Where Is Michelle Carter Now?

The following article includes mention of suicide.

On July 13, 2014, 18-year-old Conrad Henry Roy III was found unresponsive inside a truck in the parking lot of the Kmart store in Fairhaven, Massachusetts. As reported by SouthCoast Today, authorities determined the teen died by suicide. However, further investigation into Roy's death led authorities to suspect that 17-year-old Michelle Carter played an integral part in the tragedy.

In the days and weeks following Roy's death, Carter admitted she and Roy had a close relationship and offered to help his family through their grieving process. Although they met in person, the teens primarily communicated via text messages over two years. According to People, authorities later revealed Carter and Roy exchanged more than 1,000 texts in the week leading to his death.

Although the teens exchanged text messages about numerous topics, Roy's struggles with depression and suicidal thoughts were one of the more common points of discussion. Initially, Carter discouraged his talk of suicide. However, she eventually seemed to encourage these thoughts and even for him to follow through with it.

When authorities gained access to the text messages, they were specifically concerned with conversations in the hours leading up to Roy's death. As reported by Women's Health, Carter seemingly prodded Roy, asking, "Why haven't you done it yet tho [sic.]? " She also said, " If u [sic.] don't do it now you're never gonna do it."

If you or anyone you know is having suicidal thoughts, please call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline​ by dialing 988 or by calling 1-800-273-TALK (8255)​.

Many of the messages Michelle Carter sent Conrad Roy III in the hours before his death were disturbing. However, what she admittedly said to Roy during a phone call only moments before his death was far more than disturbing. The conversation ultimately led to Carter's arrest and conviction for involuntary manslaughter.

As reported by People, Roy called Carter to express apprehension about following through with his suicide plans. In a text message to her friend Samantha Boardman, Carter later confessed, " ... his death is my fault like ... I could have stopped him I was on the phone with him and he got out of the car because it was working and he got scared and I [expletive] told him to get back in."

Carter also sent a text message to her friend Olivia Mosolgo, stating, "I was talking to him on the phone when he killed himself ... I heard him die. I just wish I got him more help." In a text message to another friend, Alexandra Ethier, People reports Carter said, " ... I was on the phone talking to him when he killed himself."

Prosecutors argued that Carter's text messages and what she said during the phone call directly encouraged Roy to die by suicide. During the trial, they presented evidence suggesting Carter had the chance to either stop Roy or call someone for help. Instead, she seemed to have done the opposite.

Michelle Carter was ultimately convicted of involuntary manslaughter. Although prosecutors sought a 20-year sentence, Carter was sentenced to two years and six months in prison, with credit for the 15 months she served before her conviction. As reported by ABC News, Carter filed several appeals. Nevertheless, her conviction and sentence were upheld. She was transported to the Bristol County House of Correction in Dartmouth, Massachusetts, where she remained from February 2019 until her release in January 2020.

According to ABC News, Carter was released after only 11 months because of good behavior. In addition to staying out of trouble, Carter reportedly attended several educational, self-improvement, and vocational programs offered by the prison. She also maintained a job inside the facility as a cafeteria worker. Bristol County Sheriff's Office Public Information Officer Jonathan Darling said Carter was "polite" with corrections officers and her fellow inmates throughout her incarceration.

Following her release, Carter was ordered to remain on probation for five years. In addition to the usual probation restrictions, Boston 25 News reports that Carter was required to attend mental health evaluations and was prohibited from profiting from the crime for which she was convicted. Carter's case gained national attention due to media coverage during the original trial. However, the Hulu series, "The Girl from Plainville," and the HBO documentary, "I Love You, Now Die," drew even more attention to the devastating event in recent years.

The New York Post reports Michelle Carter was last spotted in April 2022 doing yard work outside her parents' home, and her probation ended on August 1, 2022. As reported by NBC Boston, she has largely avoided the spotlight following her release and is assumed to be living with her parents in her hometown of Plainville, Massachusetts. Carter has not commented on the series or documentary about her role in Conrad Roy's death. She has refused any interviews and has not publicly discussed the case since her release.

According to The New York Times, Carter's conviction remains controversial as she was not physically present when Roy died by suicide. It has been suggested that she was simply exercising free speech. The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of Massachusetts Legal Director Matthew Segel said, "Mr. Roy's death is a terrible tragedy, but it is not a reason to stretch the boundaries of our criminal laws or abandon the protections of our constitution ... Carter's conviction could chill important and worthwhile end-of-life discussions between loved ones across the Commonwealth."

The Massachusetts Supreme Court, however, determined Carter's " ... conviction did not offend free speech because her conduct was not necessarily related to speech, and criminal conduct speech was unprotected."