In the many text messages exchanged by Michelle Carter and her suicidal boyfriend in Massachusetts as they strained to understand “the worst pain” and discussed the best ways to die, Carter observed, “Sometimes things happen and we never have the answers why.” Five years later, Carter, now 22, is seeking answers from the Supreme Court, the Washington Post reports. Asking on Monday for a review by the high court, Carter’s attorneys asked the justices to vacate Carter’s conviction for involuntary manslaughter in the 2014 death of Conrad Roy III, who poisoned himself with carbon monoxide in a Kmart parking lot in Fairhaven, Ma., after exchanging text messages and speaking twice on the phone with Carter. She lived about 50 miles away.
Calling her conviction “unprecedented,” the petition cites decisions in other states invalidating findings of culpability in cases of assisted suicide and cyberstalking. It claims that Carter’s right to free speech under the First Amendment shields her from criminal responsibility because her involvement was limited to “words alone.” Meanwhile, a documentary about the case, “I Love You, Now Die: The Commonwealth v. Michelle Carter,” is airing on HBO. The two-part film, which premiered at this year’s South by Southwest Festival, examines the relationship between Carter and Roy, drawing on the thousands of text messages they exchanged over a two-year period. Judge Lawrence Moniz reasoned that her “virtual presence” made her responsible for her boyfriend’s death. He gave her a 15-month term. Her conviction was upheld by the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court.