Latest episode of '20/20' will feature controversial case of the girl found guilty in her boyfriend's suicide
Michelle Carter was sentenced to 2-and-a-half years behind bars after she was found guilty of involuntary manslaughter for egging on Conrad Roy, her boyfriend, to take his own life.
The one hour feature, titled '20/20', takes an in-depth look into the case and the series of events that led up to Roy's death.
Deborah Roberts, a correspondent who followed the case in detail, was in the city of Taunton, Massachusetts, as Carter was being given her sentence.
The report in the documentary also features text messages that Carter and Roy had exchanged with each other, recordings of Carter telling the cops about the incident and interviews with everyone who was involved in the case and those who knew both Carter and Roy.
'20/20' is set to air on May 12, 10 pm ET on ABC.
The documentary revolves around 18-year-old Roy and 17-year-old Carter who got into a serious online relationship with each other for two years. The two of them spoke about their deepest secrets with each other and this also includes their deepest secret of all: depression.
Initially, Roy had told Carter constantly that he wanted to kill himself and many text messages from that time showed that Carter had tried to stop him and get help instead.
Then, on July 12, 2014, Roy told his mother that he was going out to meet a friend but instead he drove to a parking lot and committed suicide. The police concluded that the case was that of suicide until they unlocked Roy's phone and found the shocking messages that led up to the moment he took his own life.
The messages showed that Carter had stopped trying to help her boyfriend and had instead started telling him that he should go ahead and kill himself.
Carter was indicted for the crime in February 2015 and she was convicted in June 2017. She has tried appealing her conviction. Many have looked at the charge and verdict as a controversial topic because the question then arises: can a person who is miles away be responsible for the suicide of another only through words?
"20/20" is currently anchored by Elizabeth Vargas and David Muir. The senior executive for the show is David Sloan.