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Criminal Law Keyed to Kaplan
Commonwealth v. Carter
Citation:
481 Mass. 352 (2019)Facts
Michelle Carter and Conrad Roy maintained a long-distance relationship primarily through electronic communications. Roy had a history of mental illness and previous suicide attempts. In the days leading up to July 12, 2014, Carter repeatedly encouraged Roy to commit suicide through text messages, helping him plan the method and location. On July 12, Roy drove his truck to a parking lot and started a water pump that generated carbon monoxide inside the vehicle. During this attempt, Roy got out of the truck, but Carter, who was on the phone with him, instructed him to get back in. She later texted a friend stating, “I fucking told him to get back in…because I knew he would do it all over again the next day and I couldn’t have him live the way he was living anymore.” After Roy’s death, Carter waited hours before contacting his family and did not alert emergency services despite knowing he was in danger. The judge found that Carter’s instruction to get back into the truck, knowing the danger it posed, constituted wanton and reckless conduct that caused Roy’s death.
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