A Massachusetts teen, Michelle Carter, was charged with involuntary manslaughter after police say she encouraged her friend Conrad Roy III to commit suicide. Following Conrad’s death, Carter became the center of attention as she sponsored charity events in the dead teen’s honor. However, police say that Carter is partially responsible for Conrad’s death as she spoke with him via over 1,000 text messages prior to his death, encouraging him to commit the deadly act. In fact, Conrad would exit his truck, which was filling with carbon monoxide, and text the girl only to be told to “get back in.” Friends say that Carter was known as the “girl who cried wolf,” was attention-seeking, and that it was hard to tell when she was being “totally truthful.”

The Daily Mail reports that friends who knew Michelle Carter painted a picture of a girl that required a lot of attention and was frequently caught in lies. However, her family knew her as a girl who was just trying to help a friend and is “not the villain.” Carter has claimed that she dated Conrad off-and-on for about two years. However, Conrad’s best friend says he had never heard of Michelle prior to the suicide. He says that once the teen committed suicide, Michelle became highly involved in charity works and became annoyed if she was not listed as an organizer on event pages.

Police note that Roy’s best friend thought Michelle seemed “attention seeking” and was trying to “take credit” for all the charity events ideas that he had come up with. However, instead of arguing he simply made her an event organizer where she proceeded to take over.

“I asked him if he had a lot to do with the fundraiser, and he said not too much but he did try and get her to move it back to Mattapoisett where all of Conrad’s family and friends were but Michelle wanted to keep it in Plainville. He further explained that (Carter) was getting so involved in it, and he was just curious about how she knew Conrad, and Michelle said that they had been dating on and off for two years and (he) said at that point that he had never heard of her, so he didn’t know exactly if that was true or not.”

Michelle’s family says that she was simply trying to help after the loss of a friend. The family says that Michelle was trying to help her friend through a bout with depression. However, it is unclear how telling the suicidal teen to “get back in [the truck]” during a suicide is being helpful. Friends note that though Michelle is nice she was often caught in lies. The Boston Herald reports that Michelle Carter’s friends noted that “she requires a lot of attention and reassurance” and that she had a history of being the “girl that cried wolf.” It was noted that it was “hard to tell if she was being totally truthful” when she spoke.

This has led police to believe that Michelle Carter strongly influenced Conrad Roy III’s suicide in an attempt to garner more attention for herself in the wake of his death. The suicide would allow her to portray herself as the heartbroken friend and former girlfriend and allow her to gain more attention from organizing fundraisers in his name.

Though police say the text messages clearly show Carter encouraging Roy to commit suicide, Carter’s lawyer says they have no case as it was Roy who ultimately decided to end his own life.

“I can’t understand why they brought the charge. They’re trying to claim there is manslaughter, when they freely admit the boy took his own life. You can’t have it both ways.”

What do you think? Should a person be charged for involuntary manslaughter if they encourage another to commit suicide? What charges, if any, should be brought against Michelle Carter for the death of Conrad Roy III?