The Massachusetts judge in the texting suicide trial of Michelle Carter will deliver his decision on Friday morning, according to the court.
Carter, 20, is on trial for involuntary manslaughter in the death of her boyfriend, Conrad Roy III, who was 18 when he killed himself in July 2014 by inhaling carbon monoxide in his pickup truck.
Carter secretly nudged Roy toward suicide by sending him numerous text messages encouraging him to take his life, prosecutors said.
In closing arguments on Tuesday, prosecutors said Carter berated her vulnerable boyfriend when he had second thoughts about killing himself, listened on the phone to his last breaths and used his suicide to get desperately needed attention from friends.
Carter’s attorney argued she was a troubled, delusional young woman who was “dragged” into the suicidal journey of Roy, who was long intent on killing himself.
Earlier in the trial, a psychiatrist testified Carter was delusional after becoming “involuntarily intoxicated” by antidepressants. She was “unable to form intent” after switching to a new prescription drug months before Roy’s suicide, and even texted his phone for weeks after he died, the psychiatrist testified.
Carter’s fate rests with Bristol County Juvenile Court Judge Lawrence Moniz, who heard the case after she waived her right to a jury trial.
The trial could set a legal precedent on whether it is a crime to tell someone to commit suicide.
