Posted on 01/13/2020 3:29:05 PM PST by nickcarraway
"I am very pleased that the legal chapter of this tragic case is finally closed," said the Bristol County, Massachusetts, district attorney
Authorities are investigating after a number of vehicles were intentionally set on fire at a used car dealership in Pompano Beach in an arson incident that was caught on camera.
The United States Supreme Court said Monday that it will not take up an appeal brought by Michelle Carter, who was convicted of encouraging her boyfriend through texts and phone calls to take his own life.
The decision leaves Carter's conviction intact, though she is expected to be released from jail this week.
Carter was convicted in 2017 of involuntary manslaughter in the 2014 death of her suicidal boyfriend Conrad Roy III, but the judge initially allowed her to remain free while she appealed. Massachusetts' highest court upheld her conviction, saying her actions caused Roy's death.
A lawyer for Carter had urged the judge to allow the now 23-year-old to stay out of jail while they took her case to the U.S. Supreme Court. Her attorneys argued that she had no prior criminal record, hadn't tried to flee, and had been receiving mental health treatment.
But after a judge ruled that she should start her sentence, Carter was taken into custody. She began serving her 15-month jail sentence in February of 2019.
The Massachusetts Parole Board denied her request for an early release in September, saying it did not meet the legal standard for release.
"Ms. Carter's self-serving statements and behavior, leading up to and after his suicide, appear to be irrational and lacked sincerity," the parole board said in a statement at the time.
Bristol County District Attorney Thomas Quinn said Monday that the Supreme Court's decision is the latest judicial action to validate the decision to charge Carter and brings closure to Roy's family.
"I hope that the finality of this decision brings some solace to them," Quinn said in a statement, adding later, "I am very pleased that the legal chapter of this tragic case is finally closed."
Carter is expected to be released from Bristol County Jail this month, less than a year after she began her 15-month sentence. Her early release is due to good behavior.
Roy's aunt said the family received a letter in the mail alerting them to the early release. She also said that the Supreme Court decision brings finality to the case and peace to the family.
Carter was 17 when Roy, 18, took his own life in Fairhaven, a town on Massachusetts' south coast in July 2014. Her case garnered international attention and provided a disturbing look at teenage depression and suicide.
Carter and Roy both struggled with depression, and Roy had previously tried to kill himself. Their relationship consisted mostly of texting and other electronic communications.
In dozens of text messages revealed during her sensational trial, Carter pushed Roy to end his life and chastised him when he hesitated. As Roy made excuses to put off his plans, her texts became more insistent.
"You keep pushing it off and say you'll do it but u never do. It's always gonna be that way if u don't take action," Carter texted him he on the day he died.
The juvenile court judge focused his guilty verdict on the fact that Carter told Roy over the phone to get back in his truck when it was filling with carbon monoxide. The judge said Carter had a duty to call the police or Roy's family, but instead listened on the phone as he died.
"After she convinced him to get back into the carbon monoxide filled truck, she did absolutely nothing to help him: she did not call for help or tell him to get out of the truck as she listened to him choke and die," Supreme Judicial Court Justice Scott Kafker wrote in the court's opinion affirming her conviction.
At trial, Carter's lawyer argued Carter had initially tried to talk Roy out of suicide and encouraged him to get help. Her attorney said Roy was determined to kill himself and nothing Carter did could change that.
Her appellate attorneys said there was no evidence that Roy would have lived if Carter had called for help. They also argued there wasn't enough evidence to prove that Carter told Roy to get back in his truck.
Her phone call with Roy wasn't recorded, but prosecutors pointed to a rambling text that Carter sent to a friend two months later in which she said called Roy's death her fault and said she told Roy to "get back in" the truck.
If you are in crisis, call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 800-273-8255 or reach out to the Crisis Text Line by texting 'Home' to 741741.
I hope any guy who does this awful thing gets her short sentence as well.
We can influence people, but unless it was done by threat of bodily harm, a suicide is on the suicidee.
Good. This chick is a psycho.
A crowd yelling “Jump,” “Jump” is rude, crude, and immoral, but is not made up of a hundred criminals. The jumper is the only one responsible.
This is a sad case. And yes, teenage depression is a real symptom of the times. Myriad reasons.
Trashy, too.
Give her a break, She was depressed and not completely in her right mind. Read up on this case, she was on anti depressants at the time. The bad stuff that causes some people to go off on ramp[ages and start mass shootings. Research the devil drugs called SSRI's, then get back to your uninformed rants
exactly. female sentencing discount
A pity she was tried as a juvenile instead as an adult. She should have gotten a decade to think about her selfishness.
A sad situation and sadder result with 2 messed up young people.
Putting this (also depressed) teenager in jail served no good purpose beyond satisfying people’s blood lust.
Most of us have no real knowledge of how many young teens are put on psychoactive drugs. Bad stuff. Really jacks up the suicide rate. They hand the stuff out like candy.
“I honestly don’t think a true suicide is something that should be blamed on another.
We can influence people, but unless it was done by threat of bodily harm, a suicide is on the suicidee.”
Spot on. It is a bad road to go down if this concept takes off. “one time ten years ago, she/he said something that drove me to this.”
If you see a guy on the edge of a tall bridge, with others trying to save him, and you tell him he is a loser, that everyone hates him, and that he'd be better off dead, and he immediately jumps off...should you not face any charges?
She did far worse than that.
No... I do not... And we should never go there, Ever.
Cheer-leading or not, if someone is that weak they will do it sooner or later anyways. Cheer or not.
That is the problem with current society, We are now a bunch of weak crybabies and blame everyone else for the situations we have placed ourselves into. We do not take personal responsibility for our own situation.
It is no one’s fault but our own period. And this is the natural order of things. It does and should weed out the weak of the species... And I would say the same if was another of my own clan.
In fact it has...
“Cheer-leading or not, if someone is that weak they will do it sooner or later anyways. “
you have no proof that some one would do it anyway. I know multiple people who were on the verge many times or that even tried suicide but for the grace of God they did not die. Now they are thankful and see life has a plan and purpose for them.
When a woman like this basically pulls multiple verbal triggers in the guys mind - that is assault, that is evil intent pure and simple, mental battery, it’s a crime.
You dont’ kick some one repeatedly when they are down. you don’t cause your brother/friend/loved one to stumble. and if you do you are at fault, at least for your part.
She is a killer with no conscience.
With all respect due, when an individual is raised in a pampered protected bubble without ever having both physical and emotional challenges throughout their lives this is what happens. They have been steered into it the inevitable cause and effect of it.
Don’t raise them in this bubble of protection and it will rarely happen. We were not and it didn’t. You have to climb a tree and fall out before you learn that you might fall and get hurt. But if you are trained and brainwashed to never ever climb a tree you will never learn this reality fact of life.
I am a compassionate being, and I would not be one to cheerlead, but I am also intelligent enough to realize you just can’t save them all once they have been indoctrinated into this very potential mental illness from birth. But never should anyone else be blamed for the personal actions of the individual. Ever...
I take an ssri. I’ve never encouraged someone to kill themself. This girl has dead eyes. But thanks for your uninformed post to me.
“...a suicide is on the suicidee.”
Except this one. She drove him to suicide with endless texts and insults and encouragement to kill himself.
She left an electronic trail that proved she was on him like a demon trying to seduce him into self-destruction, up to the final moment. He had backed out at the last minute and she jumped in and browbeat him into it. Her intent was murder.
This young woman needs to be locked up for a very long time. No one should ever forget what she did and I hope this is never forgotten or missed bu anyone she ever meets.
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