Michelle Carter, 20, has been sentenced in a Massachusettes courtroom for the suicide texting Case that led to the death of Conrad Roy III, 18, in July 2014. Carter received 2 1/2 years in prison for involuntary manslaughter for her role in encouraging her boyfriend to commit suicide. Juvenile Court Judge Lawerence Moniz, who presided over the case, granted Carter a stay in prison and placed her on probation until all her state appeals run out.
Judge Moniz stated via CNN, "This court must and has balanced between rehabilitation, the promise that rehabilitation would work and a punishment for the actions that have occurred."
Death
Conard Roy III and Michelle Carter met in 2012 while on family vacation in Florida and continued a long-distance relationship.
The two communicated through social media, emails, and text messages after they returned from Florida. Both Roy and Carter suffered from depression and a long history of trying to overcome it.
Carter was placed on psychiatric medication when she was 14-years-old and had attended counseling. She had a long history of having eating disorders at an early age and also cutting herself. According to court documents, Roy had suicidal tendencies and tried killing himself in 2012 after his parents divorced. Roy talked to Carter about his feelings and expressed to her that he wanted to commit suicide, and at first she advised him against it. Then in 2014, Carter's psychiatrist changed her medication to Celexa which caused her to have delusions that maybe it would be better if they both were dead.
Then on July 13, 2014, Roy was upset and was messaging Carter. Roy drove to a Kmart parking lot where he told her he wanted to die. She encouraged him to do it. When Roy got out his truck having second thoughts, Carter told him to get back into the truck and do it already. Carter told him, "You're finally going to be happy in heaven.
No more pain. It's okay to be scared and it's normal. I mean you're about to die." Roy got in the truck and killed himself with carbon monoxide. Michelle Carter at no time called 911 or Roy's family to try and stop him. He was found later in his truck dead.
Free speech
The American Civil Liberties Union of Massachusetts spoke out against Michelle Carter's conviction and believes it is a violation of free speech.
Matthew Segal, Legal Director at ACLU stated via aclu.org, "If allowed to stand, Ms. Carter's conviction could chill important and worthwhile end-of-life discussions between loved ones across the Commonwealth."
While Michelle Carter is on probation she will have to continue with mental health services and report to her probation officer on a regular basis. She must inform her probation officer of any changes in residency or employment and may not leave Massachusetts without written permission. The court also ordered that Carter give a DNA sample so it is on file and that she is under no circumstances to be in contact with Conrad Roy's family except for the civil trial against her. Any violation while on probation while out on appeals means she will have to serve her full sentence.
