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Michelle Carter was convicted in 2017 of involuntary manslaughter in the death of Conrad Roy III, who died by suicide in 2014 after poisoning himself with carbon monoxide inside his pick-up truck in an empty parking lot. Instead of summoning help or talking Roy out of the situation, Carter had urged him via a phone call to get back inside his carbon monoxide-filled truck, well knowing that it would lead to his death.
Trigger Warning: This article mentions suicide
Hulu's upcoming true-crime series, The Girl from Plainville, documents Michelle Carter's texting-suicide scandal, one of the most controversial cases of manslaughter in recent history. The series starring Ella Fanning is all set to premiere on March 29, 2022.
About Conrad Roy's death
Carter and Roy had known each other for about two years before the tragedy took place. Investigations unearthed texts between the victim and the perpetrator that showed how Carter had been urging Roy to take his own life ever since he admitted to having suicidal thoughts. Texts from June 29 to July 12 even showed how Carter chastised Roy for delaying his plans to kill himself.
On the day Roy committed suicide, Carter was continuously convincing him to kill himself through text messages. The judge even cited evidence in the trial that when Roy briefly got out of the truck and told Carter he was having second thoughts about going through with his decision, she told him to get back in.
What are Michelle Carter's probation terms?
In 2017 Michelle Carter was finally convicted of killing Roy and was ordered 15 months of incarceration followed by 5 years of probation. Prosecutors had urged the court to sentence Carter to seven to 12 years in prison, but defense attorneys recommended five years probation with mental health counseling.
Ultimately, in a jury-waived trial before Taunton Juvenile Judge Lawrence Moniz, she was sentenced to serve 15 months of a 2 1/2-year sentence in the Bristol County House of Corrections, along with five years on probation. The rest of the sentence is suspended until August 1, 2022.
Michelle Carter's usual terms of probation included obeying all court laws, state and federal laws, and reporting to her probation officer, who would also be free to visit her unannounced at her school or home. She would also not be allowed to leave the state of Massachusetts without the permission of her probation officer and was required to keep them updated with regards to any change of school or residence.
Along with these general terms, there were some specific terms which required Carter to obtain mental health counseling and forbade her from profitting from the criminal act through books, TV, magazines or movie contracts. She was also ordered to stay away from Roy's family with no contact.
Michelle Carter was released in January 2020 after spending a little less than a year behind bars. Due to her model behavior, she was released three months before the end of her term.
Watch the upcoming Hulu series to learn more about the case.
