Michelle Carter Waives Right to Jury, Judge to Decide Trial Outcome
TAUNTON, Mass. (AP) - The Massachusetts woman charged with manslaughter for sending her boyfriend text messages encouraging him to kill himself has waived her right to a jury trial.
Michelle Carter's decision Monday as a judge was explaining her rights means the judge will hear the testimony and issue the verdict.
The 20-year-old Carter is charged in the 2014 death of 18-year-old Conrad Roy III. Roy was found dead of carbon monoxide poisoning in his pickup truck in Fairhaven.
Prosecutors released transcripts of text messages the then-17-year-old Carter sent to Roy. In one, she allegedly wrote: "The time is right and you're ready, you just need to do it!"
Carter's lawyer has argued that the texts are protected free speech. He's also said Roy was depressed and previously tried to take his own life.