Prosecutors say teen accused of urging boyfriend's suicide has history of lying
After calling just one witness, the defence team for Michelle Carter rested on Tuesday (local time), clearing the way for closing arguments in her involuntary manslaughter trial to begin in the afternoon.
The judge will hear those arguments and return a verdict in the bench trial in which Carter, 20, stands accused of urging her 18-year-old boyfriend Conrad Roy III to kill himself in 2014, when she was 17. If convicted, Carter, who pleaded not guilty, could be sentenced to 20 years in prison.
On Tuesday morning, the prosecution tried poking holes in the testimony offered Monday by the sole defence witness, Dr Peter Breggin, who spoke about the effects of Celexa, a medication that treats depression and anxiety, which Carter was prescribed not long before Roy’s suicide.
Breggin said the drug may have impeded Carter’s abilities to empathize with others and make sound decisions, and that she likely “was having a psychotic delusion” as a result of the medication, reports the Boston Globe.
According to the Globe, the prosecution on Tuesday alleged that Carter has a history of lying to adults after Breggin acknowledged he had used the defendant’s own text and Facebook messages in his analysis of her mental state.
On Tuesday, the prosecutor cited several text messages Carter allegedly sent to friends in which she expresses her fears about being prosecuted and going to prison over Roy’s suicide, the Globe reports.
The prosecution also said Carter sent a text to a friend claiming Roy had gone missing, but then, seconds later, texted Roy himself, the paper reports.
Roy was found dead in his truck on July 13, 2014, from carbon monoxide poisoning.
Defence attorneys for Carter have argued Roy was going to commit suicide with or without her input, and that Carter was not the decisive influence.
*LINKED ARTICLES: *
'You need to do it': Girlfriend played 'sick game' in boyfriend's suicide
Trial starts for woman accused of 'pushing boyfriend to suicide'
Prosecutors have cited more than 1,000 texts Carter and Roy in the week prior to his death, along with accounts she relayed to others, to allege that she knew he wanted to kill himself and pushed him to do so.
The prosecution alleges that Carter urged Roy to suicide to draw attention to herself.
Prosecutors allege Carter acted recklessly when she pressured Roy into suicide. Carter had told her peers via text message that she had listened over her cellphone as Roy died.
Readers seeking support and information about suicide prevention can contact LifeLine on 13 11 14. Suicide Call Back Service 1300 659 467.
