HBOHBO have released the trailer for a new documentary based on the ‘Texting Suicide Case’ which saw a teen commit suicide after supposedly being encouraged through texts from his girlfriend.
The two-part series, titled I Love You, Now Die: The Commonwealth v. Michelle Carter, examines Michelle Carter’s relationship with Conrad Roy, who killed himself in 2014 when he was 18 years old.
In the trailer, viewers are shown snippets of conversations which took place between the pair as well as footage from the trial.
Watch it here:
Carter was charged with involuntary manslaughter in the suicide of Roy in July 2017 and found guilty in August 2017. She appealed but was ordered to begin serving her jail sentence earlier this year.
The judge who convicted Carter and the appeals court found she caused Roy’s death when she instructed him to get back in his truck, which was filling with toxic gas in Fairhaven, Massachusetts.
HBO explain how director Erin Lee Carr raises questions about technology and mental health through the documentary, as well as whether one person can be held responsible for the suicide of another.
HBOI Love You, Now Die chronicles Carter and Roy’s relationship by looking at some of the thousands of texts they exchanged over two years.
The two teens reportedly fell in love in 2012, though they lived hours apart and met in person no more than five times.
At first Roy’s death appeared as suicide by carbon-monoxide intoxication but it became much more complicated when the text messages were found from Carter, who was 17 at the time, urging Roy to go through with it even after he had second thoughts and removed himself from the car.
HBOThe case gripped the nation and in the documentary Carr offers a deeper insight into the tragic events with unprecedented access to the families, friends and communities which were forever changed.
Those featured include Roy’s immediate family, Michelle Carter’s defence attorney Joseph Cataldo and expert witness Dr. Peter Breggin, as well as police detectives and journalists who covered the case extensively.
HBOHBO explain:
The film presents a well-rounded look at a bizarre tale that was a deadly convergence of mental illness, loneliness, pop culture and technology.
There is no confirmed release date for the documentary yet, though HBO say it will premiere this summer.
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Emily Brown first began delivering important news stories aged just 13, when she launched her career with a paper round. She graduated with a BA Hons in English Language in the Media from Lancaster University, and went on to become a freelance writer and blogger. Emily contributed to The Sunday Times Travel Magazine and Student Problems before becoming a journalist at UNILAD, where she works on breaking news as well as longer form features.