Judge denies motion to dismiss for teen who urged boyfriend’s suicide

A Massachusetts judge has denied a motion to end the trial of Michelle Carter, the teen who encouraged her boyfriend, Conrad Roy, to take his own life in a series of text messages.

Carter’s attorney, Joseph Cataldo, asked the judge to drop the case this morning, arguing that the prosecution had failed to provide sufficient evidence beyond a reasonable doubt of Carter’s responsibility in Roy’s death.

Carter is being tried as a juvenile because she was under 18 at the time of the texts, and faces manslaughter charges for her role in Roy’s death. Cataldo argued that Carter’s texts are protected by free speech and highlighted that Roy had long sufferered with severe depression and had previously attempted to take his own life.

The case garnered national headlines in 2015 after Roy, 18, was found dead from carbon monoxide poisoning in his pickup truck.

Here are the text exchanges–up until the last one–between Carter and Roy on the day before his body was found:

Carter: Are you going to do it today?

Roy: Yes.

Carter: Like in the day time?

Roy: Should I?

Carter: Yeah, it’s less suspicious. You won’t think about it as much and you’ll get it over with instead of wait until the night.

Roy: Yeah then I will. Like where? Like I could go in any enclosed area.

Carter: Go in your truck and drive in a parking lot somewhere, to a park or something. Do it like early. Do it now, like early.

…

Roy: Like, why am I so hesitant lately. Like two weeks ago I was willing to try everything and now I’m worse, really bad, and I’m LOL not following through. It’s eating me inside.

Carter: You’re so hesitant because you keeping over thinking it and keep pushing it off. You just need to do it, Conrad. The more you push it off, the more it will eat at you. You’re ready and prepared. All you have to do is turn the generator on and you will be free and happy. No more pushing it off. No more waiting.

Roy. You’re right.

…

Roy: Okay. I’m gonna do it today.

Carter: You promise?

Roy: I promise, babe. I have to now.

Carter: Like right now?

Roy: Where do I go?

Carter And you can’t break a promise. And just go in a quiet parking lot or something.

Carter: Are you gonna do it now?

Roy: I just don’t know how to leave them, you know.

Carter: Say you’re gonna go to the store or something

Roy: Like, I want them to know that I love them.

Carter: They know. That’s the one thing they definitely know. You’re over thinking.

Roy: I know I’m over thinking. I’ve been over thinking for a while now.

Carter: I know. You jut have to do it like you said. Are you gonna do it now?

Roy: I still haven’t left yet, ha ha

Carter: Why?

Roy: Leaving now.

Carter: Okay. You can do this.

Roy: Okay. I’m almost there.

Another text conversation between Carter and a friend came to light; in it, Carter said, “His death is my fault. Like, honestly I could have stopped it. I was the one on the phone with him and he got out of the car because [it] was working and he got scared and I f***en told him to get back in … because I knew that he would do it all over again the next day and I couldnt have him live the way he was living anymore.”