Michelle Carter, who encouraged her 18-year-old boyfriend through text messages to kill himself, was found guilty of involuntary manslaughter on Friday.
Conrad Roy killed himself on July 12, 2014, by inhaling carbon monoxide produced by a water pump in his truck, according to Buzzfeed.
The teen got out of the truck before succumbing to the fumes, but Carter, now 20, texted him to “get back in.” The horrific order was documented among thousands of text messages the two exchanged during the course of their relationship.
Carter waived her right to a jury trial, leaving it up toby a Massachusetts Judge Lawrence Moniz to decide her fate. On Friday, he judge ruled that Carter’s actions constituted “wanton and reckless conduct” when she instructed Roy — who had a history of mental illness and had previously attempted suicide — to get back in the truck, despite knowing it would likely kill him.
“She instructs Roy to get back in the truck knowing of all the feelings he has exchanged with her; his ambiguities, his fears, his concerns,” Moniz said, according to Buzzfeed. “This court finds that by instructing Mr. Roy to get back in the truck constitutes wanton and reckless conduct by Ms. Carter, creating a situation where there is a high degree of likelihood that substantial harm would result to Mr. Roy.”
Moniz said that Carter admitted through texts to her friends that she did nothing.
He did not revoke Carter’s bail and scheduled her sentencing for Aug. 3. She faces up to 20 years in prison for involuntary manslaughter.
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