The Girl from Plainville: How Conrad Roy and Michelle Carter's relationship spiraled into tragedy
Michelle Carter has been the subject of two documentaries, namely 'I Love You, Now Die: The Commonwealth V. Michelle Carter' and 'Michelle Carter: Love, Texts & Death.' 'The Girl from Plainville,' Hulu's latest miniseries starring Elle Fanning as Carter, is a dramatization of the events leading to and the aftermath of Conrad Roy's suicide. Roy was 18 when he was talked into taking his life by Carter.
But before we take a look at the timeline, here are their individual histories prior to them getting into a relationship. Conrad Henri Roy III was born in Mattapoisett, Massachusetts on September 12, 1995. He struggled with social anxiety during his schooling but graduated on Honor Roll and was also an all-around athlete who rowed crew, ran track, and played baseball. Michelle Carter was born in Massachusetts on August 11, 1996. She attended the King Philip Regional High School in Wrentham and had developed an eating disorder by the time she was 8 or 9. She was also on prescription psychiatric medication from the age of 14 and was being counseled at the McLean Hospital in Belmont. The two met in Florida in 2012 and though they met only a handful of times after that, Roy and Carter maintained their relationship primarily through text messages and emails.
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Following their first meeting in Naples, Roy had allegedly been physically assaulted by his father and verbally abused by his grandfather. It was after these incidents that he attempted to take his life for the first time. Carter, upon finding out about the attempt, discouraged Roy from taking such grave steps and tried to convince him to get professional help. However, her outlook changed by July 2014, as text messages indicated that she pushed him towards suicide and talked him into taking his life.
Roy, ultimately, did so and was found dead in his truck on July 13, 2014, after having filled it with poisonous carbon monoxide through a hose attached to a generator. Investigations revealed Carter's role in his tragic death and she was eventually convicted of involuntary manslaughter and sentenced to 15 months in prison, which would be followed by 5 years of probation. She was released in 11 months, in January 2020, due to exemplary behavior and has maintained a relatively low profile ever since.
The first three episodes of 'The Girl from Plainville' are available for streaming on Hulu.
If you or someone you know is considering suicide, please contact the National Suicide Hotline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255).
