It happened one night in the summer of 2014. Conrad Roy, who had been suffering from depression for years, was hesitant to take his own life. While filling his car with carbon monoxide, his girlfriend answered a message about, "Get back in the car. Do it soon. " The next day, authorities found the young man's body lifeless inside the vehicle. She, who did not warn the authorities, was charged with manslaughter. Three years later, a Massachusetts court decides whether the young woman will receive criminal punishment.
Can a person be convicted of murder despite not being present when the victim died? Are the words of one person enough to convict her of murder? These are some of the issues that the controversial trial, which began on Tuesday, will raise over the next few days. In Massachusetts, helping someone to commit suicide is not a crime.
The charge, led by Maryclare Flynn, argued that Michelle Carter played with her boyfriend's life and accused her of seeking prominence and attention with his death. I wanted to be 'the boyfriend who killed himself.'
But Carter's defense argued that Roy's depressing background and his willingness to take his own life preceded their relationship. His parents' divorce and family abuse had led him to investigate suicide methods in the past, attorney Joseph Cataldo said. Carter, after helping him look for exits, simply supported him in his decision to end life, Cataldo argued.
The evidence is dozens of messages and phone calls in the days before Roy's death.
"You will be happy in heaven. The pain will be over, "says a message from Carter to Roy. "It's normal to be afraid, it's about to die," he wrote in another. Hours before the suicide, the girlfriend rebuked Roy for wanting to postpone: "I do not think you're going to do all this at all ... I'm so confused, you were ready and determined."
"Just go somewhere with your car. There's no one on the street at this time, "the girl said before Roy drove to a nearby parking lot to commit suicide. She pressed on. "Make it point. It's what you wanted, it's the right time and you're ready. " When Carter was charged in 2015, Justice found that the messages "pressured" Roy and constant contact simulated a "virtual presence" of the girl in the death of her boyfriend. Although they live nearby, the young people only saw each other in person on a few occasions. Their relationship was based on phone calls and messages.
Roy's mother and sister, who spent hours with him hours before his death, said he had shown no sign of wanting to die. After the death of her boyfriend, Carter sent messages to the two relatives expressing condolences, but did not demonstrate to have knowledge of the plans of Roy.