Conrad Roy III’s mother, Lynn Roy, is breaking her silence in her first-ever interview with CBS’ 48 Hours. She spoke out after her late son’s girlfriend, Michelle Carter, was sentenced on Friday, June 16, for involuntary manslaughter after being found guilty of encouraging him via text and phone calls to take his own life. In a special airing on Friday, June 16, Lynn says that Carter doesn’t have a conscience.
“It was a shock. It was an absolute shock,” Lynn told correspondent Erin Moriarty about her son’s death. “Losing a child, I will live with this forever — the pain. … I don’t believe she has a conscience. I think she needs to be held responsible for her actions ’cause she knew exactly what she was doing and what she said.”
As previously reported, Carter was found guilty of involuntary manslaughter for urging Conrad to commit suicide in 2014 via texts. The 20-year-old, who was sentenced by Massachusetts’ Bristol County Juvenile Court Judge Lawrence Moniz, could face up to 20 years in prison.
Carter was 17 at the time she sent messages encouraging Conrad, 18, to commit suicide after he said he was having second thoughts about taking his life. Conrad then poisoned himself by inhaling carbon monoxide in his pickup truck.
“You’re finally going to be happy in heaven. No more pain. It’s OK to be scared and it’s normal. I mean, you’re about to die,” Carter wrote in one text, after she had previously encouraged the teen to seek professional help.
Click here for all the details from Friday’s hearing.
If you or someone you know is struggling with suicidal thoughts, call the National Suicide Prevention Hotline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255) to talk to a trained counselor in your area.
