Conrad Roy III's Mother Sympathizes With Michelle Carter's Family, Wants Law Against Encouraging Suicide
Conrad Roy III's mother, Lynn Roy, wants Massachusetts to specifically outline laws to avoid abetment to suicide. Roy's girlfriend Michelle Carter was convicted Friday after she was found guilty of involuntary manslaughter in the 2014 suicide of her boyfriend.
Conrad committed suicide in the summer of 2014 by inhaled carbon monoxide from a truck’s exhaust system to poison himself. His girlfriend, Carter was accused of instigating her boyfriend to kill himself. She told him through text messages to use a generator and carbon monoxide during the suicide attempt. Carter, who faces up to 20 years in prison, is to be sentenced in August and is currently on bail.
Read: How Michelle Carter Reacted To Her Conviction In Conrad Roy III's Suicide
"I would give up everything - I would be homeless, sleep in my car for the rest of my life, if I could just get him back," Lynn Roy told Daily Mail on Wednesday. "I want a law in place that prevents this happening to any other mother and child. The ultimate goal is to have a law passed. It's not going to bring my son back but I would be honored if it would help other children."
When asked about Carter's conviction and upcoming sentencing, Lynn sympathized with the 20-year-old's family saying she understands what they might be going through.
"I don't want to say any more about her beyond that she [Carter] doesn't have a conscience," Lynn said. "I loved Co [Conrad] so much and we were so close but he hid it from me, I think to protect me. I don't want another child to go through that. I know many, many others feel the way he did. He was vulnerable and confused."
Lynn declined from commenting about Carter's scheduled sentencing, saying: "I don't want to talk about the outcome. I don't wish pain, I feel bad for her family too."
"I'm 44 and it hurts me to hear what people say about my son as I'm sure it hurts her family to hear what they say about her," Lynn said. "I want to handle this with as much grace as I can because that's what my son would want."
During the trial, prosecutors showed hundreds of text messages between Roy and Carter in which the latter urged him to commit suicide. In some conversations before his death, Carter also expressed her frustration when Roy wanted to back out from attempting suicide.
On Monday, Carter expressed her disappointment over the judge's verdict, and the Massachusetts woman's lawyer told People magazine his client “will be weighing our various options moving forward” and are focused on Carter’s sentencing on Aug. 3.
Attorney Joseph Cataldo, who tried unsuccessfully to convince the judge to dismiss charges against her, argued during the trial that Roy would have killed himself with or without Carter's help.
Read: How Conrad Roy's Family And Friends Reacted To Michelle Carter's Conviction
“She knew exactly what she was doing and what she said,” Lynn, said during an episode of “48 Hours” Friday after Carter's conviction. “The fact that she would say to him, ‘Your family will get over you.’ How is that even — I will never get over him.”
Mike Harkins, a friend of Conrad from high school, also spoke out about the verdict.
“I think it was a good decision — the right decision,” Harkins told People Friday. “At the end of the day, she has to live with what happened for the rest of her life. I am happy she was found guilty, because you can’t do stuff like that and expect to get away with it.”
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