The Texting Suicide Case, As Seen By A 17-Year-Old Girl | The Odyssey Online
Start writing a post
Student Life

The Texting Suicide Case, As Seen By A 17-Year-Old Girl

A deeper look into the first case of its kind.

75
The Texting Suicide Case, As Seen By A 17-Year-Old Girl
People

Whether you have or have not been outside these past few days, you've probably heard that Michelle Carter was found guilty and sentenced to 15 months in prison for her role in the 2014 suicide of her boyfriend Conrad Roy III. If not, here's a recap:

Roy and Carter were a long-distance couple who communicated primarily through text. Roy wrestled with depression and social anxiety and confided in Carter often about how much he wanted to take his own life. At first, Carter tried to dissuade him, but later encouraged him. Finally, on July 13, 2014, Roy poisoned himself with carbon monoxide fumes in his truck. 3 years later, Carter was found guilty of involuntary manslaughter.

Let's take a closer look:

Here we have two people at probably the most vulnerable time in their life, a.k.a. high school. Michelle and Conrad were both described as athletic, smart, nice students. However, both struggle with depression, and Roy additionally struggles with social anxiety; Carter has an eating disorder. Anyone who has lived to tell the tale can attest to the fact that high school is one big shark tank. Maybe we don't want to admit it, but we all want to be the top shark. Carter was no exception to this. She had trouble making and keeping friends, and her insecurity bred desperation. At the start of their relationship, Carter did what any other person was expected to do: she tried to talk him out of it. Roy, however, was extremely persistent. Eventually, Carter became Roy's personal cheerleader, pushing him harder and harder each day and chastising him when he didn't follow through with plans.

It's evident that somewhere down the line, something flipped in Michelle Carter. Roy was extremely stubborn, and Carter figured if she couldn't help Conrad, she'd help herself. If someone in her situation got really frustrated, they may say something along the lines of, "You know what, you can just kill yourself for all I care." This type of anger usually only lasts for a short period of time and then is followed up by a series of apologies. Michelle took this sentiment about 100 steps further when she saw an opportunity to spin this to her own benefit. If Conrad committed suicide, Michelle could play the role of the grieving girlfriend and gain the attention and popularity of her peers which she so wanted.

And she sure did. After Roy's death, she gained popularity by exploitation, and then tried to make the best of a bad situation by becoming an anti-suicide activist and trying to establish a relationship with his family. It's safe to say that if authorities didn't go through the teens' phone, Michelle probably would have completely avoided trouble.

As a high school student, I can say that it's not out of the ordinary to see people doing just about anything to get attention. After all, we are growing up in an environment where we are always competing for something whether it's the best grades, a spot on a sports team, or admission into a college. We teach ourselves that we need attention, and that we must have more attention than everyone else. Some are even desperate enough to let a man die so we can have what we want the most.

Report this Content
This article has not been reviewed by Odyssey HQ and solely reflects the ideas and opinions of the creator.
friends

Whether you're commuting or dorming, your first year of college is a huge adjustment. The transition from living with parents to being on my own was an experience I couldn't have even imagined- both a good and a bad thing. Here's a personal archive of a few of the things I learned after going away for the first time.

Keep Reading...Show less
Featured

Economic Benefits of Higher Wages

Nobody deserves to be living in poverty.

300129
Illistrated image of people crowded with banners to support a cause
StableDiffusion

Raising the minimum wage to a livable wage would not only benefit workers and their families, it would also have positive impacts on the economy and society. Studies have shown that by increasing the minimum wage, poverty and inequality can be reduced by enabling workers to meet their basic needs and reducing income disparities.

I come from a low-income family. A family, like many others in the United States, which has lived paycheck to paycheck. My family and other families in my community have been trying to make ends meet by living on the minimum wage. We are proof that it doesn't work.

Keep Reading...Show less
blank paper
Allena Tapia

As an English Major in college, I have a lot of writing and especially creative writing pieces that I work on throughout the semester and sometimes, I'll find it hard to get the motivation to type a few pages and the thought process that goes behind it. These are eleven thoughts that I have as a writer while writing my stories.

Keep Reading...Show less
April Ludgate

Every college student knows and understands the struggle of forcing themselves to continue to care about school. Between the piles of homework, the hours of studying and the painfully long lectures, the desire to dropout is something that is constantly weighing on each and every one of us, but the glimmer of hope at the end of the tunnel helps to keep us motivated. While we are somehow managing to stay enrolled and (semi) alert, that does not mean that our inner-demons aren't telling us otherwise, and who is better to explain inner-demons than the beloved April Ludgate herself? Because of her dark-spirit and lack of filter, April has successfully been able to describe the emotional roller-coaster that is college on at least 13 different occasions and here they are.

Keep Reading...Show less
college
Pinterest

For many undergraduates across the nation, the home stretch has begun. Only one more semester remains in our undergraduate career. Oh, the places we will go! For the majority of college seniors, this is simultaneously the best and worst year out of the past four and here’s why.

1. The classes you are taking are actually difficult.

A schedule full of easy pottery throwing and film courses is merely a myth on the average campus. With all of those prerequisites for the upper-level courses and the never-ending battle you fight each year during registration for limited class seats, senior year brings with it the ability to register for the final courses you need to fulfill your major. Yet, these are not the easy entry level courses. These are the comprehensive, end of major, capstone courses designed to apply the knowledge from all your previous courses, usually in the form of an extensive research paper or engaged learning project. The upside is you actually probably really enjoy these classes but alas there is no room for slackers here.

Keep Reading...Show less

Subscribe to Our Newsletter

Facebook Comments