The first-ever "texting suicide" case has been dramatised in a new Hulu series
The Girl From Plainville, a new true-crime drama about the first-ever "texting suicide" case, has arrived on Hulu.
Starring Elle Fanning, the story chronicles how Michelle Carter was convicted of involuntary manslaughter after encouraging her boyfriend, Conrad Roy, to take his own life. But what really happened to Conrad and where is Michelle now?
WATCH: Elle Fanning stars in new true crime drama
Who is Michelle Carter?
Michelle Carter was the girlfriend of a teenage boy named Conrad Roy, who sadly died by suicide back in 2014. The two teenagers, aged 18 and 17 at the time, initially met while on vacation two years prior when they were both in Florida visiting relatives.
Conrad sadly took his own life in 2014
After returning home, the two entered into a long-distance relationship which was mainly conducted over text messaging despite the fact they lived just an hour away from each other in the Boston suburbs.
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What happened to Conrad Roy?
According to his family, Conrad had been suffering from anxiety and depression in the years leading up to his death and had even previously attempted to take his own life. Despite this, they were rocked by the news of his suicide.
They were further shocked when an investigation by authorities found a string of text messages between their son and Michelle in the weeks leading to his death that revealed that Michelle had encouraged his suicidal ideations.
Police discovered that Michelle had encouraged Conrad to take his own life
While she initially tried to persuade him to seek professional help, her attitude underwent a huge change sometime in June 2014 just weeks before Conrad died. According to an Esquire article by Jesse Barron which first reported the case, a text she sent on the day of his death read: "You keep pushing [sic] 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."
When police searched her phone, they also learnt that Michelle spoke to Conrad over the phone minutes before his death. As she explained to another friend over text: "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. I could of stopped him but I [expletive] didn't. All I had to say was I love you."
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Where is Michelle Carter now?
Almost three years after the tragic events in June 2017, Michelle was convicted of involuntary manslaughter and sentenced to two and a half years in prison. She was also sentenced to an additional five years probation.
Michelle was release from prison in early 2020 after serving 11 months
She was ordered to start her jail time in February 2019 but only ended up serving just 11 months behind bars due to good behaviour. She was released in January 2020.
Since her release from prison, Michelle, who is now 25, has kept a low profile. Given the conditions of her parole, it's unlikely that she has left the States. It's also worth noting that her probation, which is due to end in August 2022, also prevents her from profiting from any publicity surrounding the case, which also explains why she has not responded publicly to the Hulu series.
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