Dateline NBC - Reckless

Episode Date: January 13, 2026

Lead detectives and family members speak to Dateline about the case of teenager Michelle Carter, who was convicted of bullying her boyfriend to kill himself. Andrea Canning reports.  Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

I believe that he had an old soul, a beautiful soul. I know he's my son, but he was the kindest person I've ever met in my life. He was definitely God's gift to me. A dramatic development in the case of a beloved teenage boy who disappeared. I have to report my son missing. They saw his truck with caution tape around it. The police told my father that he was gone. He was like, are you sure?

Like, what are you talking about? grieving alongside his family, his girlfriend. She sent messages of condolences. We all need to be strong together. She gave me a lot of support. Just there for me when I needed her. But was there something about these two that no one knew? What are you seeing?

A series of messages. I had to read them a couple of times to really sort of take it all in. Utterly shocking. A trail of text messages leading to the darkest of discoveries. Keeping all the lies straight is difficult. She did it master. That's not normal. I closed my eyes and I said, this is not real.

Now, a new twist in a story every parent needs to see. We need to know what's going on our kids' lives because it can be very scary when we don't. The latest on a story of teens, text messages, and a complicated search for the truth. I'm Lester Holt and this is Dateline. Here's Andrea Canning with Reckless. It began as a chance in counting

between two teens on vacation. She was a family friend that he met in Florida. And ended two years later with one of them dead. He was smiling before he left the house. And then he was dead, a few hours after. An apparent suicide. He didn't seem like he was in any imminent danger. No, not at all.

But there was danger from something teens do all the time, texting. Their cyber romance hit a nerve, gripping the nation. And the people involved in the case, involved in the case gave us the inside story. The detectives who investigated the case near watching her. Yes, and

it just keeps getting worse. A grieving father. I feel like I can fix a lot of things, but I just can't fix my son. And distraught family members who feel betrayed. I like kind of just said no. Hi, this is Conrad Henry Roy the third. Our story starts with Conrad.

His mother, Linroy, says he was an easy child. What kind of kid was he? Definitely sensitive. Never gave me a hard time with anything. Did well in school, had friends, loved baseball. Conrad was her first born. Two daughters would come later.

Looking back, she remembers his early years as good ones. Every pitcher I have of him, he looks like a little goofball. The happiest child, he was always happy. Conrad grew up in and around the old fishing town of New Bedford, Massachusetts, where his father and grandfather run a tugboat in barge. business. His dad said it seemed Conrad was destined to take to the sea from day one. I think he was like two or three days old. My dad bought him on the tugboat. I just wanted to have him to follow in my footstouse. I was hoping he'd be able like, just like, you know,

take over the business someday. Not only was Conrad the first born in the Roy family, he was also the first grandchild. His aunt, Chrissy Roy, says his cousins adored him. My youngest Henry would follow him around like a duck. He was the cousin that all of the kids looked up to. But during his sophomore year in high school, his mom says her happy-go-lucky son started to change. His father and I, we got divorced, and I don't know one child that doesn't get affected by a divorce.

He was 16 at the time? And it's, you know, going through the hormones, and he obviously hit anxiety and depression. It just manifested at that time. He talked about it in this video diary. I feel like I'm differently wired from everyone else. Like, there's something wrong with me. It was at 16, while struggling with anxiety and depression,

that Conrad encountered a 15-year-old girl named Michelle Carter. They met, Conrad's grandmother says, when Conrad and his sisters went to Florida to visit family. And this was just supposed to be some R&R? Yeah, a week during school vacation. Her grandparents were friends with our great aunt. his sister Camden was like, oh, my brother met a girl, and the three of them all hung out with her for just a short while. When they returned from Florida, Conrad and Michelle continued to stay in touch

through text messages. Michelle lived in Plainville, Massachusetts, about an hour away from Conrad. The two had a lot in common. She was a softball player. He played baseball. Friends described both of them as quiet and funny. And even though the two communicated regularly, Conrad's aunt Becky, says he never mentioned Michelle. He had other girlfriends where you knew their names and you had met them. She was not someone that he talked about. Apparently, he kept a lot to himself. By the time he was 17, he had checked into psychiatric facilities a few times,

suffering from deep depression. His mom says one time, on the day he was discharged, he attempted suicide by swallowing a bottle of cough syrup. He felt bad. I said, Conrad. You have no idea how much you are loved and appreciated. But he swore out that time after that. He would never attempt suicide again.

And things did seem to be getting better. A year later, by June 2014, Conrad had graduated from high school, gotten a scholarship to college, and earned his captain's license. That must have been a really big day, Conrad getting his captain's license. It was. I was very proud of him. Are you feeling... good about the place that he's in? I felt that he was still, like, struggling,

but I felt very, very positive that he wasn't going to do anything to harm himself. It was right around this time when Conrad recorded that private video sharing his innermost thoughts. I feel like I still have a long way to go to recover from this social anxiety, this feeling of insecurity. but if I keep talking, keep talking, it's going to get better. On July 12th, Conrad headed to the beach with his mom and two sisters. Lynn vividly remembers walking the shoreline with her son.

He seemed in good spirits that day. We talked about school, and he's like, I'm not sure. Where I am right now in my head, I said, well, you just got your captain's license. You don't have to worry about anything right now. He's looking toward the future. Yeah. When they returned from the beach, Conrad drove his sisters to get ice cream. He was laughing. I said something, and he was, like, smiling.

Conrad told his mom he was going to his friend's house and wouldn't be back for dinner. But later that night, Lynn says, out of the blue, her daughter got a text message from someone quite unexpected. I was around 10.30 that night, Michelle Carter is asking where Conrad is. and they have boyfriend and girlfriend now. This was news to Lynn. She knew Conrad and Michelle had only seen each other in person a few times. The next morning, Lynn woke up at 5 a.m.

and noticed Conrad wasn't home. She called around and drove by his friend's house but couldn't find him. Conrad was missing. A son disappears. A mom worries, and a dad receives a troubling clue. Family friends and they saw his truck with caution tape around it. The news is about to go from bad to worse.

I was like, are you sure? Like, what are you talking about? When Dateline continues. Word spread quickly. Conrad Roy III was missing. His family and friends, growing more frantic by the hour, searched everywhere for him. By mid-morning, his mom decided to call 911. Please record his eye.

I have to report my phone. That evening, about 24 hours after Conrad left his house, his father got a call. A family friend said they saw his truck at Kmart with caution tape around it. So you go down there to Kmart? And I think the police, you know, told my father that he was gone. An officer found Conrad dead behind the wheel of his pickup truck. His dad called Lynn to tell her the awful news. I couldn't even see.

I was like, felt like I was drugged. I couldn't, I couldn't eat, slept in the same clothes for days. It was the most horrible time in my life. The rest of Conrad's family was in disbelief. I was like, are you sure? Like, what are you talking about? I just saw him. It just felt like all the blood just drained right out of your body to hear that kind of news.

Scott Gordon of the Fairhaven Police Department was assigned to the case. His first impression was suicide. by carbon monoxide. It was apparent that he placed a water pump in the rear of his truck, and eventually he passed away as a result of the carbon monoxide from that. To those who knew Conrad best, it didn't make sense. Had they missed something? Conrad had been getting help, taking medication,

and seemed hopeful about his future. His grandmother remembered him using that very pump to help out his dad just days before. I can still see that smile on his face, the little smirky smile that he always had. And his father recalled the two of them working on a job together a week earlier, setting up fireworks on a barge. We were, like, laughing, we were watching fireworks. They seemed fine.

And when I left, the last thing I said to him was, I love you, and he said, I love you back. So his family wondered, what pushed him over the edge? As they struggled with their grief, they got comfort from a surprising source. Michelle Carter, she reached out to Lynn through text message. messages, consoling her, saying Conrad loved her very much. Did you feel like you were getting support or just a connection to Conrad somehow?

And I told her I loved her. She told me so many great things about myself that he had said. I don't know. She's just there for me when I needed her. Conrad's aunts also remember getting messages from Michelle. She sent messages of condolences and that she never tried so hard in her life to save someone and that she wishes that she could have saved him. And at the wake, she came through and introduced herself.

I was a little shocked, though, when she said, I'm Conrad's girlfriend. I was like, I had no idea. Never heard of her name. Among Conrad's things were goodbye letters he'd written to different people, like this one, to Michelle. It was very positive. Keep doing what you're doing, Michelle. Keep moving on and doing great things. After reading this letter, you must have thought, oh, Conrad and Michelle really had a special friendship.

that he wrote her this letter. I was very happy that she was in his life. I thanked her for being there for him. Just weeks after Conrad died, Michelle contacted his family saying she wanted to raise awareness for suicide prevention by organizing a baseball tournament.

Homers for Conrad. I was thinking, wow, this is really impressive. Here's a teenager, a high school senior, and she's only a month later starting to plan this large fundraiser. Conrad's whole family, showed up. His aunt Chrissy was impressed with Michelle, then just 17. I went up to her parents at that fundraiser and I said, you must be so proud of your daughter. She's quite an amazing girl.

Unbeknownst to the family, back in Fairhaven, Detective Gordon was digging around for answers, hoping to discover why Conrad might have taken his own life. I just found it odd than an 18-year-old would do it in that manner. The detective figured there were clues on Conrad's cell phone, which was found in his truck. And sure enough, when he powered it up, he discovered a string of text messages left on the phone from just one person. And that was a threat of Michelle Carter.

He had deleted all other text conversations with other people? Correct. And when the detective started reading the texts, he couldn't believe what he was seeing. It was one of those things where you keep reading and it just keeps getting worse. And that's what's kind of put everything in motion. Coming up,

The text messages no one could fathom. I had to read them a couple of times to really sort of take it all in. Who had been texting what to Conrad? And I closed my eyes and I said, this is not real. When Dateline continues. Two days after Conrad Roy's death, Detective Scott Gordon of the Fairhaven Police Department had found a clue. And it was a bombshell.

A string of text messages from Michelle Carter on Conrad's phone. What are you seeing? It was just a series of messages that seem to be encouraging him to take his own life. Encouraging him to take his own life? To the detective, it was unimaginable. He learned Michelle and Conrad had been texting, like teenagers do, for almost two years. But a few weeks before his death, something changed. It seemed Michelle started a campaign to get Conrad to die by suicide.

She even gave him suggestions on how to do it. hang yourself, jump off a building, stab yourself. I don't know, there's a lot of ways. Gordon's partner at the time, Detective Glenn Cutmore also worked the case. I remember when he was looking at it, it was something to the effect of, I can't believe what I'm reading. What kinds of things was she saying? Things like you promised me, when are you going to do it?

Why haven't you done it yet? You disappointed me. Yeah, I'll take care of your family. The detectives poured over thousands of text messages, and the more they read, the more disturbed. they became. Like this exchange, in the early morning hours, before Conrad died. You can't think about it. You just have to do it. You said you were going to do it. Like, I don't get why you aren't. Conrad responded, I don't get it either. I don't know. Carter typed back. So I guess you

aren't going to do it then. All that for nothing. I'm just confused. Like you were so ready and determined. Conrad wrote back, I am going to eventually. I really don't know what I'm waiting for. but I have everything lined up. And this one, on the morning of his death. Okay, I'm gonna do it today. Do you promise? I promise, babe, I have to now. Like right now, where do I go?

And you can't break a promise, and just go in a quiet parking lot or something. Have you ever seen anything like that in your career as a detective? No. It was clear to the detectives that Conrad had died by his own hand, but was what Michelle did.

did actually a crime? Detective Gordon contacted assistant DA Mary Claire Flynn. He said, I want to send you these text messages. If you could please just take a look at them. And I said, sure, I will. And it was just utterly shocking. She checked with Katie Rayburn, her colleague at the time, and they agreed those text messages warranted further investigation. I couldn't believe what was in them. I had to read them a couple of times to really sort of take it all in. Clearly it's black and white for you that you know this is wrong. But is it black and white?

We're going to go forward with this. This is a crime. I mean, I would imagine for you it's complicated. Yes, and with all investigations, it's our duty and our responsibility to follow the evidence where it takes us. And so the evidence was taking us to Michelle Carter. So the Commonwealth's office told detectives to keep digging and find out more about Michelle Carter. First reaction when you see her picture. She's young.

She's just a kid. And the words that she was saying and they're taking. text messages, it just didn't seem feasible. During the investigation, Detective Cudmore went undercover. At that fundraiser, Homer's for Conrad, he secretly took photos of Michelle's every move. To confirm, she was the one who sent those texts. He went one step further. He videotaped Michelle as he dialed the number he got from Conrad's phone.

You're watching her? Yes. Answering the phone? Yes. That's a good sign. Yes. And we had the right person. Did you just hang up?

Let it stay on for a few seconds, muted. And then she finally just hung up the phone. And I remember calling Scott and saying, are we sure we have the right girl? She just seemed so normal. A few months later, as the investigation continued, Detective Gordon decided to pay Michelle Carter a visit. He found her after school and approached her.

Michelle, the reason why we came out here is because we were looking into Conrad's unfortunate passing. And she has no idea. she's been watched. She has no idea. Does she look surprised? A little bit, but, you know, at that point, I don't think she understood really what we had and where we were going with it.

At first, Michelle told the detective. She tried to talk Conrad out of suicide. How did you help them to try and see that suicide wasn't the right thing? Well, I told him. A lot of things I told him that I loved him. Yeah. I told him that a lot of people loved him.

And without him, nothing would be the same. Like, I had personal issues that I got help for, and I told him that he should come with me and get the help that he needed. But he refused. He said that no one would be able to help him, and it would make him worse if he got help. Then the detective asked her about having contact with Conrad

on the day he died. Do you think you had contact with him that day? Um, I think so. Yeah. The detective knew that was a lie. We have a search warrant via phone. Okay, so we'll be taken it. When we took her phone, I think she started to understand a little bit

that we were looking a little more further into it than she expected. He followed her home and says Michelle's parents were very cooperative. And they provided us with everything we needed. and that day we left with her cell phone and her laptop. Michelle has to know what's going on, but her parents, are they totally in the dark? Yeah, I believe so, absolutely. After going through all the evidence,

including Michelle's phone and computer, prosecutors were convinced Michelle was criminally responsible for Conrad's death. Words can harm, and you don't have the ability to just say your words aren't criminal because they're protected by free speech. And there's precedent for people that, have encouraged others to commit suicide to be charged with involuntary manslaughter.

What is the law here in this state? And how did it guide you? Well, the charge of involuntary manslaughter, it involves wanted and reckless conduct, that she could have caused someone's death and did cause someone's death. In other words, the prosecution believed Michelle should have known that encouraging Conrad to take his own life could result in him dying. Prosecutors now had the difficult task of telling Conrad's family what they had uncovered. It was just unbelievable. I just kept thinking, she's holding his head underwater.

You could tell that he did not want to die. Her message has overpowered him. I closed my eyes and I said, this is not real. How could someone have an involvement in someone's death? I only encouraged it. Did you just feel like you'd been duped? She's been consoling you this whole time. I'm a very forgiven person, and the only thing I can say about the ways that she was with me

is that she's just really, really not well. The grand jury indicted Michelle for involuntary manslaughter. She pleaded not guilty. That's when the world heard the story for the first time, and the debate began. Was Conrad's death, a suicide or a homicide? Coming up, a jaw-dropping theory about motive. Why would she do this? She wanted the attention.

And at trial, Michelle makes a stunning decision. Are you doing that only involuntarily? Yes. Is it a choice she'll regret when Dateline continues? Michelle Carter was facing involuntary manslaughter charges for doing something teenagers do all the time, texting and calling each time. other and the world was watching. Prosecutors, Mary Claire Flynn and Katie Rayburn understood

why. This affects everybody, adults, teenagers, even parents with kids who don't even have phones yet. Absolutely. I think it's good to be thinking about what you're putting out there in the world because once you send it, you can't take it back. Turn the gears. Prosecutors believed Michelle's words and actions caused a vulnerable Conrad to take his own life. He described, his fragile state in that video diary. Racing thoughts. Suhidal thoughts and flashbacks of hard times. And prosecutors learned Michelle did more than send text messages to Conrad.

As deadly carbon monoxide filled the cab of his truck, Michelle was talking to him on the phone. There were two phone calls after the last text message. One from him to her, 41 minutes and then one from her to him for over 42 minutes. But how would they ever know what was said on those calls? Detectives poured over thousands of text messages

and they got their answer. Below and behold, on her phone, there was text messages to her friends describing what that phone conversation was like. The detective says a message Michelle sent her friend, Samantha Bordman, explained it all. Sam, his death is my fault. Like honestly, 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 a-h-tled him to get back in. And as much as we were in shock about her language prior to that, once we read that, that was really disturbing. Prosecutor Flynn says another text message to that friend. Made it clear Michelle knew what she'd done was wrong. She said, Sam, I just found out from his mother that detectives have some of his things and are going. through them to see if anybody texted him or encouraged him. They read my text messages with him and I'm done. His family will hate me and I could go to jail. And that's what was at stake on June 5th,

2017, almost three years after Conrad Roy's death. At the Bristol County Courthouse in Taunton, Massachusetts, Michelle Carter went on trial. The drama began almost immediately. Instead of having the case go before a jury, Michelle, at the last minute, chose to let a judge decide her fate. How are you doing that of your own free will, knowingly and voluntary? Yes. All right. In her opening statement, Flynn drew a straight line from Michelle Carter's badgering and bullying

to Conrad's death in the truck that night. She assisted and devised and advised and planned his suicide. She reasoned him out of his reservations. She told him that once he was dead, he would be free and happy. He kept saying that to her. I don't want to do this. It would hurt my family. And she kept saying, don't worry about them.

All the fears that he brought up, she had a reason to go around them and convince him that those things weren't real. There are people who are going to say, everyone's responsible for themselves. You know, he made that decision to do that. I think personal responsibility is something that's very important. That being said, it was clear from the text messages,

especially her text message to Sam Borman, where she said she told him to get back in the car. He didn't want to do it. it. The Commonwealth put Sam Boardman on the stand to read that incriminating message. And another one in which Michelle described listening to Conrad Die. Sam, he just called me and there was a loud noise like a motor and I heard moaning like someone was in pain and he wouldn't answer when I said his name. I stayed on the phone for like 20 minutes and that's all I heard. I think he just killed himself.

But as the trial continued, there was a nagging question. Why would she do this? She wanted the attention. When her friends were not hanging out with her or not spending time with her, she would say things and do things to try to get their attention. She wanted them to be friends with her. It was a shocking theory. Prosecutors were basically saying Michelle convinced Conrad to take his own life

so she could be popular. They believed her plan was to get attention by being the grieving girlfriend. They pointed out a text exchange she had with Conrad shortly before he did. died. She says, am I your girlfriend? And he talks about something else. She goes, no, am I your girlfriend? I need to know, sort of like to tell people. So I think she wanted confirmation of the label before he died. A day before his death, prosecutors say Michelle tested out her plan of being the grieving girlfriend. She texted Sam Bordman. I'm losing hope. I think he really did it, even though she knew Conrad was alive. Three minutes later, she texted Conrad. The generator will work 100%.

and quick. I don't get why you just don't use that. She's telling her friends that he's missing. He might have committed suicide. When she knows exactly where she is, she's talking to him. And then she made sure to instruct him before he did die that he should write her a suicide letter and that his last tweet should be to her because she wanted to get a shout out from him. Yes. The Commonwealth also claimed Michelle tried to cover her tracks by sending Conrad text messages after she knew he was dead.

Like this one, the day after his suicide. Did you do something? Conrad, I love you so much. Please tell me this is a joke. And she continued sending texts to his phone for months, nearly 80 of them. The prosecution argued she deliberately sent the texts as a way to change her story.

At the time, I went along with it because I knew you weren't going to do anything. But you did it, and I'm so sorry I didn't save you. It was agonizing for you. were Conrad's family to sit in the courtroom and hear these new details. It was pretty shocking. A lot of times it doesn't seem real. Do you believe in your heart that it was criminal, which she did? I do. For someone that's in that fragile state, and then you persuade him in the worst

way possible, yeah, definitely is criminal. Lynn says her son's own words, a month before he died, show he wanted to live. I want to recover from this, and I feel like I haven't recovered from it yet. I do have a lot going for me. I just got a job from the Boston Duck Torres to captain their boat. Like, that's a huge accomplishment. But there was another side to the story, Michelle's, and her lawyer was certain the law was on her side. It's a tragedy. It's horrible, but it's just not criminal.

Coming up, go to McLean hospital. They will help you. Michelle Carter was trying to talk him out of it. A very different take on Michelle. Michelle for a year and a half tried to persuade him not to commit suicide. When Dateline continues. It wasn't easy for Ed McFarland to sit in the courtroom and hear Michelle Carter described as a monster. To him, Michelle was anything but. Who's the Michelle you knew? She was a quiet kid, helpful, very first. friendly, got along with everybody, and everybody seemed to get along with her. In a senior class, or Sir Perlative, was the kid most likely to brighten your day. Ed was her softball coach. He'd known the Carter family for years.

Were these the kind of parents that came to every game? Yeah, they would always be somebody at the game. If you needed somebody to do something, didn't have to ask them twice if you needed help with anything. He's been supportive of Michelle and her family, and was outraged she was ever charged. It's a travesty. She wasn't there. We've gone down a slippery slope here. If somebody being on the phone talking about committing suicide can be held to involuntary manslaughter. Joe Cattaldo, Michelle's attorney, agrees it's a slippery slope.

He thinks the Commonwealth made a mistake. This is an overreach of the prosecution. And from day one until this day, I said, yeah, I don't think a crime was committed. Massachusetts has no law against encouraging suicide. Right. And so it's troubling that they would. bring a manslaughter. That was the basis of his whole argument. Prosecutors misinterpreting Massachusetts law. To him, this was clearly a suicide. That's why he wanted a judge, not a jury,

to hear the case. I thought the judge would apply the correct law on the facts. The Conrad Roy was just so suicidal that Michelle Carter did not cause his death. And that's how he began his opening statement. Michelle Carter was not present. Michelle Carter was not present. Michelle Carter had been texting with him. She did not physically see this individual for over one year. And to bolster his case, Michelle's lawyer introduced a set of text messages that the prosecution had not mentioned, ones where she tried repeatedly to help Conrad. Have you thought about getting professional help?

Like, I think I'm going to go away to a place for my eating disorder to help me overcome it and stuff. Where are you going? It's called McLean Hospital in Belmont Mass. I honestly think it would be so good for you, and we would get through our issues together. Michelle Carter was trying to talk him out of it. Go to McLean Hospital. They will help you.

She had nothing but resistance from Conrad Roy. One of the main points of your argument was that Conrad Roy had tried this before. He had researched various ways to take his own life, that this was not something that was just created by Michelle Carter. Right. Michelle for a year and a half always tried to persuade him not to commit suicide. He always rejected her thoughts of staying alive. It wasn't until literally the last two weeks of his life where Michelle finally endorsed his plan. I think that's where people have the biggest problem with this case is why?

Why would she encourage him? And she's supposed to be his friend. Well, she came to the realization that he didn't want to live anymore, that he would only hate her, his words, I will only hate you if you tell somebody about my plan. While the prosecution presented Michelle Carter as an attention seeker, the defense portrayed her as a victim who was taking antidepressants for her own mental health issues and was in no shape to help a suicidal friend. The facts will show that Michelle Carter is going through her own struggles. She was bombarded by his suicidal thinking, so you take that and then you mix

and her own issues that she was struggling with, eating disorder, and then eventually being diagnosed with a major depressive disorder herself. The defense called an expert witness, psychiatrist Dr. Peter Breggen, to the stand. He testified the antidepressants that Michelle was taking impaired her judgment. She was enmeshed in a delusional system. I'm sorry, she was what? Emashed in a really a delusion where she's thinking that it's a good thing to help him die Reagan also testified that he believed Conrad was in control of the relationship

and that he used the vulnerable and depressed Michelle to help him die by suicide. He was constantly telling Michelle and not telling his other friends, will you help me? The biggest hurdle for the defense, it seemed, was Michelle's admission of guilt to her friend Sam. If you actually read the entire statement that she texted, she said, it's my fault. I told him to get back in. But then it continues to say, but I didn't think he was going to ultimately do it. I wanted him to get help. I feel so badly about this. But on one hand, you're saying she didn't think he was going to get back in. She wanted him to get help. Then on the other hand, though, you're saying that she was kind of had sort of succumb to, okay, I'm going to

help him. He should do it if he wants to do it that badly. Right. So which... She was all over the place. She was both. As for Michelle's alleged motive that she was an intention seeker, Gattaldo says the prosecution got it all wrong. It was a fabricated motive. They wanted to create a motive because they couldn't take the true motive that she was suffering herself and was convinced by Conrad Roy to endorse his plan, because that's what happened.

Does Michelle know how bad she looks to people who don't know this side of the story or who are not seeing it this way? At the age of 17, she didn't understand. and all the ramifications of what was going on. Now, looking back at the circumstances, she's a totally different person. The trial was winding to a close. Each side would get a final word.

And then, the judge's dramatic ruling. Coming up, the judge prepares to deliver his verdict. I expect the quorum today. I thought that was a very good sign. When Dateline continues. After six days of testimony, both sides had their final say. What we're dealing with is a suicide and not a homicide. She could have easily called for help, and she didn't.

It took juvenile court judge, Lawrence Monez, three days to reach his verdict. The PAC courtroom was quiet as he began reading his decision. The Commonwealth has not proven as to that time period that said, reckless or wanton behavior caused the death of Mr. Roy. Michelle looked relieved. The judge declared the prosecution did not prove beyond a reasonable doubt that her texts caused Conrad's death. So I thought that was a very good sign.

But the judge wasn't finished. While he acknowledged Conrad had taken steps to end his life by placing the water pump in his truck, he said there was that one moment when Conrad changed his mind. However, he breaks that chain of self-causation by exiting the vehicle. He takes himself out of the toxic environment that it has become. It was then, he believed, Michelle became a party to his death. What's more, the judge said, she had a duty to save him. She called no one.

And finally, she did not issue a simple additional instruction. Get out of the truck. Ms. Cotta, please stand. A tearful Michelle stood before the judge to hear her fate. Having reviewed the evidence and applied the law there too, now finds you guilty on the indictment charging you with the involuntary manslaughter of Conrad Roy III. How did it feel hearing that word guilty after everything you've been through?

I was surprised, Ashley. There needs to be an example set. You just can't allow that behavior to continue. We were happy, but... But then going home that night, driving home, it was like, okay. Didn't bring the piece I really was hoping for. There were no winners, just heartbreak for two families. I felt it was a tragedy now that's been compounded.

Nothing's going to help anything out of this. There's no healing going to happen. Almost seven weeks later, Michelle arrived back at the courthouse to a media circus to hear her sentence. She faced a maximum. of 20 years in prison. You made your recommendation? Yes. Seven to 12 years.

The defense asked for probation. Ms. Carter does regret what happened. She also sent a letter where she accepts responsibility for her actions. Then the judge sentenced her. Court now sentences you to two and a half years in the Bristol County House of Correction. 15 months of said sentence shall be deemed a committed sentence. 15 months behind bars. But before Michelle could be led away in handcuffs,

her lawyer requested she be allowed to remain free pending an appeal. The judge agreed. I continue to be encouraged that this will be a successful appeal. Your eyes are watering. Is that because you're emotional about this? I'm passionate about it. I'm passionate about it. I don't like when courts make new law and apply it to a 17-11.

year old girl who has psychiatric issues herself. So this one hurt? No, it hurt. In October 2018, Michelle Carter's appeal went before the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court. Four months later, the court upheld her conviction, saying the evidence against the defendant proved that by her wanton or reckless conduct, she caused the victim's death by suicide.

Michelle began serving her sentence in February 2019. and after just under a year behind bars, in January, 2020, she was granted early release with credit earned for good behavior. I feel worse for her mother than I do for myself. That's a powerful statement. Well, I... Your son died. I know, but I had the son that I did,

and I couldn't be more proud of the young man that he was, kind, selfless, and compassionate. Everything. Conrad's mom says this is a hard story to tell, but she hopes sharing it will help others. There are children in this world just like Conrad, and I can't even imagine anything like this happening again. That's all for now. I'm Lester Holt. Thanks for joining us.