Michelle Carter Case: Teen Who Texted Boyfriend to Kill Himself Faces Mass. Court
If you encourage someone to end their life by suicide, or neglect to
stop them going through with it, are you inherently implicated for their
death? Michelle Carter, who encouraged her boyfriend, Conrad Roy III,
to kill himself, is at the center of an involuntary manslaughter charge
over his 2014 death and could face up to 20 years
of imprisonment if convicted. Massachusetts' highest court will be
hearing arguments Thursday on whether the case against Carter will go
forward.
Boston.com reported that
on July 13, 2014, Roy "parked his truck in a Fairhaven parking lot,
turned on a generator inside the cab, and slowly died of carbon monoxide
poisoning." Both Roy and Carter had been corresponding with each other
via text and phone call prior to his death; at one point, when Roy
expressed cold feet and said he became "afraid," Carter had sent him
numerous text messages, encouraging him to get back into the truck.
Roy and Carter had met each other in
Florida, though their two-year relationship was mostly over the phone.
Roy had social anxiety and was severely depressed, according to
Boston.com. Carter, who was also afflicted with an eating disorder,
dissuaded Roy from seeking help during the days prior to his death, and
proposed that he "just do it," instead of belaboring and talking about
killing himself.
The defense's argument: Carter's
attorney, Joseph Cataldo argues that Carter's actions didn't constitute
serious bodily harm, arguing that Roy's decision to end his life by
suicide had already been made through his own volition.
"All [Carter] did is talk to
someone," Cataldo said, according to Boston.com. "[Roy] got the
generator. He took all the necessary steps ... He ignored her repeated
attempts to dissuade him from killing himself for a good month prior to
him ending his own life." Cataldo also argued that the prosecutors were
trying to criminalize Carter's texts and phone conversations, which are
covered by the First Amendment.
Carter is being charged as a
youthful offender, and the result of her trial can have longterm
ramifications in future decisions and prosecutions, even in lesser
cases. Ken Paulson, president of the First Amendment Center,
told Boston.com that however abhorrent Carter's texts were, she didn't
have legal responsibility: "Under the law, she's not required to be a
good human being."
Editor's note:
For information about suicide prevention or to speak with someone
confidentially, contact the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1 (800) 273-8255 or the Crisis Text Line at 741-741. Both provide free, anonymous support 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
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