristol Juvenile Court in Taunton Thursday for sentencing. Carter faces up to 20 years in prison for involuntary manslaughter.

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.

In his decision, Judge Lawrence 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.

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.

Sentencing is scheduled for 2 p.m.

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