Michelle Carter’s probation for involuntary manslaughter in death of Conrad Roy has ended

Frank Mulligan, Standard-Times
·2 min read
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BOSTON – Probation for Michelle Carter, who was convicted of involuntary manslaughter in 2017 in connection with encouraging 18-year-old Conrad Roy to commit suicide, has ended.

Coria Holland, Massachusetts Probation Service communications director, confirmed that Carter’s probation ended on Aug. 1.

Her special conditions of probation also ended at that time and will no longer be enforceable, including that she not be able to profit directly or indirectly from her story.

The other conditions of her 15-month probation were:

  • No contact with the family of Conrad Roy or witnesses.

  • Mental health evaluation and follow the recommendations of a health professional.

Carter, of Plainfield, was 17 at the time the act was committed in 2014 and was tried as a youthful offender.

Michelle Carter was convicted of manslaughter in the suicide death of her then-boyfriend, Conrad Roy III of Mattapoisett.
Michelle Carter was convicted of manslaughter in the suicide death of her then-boyfriend, Conrad Roy III of Mattapoisett.

She was convicted in 2017 following a trial before a judge, who found that she caused Roy's 2014 death when she told him in a phone call to get back in his parked truck that was filled with carbon monoxide in preparation for his suicide, according to reports. It was noted she didn't call Roy's family or the police.

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According to reports, the phone call wasn't recorded, but the judge relied on a text Carter had sent a friend in which she said she told Roy to get back in.

According to reports, Carter sent Roy numerous text messages encouraging him to follow through with his suicide in the days leading up to his death.

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She began serving a 15-month sentence in the Bristol County House of Correction in 2019, and was released in January 2020 after serving about a year after time was taken off for good behavior.

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The Mass. Supreme Judicial Court had upheld her conviction in 2019 prior to her starting her sentence. Her attorneys had argued that her texts to Roy were constitutionally protected free speech, according to reports.

The U.S. Supreme Court declined to take up the appeal in 2020.

The case garnered national attention, and was the subject of a 2019 HBO documentary and a Dateline episode, "Reckless." A recent Hulu television series, “The Girl from Plainville,” was also based on the case.

This article originally appeared on Standard-Times: Michelle Carter’s probation for involuntary manslaughter has ended