Advertisement

Mass. teen charged in the suicide of ex-boyfriend

Police said Michelle Carter, 18, urged her ex-boyfriend Conrad Roy III, 18, to kill himself using carbon monoxide.

By Amy R. Connolly

PLAINVILLE, Mass., Feb. 28 (UPI) -- A high-school senior has been charged with involuntary manslaughter for allegedly urging her former boyfriend to commit suicide and then holding a charity event in his name after he died.

Michelle Carter, 18, was indicted as a youthful offender by a Bristol County, Mass., grand jury and arraigned a short time later. Investigators said she urged Conrad Roy III, 18, to kill himself. Police said she held a fundraiser a few weeks after his death to raise money for mental-health awareness.

Advertisement

Investigators said Carter, who was 17 at the time, helped Roy research how to die from carbon monoxide poisoning and told him to 'get back in' to the truck when he had second thoughts on July 13. Roy was later found dead in a parking lot.

Police said she continued to text Roy until he died, at the same time texting friends "as if nothing happened."

"Not only did Conrad (Roy) tell Carter in several of his texts prior to his death that he was scared and didn't want to leave his family, she continued to encourage him to take his own life, and when he actually started to carry out the act, he got scared again and exited his truck, but instead of telling him to stay out of the truck ... Carter told him to 'get back in,' " Fairhaven police Detective Scott Gordon said.

Advertisement

Carter's attorney denies the accusations, saying she is shocked.

"It's unfortunate that he undertook this decision to end his own life but it is outrageous for the Bristol County District Attorney's office to now criminalize this situation," Carter's attorney said.

After he died, Carter held a "Homers for Conrad" fundraiser "to help bring awareness to mental illness in honor of her friend," according to the fundraising website.

"Hey everyone! As many of you may know, my best friend Conrad Roy passed away on July 13th. Conrad had been suffering with anxiety and depression for many years," the fundraiser Facebook page said. "The money raised will be donated to the National Alliance of Mental Illness as well as to the Captain Conrad Roy III Scholarship Fund. The goal is to continue to raise awareness for mental illnesses, and help those who are struggling with it."

Latest Headlines