Michelle Carter Trial: Lawyers Reveal Old Messages of Defendant Dissuading Boyfriend from First Suicide Attempt
Michelle Carter, girlfriend of Conrad Roy III – who killed himself in 2014 – is now charged with involuntary manslaughter for allegedly persuading her boyfriend to commit suicide. The defendant's lawyers have revealed old messages from Carter dissuading Roy from pushing through with his first suicide attempt.
In July 2014, 18-year-old Roy killed himself by carbon monoxide poisoning after inhaling the gas produced by a water pump while inside his truck. Almost three years later, the trial against Roy's girlfriend, now 20-year-old Carter, for involuntary manslaughter began on June 5.
Prosecutors presented multiple text messages between Carter and Roy that show how the defendant persuaded her boyfriend to kill himself, as well as suggested ideas how and when he should do it.
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According to the prosecutors' arguments, Carter assisted in Roy's death by "counselling him to overcome his doubts and pressuring him," as well as "developing a plan to poison him with carbon monoxide," which ended up as Roy's cause of death.
Carter also had phone conversations with Roy while he was executing his plan to kill himself, wherein the defendant commanded him to get back into the truck when Roy said that he was scared.
After Roy died, Carter texted many of her friends, telling them that she was to blame for her boyfriend's death.
Recently, Carter's defense lawyers presented pages of Facebook messages between the defendant and her former boyfriend in 2012, where she appeared to be dissuading him from killing himself after his first suicide attempt.
The exchange of messages that were presented in court is from July to October of 2012, Boston reported. In October 2012, Roy was hospitalized due to an overdose on prescription drugs. Carter then confronted Roy if he was serious about killing himself and strongly said that she didn't want him to end his life.
According to Carter's defense lawyers, she tried to stop Roy from harboring suicidal thoughts before she gave in and assisted in his suicide plans.
If Carter is found guilty of involuntary manslaughter, she will be penalized of up to 20 years in state prison.
