Supreme Court won't take up appeal of Michelle Carter, woman who encouraged boyfriend's suicide
WASHINGTON – The Supreme Court refused Monday to hear a young Massachusetts woman's appeal of her conviction for encouraging her boyfriend's suicide.
The justices' action leaves intact a decision by that state's highest court that makes the woman's words and texts criminal.
The two individuals were teenagers in 2014, and their relationship, conducted mostly by phone and text, focused in large part on 18-year-old Conrad Roy's frequent suicide attempts. Michelle Carter, 17, urged him forward, and Roy asphyxiated himself in the cab of his truck.
Michelle Carter trial: Woman who encouraged boyfriend to kill himself denied early release from prison
In September, a Massachusetts parole board denied Carter, now 22, early release. Carter began a 15-month prison sentence in February after being convicted of involuntary manslaughter in 2017.
Joseph Cataldo, Carter’s attorney, called the Supreme Court’s decision to not take up the appeal “unfortunate.”
“Clearly many legal scholars and many in the legal community understand the dangers created by the unprecedented decisions of the Massachusetts courts,” he said in an emailed statement. “To that end we will be weighing our next steps in correcting this injustice.”
Carter, of Plainville, Massachusetts, pressured Roy by text messages to kill himself. His death was caused by inhaling fumes from a generator he put inside a truck. Roy had attempted suicide multiple times and struggled with depression and mental illness.
Carter had a lengthy phone call with Roy when he was parked in a Kmart lot, where the death occurred, and texted a friend that she told him to "get back in" the vehicle after he stepped out.
Two state courts ruled that Carter engaged in wanton and reckless conduct. They said her speech was not protected under the Constitution because it was "integral to unlawful conduct."
She received a 30-month jail sentence, half of which was suspended, and five years of probation.
Her lawyers said the conviction was based "on her words alone," and she did not participate directly in Roy's suicide.
"Conduct that would be plainly reckless for adults may seem completely reasonable to teenagers, particularly when that 'conduct' consists of online communications or social media posts," they said in court papers.
Texting case: 'Conrad's Law' proposed in Massachusetts in response to Michelle Carter case
The Carter case reentered the spotlight last year when HBO released a two-part documentary, "I Love You, Now Die: The Commonwealth v. Michelle Carter."
Backed by Roy's mother, Lynn Roy, Massachusetts state lawmakers are considering legislation, dubbed "Conrad's Law," that would criminalize suicide coercion in the commonwealth.
Massachusetts is one of 10 states that lack laws that explicitly punish individuals who induce others to kill themselves. Rather than being subject to manslaughter, as Carter was, a person who intentionally "encourages or coerces" a suicide or suicide attempt would face a new specific criminal liability imposed under the bill.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Michelle Carter: Supreme Court won't hear Mass. suicide texting case
