In the meantime, a Taunton judge ordered Michelle Carter to begin serving a 15-month prison sentence Monday. She was convicted of using text messages and a phone call to convince her friend Conrad Roy to commit suicide.
Carter and her legal team appealed the conviction to Massachusetts’ highest court and lost.
Attorney Joseph Cataldo says the next step is the U.S. Supreme Court
“You know, we will move forward with the appeal. And who knows where we’ll end up and maybe she won’t have to serve all the 15 months,” Cataldo said.
Carter’s attorneys plan to argue that her words were protected free speech, and that only Roy is responsible for his death.
The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline is available 24/7 at 1-800-273-8255.
This report comes from the New England News Collaborative: Eight public media companies, including The Public’s Radio, coming together to tell the story of a changing region, with support from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting.
