Michelle Carter was 17 years old when her boyfriend Conrad Roy, 18, drove his car to a Kmart parking lot with fumes and committed suicide. This case has been all over the media and for good reason. It became media frenzy because the details of the case dealt with suicide and how Ms. Carter helped the boy commit it.
The texts between both of them became public during court which had her encouraging him to go back in the truck and to just "do it." But what is the important fact to know is that the judge made his decision not on the texts alone but on the phone call between them while he was in the parking lot. The phone call was not recorded but Carter revealed to a friend, “Sam his death is my fault, like honestly I could have stopped him,” Ms. Carter wrote. “I was on the phone with him and he got out of the car because it was working and he got scared.” In the phone call, she told him to get back in and she heard his dying breaths through the phone.
At 17, this teenage girl had to deal with so much. She was alone and had a lot weighing on her shoulder. She had this 18 year old's life in her hands and she decided to help him kill himself because it was all becoming too much for her. He had tried killing himself twice and got too scared both times.
Words matter; what you say to people matters. It does not matter if you are talking to a stranger or your best friend, the words that you say and write have an impact on others. Words are to be used to encourage and support not to torment and bully. Words are meant to uplift and help others.
Michelle Carter was found guilty for involuntary manslaughter for not doing her "duty" and helping him end his laugh. Let this historic case show that you do not have to pull the trigger or be in the room to be found guilty for murder. In this day and age of cyber-bullying and Facetime, you could be anywhere without being physically present.
Let us choose our words carefully; we are all battling our own wars. Let us be kind to one another.
For more specifics on this case, please read this New York Times article.
If you or someone you know is struggling with depression or suicide please do not hesitate to call this Suicide Hotline:
Call 1-800-273-8255
