Her texts urged a boyfriend to kill himself. A judge just upheld her conviction.
Good. I hope the message sinks in to others who do this sort of thing. It is a shame that boy was so susceptible. When a girl friend dumps you, it is an opportunity, not a setback.
In 2017, Michelle Carter was found guilty of involuntary manslaughter for persuading her boyfriend via text messages to die by suicide. She appealed the decision, but her conviction was upheld Wednesday by the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court.
In a ruling written by Justice Scott L. Kafker, the court stated that “the evidence was sufficient to support the judge’s finding of proof beyond a reasonable doubt that the defendant committed involuntary manslaughter as a youthful offender."
“By her wanton or reckless conduct, she caused the victim’s death by suicide,” the ruling concluded. “Her conviction of involuntary manslaughter as a youthful offender is not legally or constitutionally infirm.”
Carter’s lawyer, Daniel N. Marx, said in a statement to The Washington Post that they were considering further legal options, including a possible appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court.
“We are disappointed in the Court’s decision, which adopts a narrative that we do not believe the evidence supports. We continue to believe that Michelle Carter did not cause Conrad Roy’s tragic death, and she should not be held criminally responsible for his choice to end his own life,” Marx said.