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CAN WORDS KILL?
Seven shock details in ‘The Girl from Plainville’ Michelle Carter case as chilling final texts to Conrad Roy revealed
MICHELLE Carter first made headlines in 2014 following the death of her boyfriend, 18-year-old Conrad Roy III.
Many shocking details have since been revealed in the chilling story of Conrad and Michelle, who was convicted of involuntary manslaughter in the case.
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Hulu's popular new series The Girl From Plainville reenacts the tragedy, from Conrad's death from carbon monoxide poisoning to the investigation, when police found out that Michelle sent text messages to him encouraging the suicide.
ONLINE RELATIONSHIP
The young couple met in 2012 while on vacation in Florida, where they found out that they both resided in Massachusetts.
At the time, Michelle was visiting her grandparents while Conrad was visiting his great aunt, according to .
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Throughout the course of their vacation, the two became friends and later visited each other a handful of times between 2012 and 2014, HBO's documentary I Love You, Now Die reveals.
Despite not seeing each other, the two started an online relationship.
The couple called each other their boyfriend and girlfriend and constantly communicated via text.
SHARED STRUGGLES
Conrad and Michelle soon discovered that mental health struggles were something that they had in common.
At the time, Conrad had been battling anxiety and depression, and Michelle, who was 17 years old, had previously struggled with an eating disorder and received treatment for it.
But the pair's comfort in their shared struggles soon turned sour as Michelle began encouraging Conrad to follow through on his suicidal thoughts.
During the investigation of Conrad's death, authorities found messages on his phone from Michelle which read, "You keep pushing it off and say you'll do it but you never do.
"It's always gonna be that way if you don't take action."
Despite the alarming texts, Michelle's defense attorney claimed during her trial that she had previously tried to talk Conrad out of harming himself, .
One conversation was referenced where Conrad told Michelle he regretted dragging her into his plans to kill himself.
Conrad eventually succumbed to his mental struggles and died of carbon monoxide poisoning inside his truck, which was parked outside of a Kmart in Massachusetts.
Conrad reportedly had a brief change of heart as he poisoned himself and even got out of the vehicle.
Phone records shown in Michelle's trial revealed that she called her boyfriend and told him to get back inside the truck.
Conrad left a note that included an apology for the pain his death would cause along with a request for his family to "live life to the fullest."
'UNBELIEVABLE'
Conrad's aunt Kim Bozzi told ABC News in 2017 that the most "unbelievable" part of Michelle's actions was "how she acted after the fact."
She said that Michelle had texted multiple members of Conrad's family, pretending that she didn't know that he had died.
"She texted my niece a couple of hours later, 'Hey, do you know where your brother is?'
"Then she texted his mom the next day, 'Oh, hey, have you heard from Conrad?' Knowing all along."
Michelle never called the police or Conrad’s parents as he died.
When she texted Conrad's mother to give her condolences, she did not tell her that she had prior knowledge of the teen’s plans to end his life
FINAL TEXTS
Michelle's last texts to Conrad before his death were forceful, insisting that the boyfriend should end his life.
"You just need to do it."
When Conrad hesitated, she texted, “You better not be bulls***ing me and just pretending. Tonight is the night, it’s now or never,” court documents said.
Michelle texted her friend after Conrad's death, admitting that she could have stopped the tragedy.
The texts read in court revealed that she and Conrad had been on the phone the day of his suicide when Conrad got out of the car because he was scared.
Michelle texted that she "told him to get back in."
RELEASED EARLY
Michelle was found guilty during her trial and sentenced to two and a half years in prison but her sentence was later reduced to 15 months.
In January 2020, Michelle was released on good behavior and put on probation, which is set to end this year.
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Michelle has managed to stay out of the spotlight upon her release but was photographed for the first time last week at her Massachusetts home.
ABC News is revisiting the case in a two-hour airing on April 8. It will be available to stream on Hulu.
You're not alone
SUICIDE is the 10th leading cause of death in the US, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Leading Causes of Death Report from 2018.
There were "more than two and half times as many suicides" in the US than there were homicides, according to the .
For people ages 10 and 34, suicide was the "second leading cause of death" and the fourth for individuals ages 35 to 54.
Suicide is a vital health concern in the U.S. It affects all genders, races and ages.
This is why The-Sun.com launched the You're Not Alone campaign.
The campaign calls on readers to discuss their mental health issues with their family, friends and health professionals. We can all pitch in to help out others who may be suffering and help save lives.
If you are struggling to cope, you are not alone. There are many free and confidential programs in the US aimed to help those who are struggling with their mental health.
If you or someone you know is struggling with mental health problems, these organizations are here to provide support:
- National Suicide Prevention Lifeline, , 1-800-273-TALK
- Crisis Text Line, , Text HOME to 741741
- Veterans Crisis Hotline, , 1-800-273-8255
- Trevor Project, , 1-866-488-7386
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