Judge Lawrence Moniz has reached a verdict in the case of Michelle Carter, who is charged with involuntary manslaughter for the death of her boyfriend, Conrad Roy. Roy, 18, committed suicide in 2014, and prosecutors allege that Carter, 17 at the time, pushed him to do it. Judge Moniz announced on Thursday that he made his decision, and will announce it in court Friday morning at 11:00 am ET. Watch the verdict live in the player above when court begins.
During the trial, prosecutors used text messages between Carter and Roy to argue while Roy was troubled and had contemplated suicide, Carter encouraged the idea, even bullying Roy for failing to go through with it. Carter’s defense claimed that Carter herself was troubled, and was impaired by antidepressants which gave her suicidal thoughts of her own. Defense attorney Joseph Cataldo suggested that Roy and Carter had made a suicide pact, likening it Romeo and Juliet. Cataldo argued that even if Carter did encourage Roy to kill himself, it was out of a misguided belief that she was helping him.
If convicted, Carter could face up to 20 years in prison.