Woman Who Encouraged Boyfriend To Commit Suicide Will Leave Jail Early Even After Her Request For Parole Was Denied

The woman who is serving 15 months in jail for her role in her boyfriend’s suicide will get to leave jail weeks early, even after officials in Massachusetts denied her request for parole this week.

According to CNN, Michelle Carter, 22, has earned “good time” that will move up her release to March 13 from May 5, Bristol County Sheriff’s Office spokesman Jonathan Darling told CNN Friday in a statement. Inmates can earn as many as 10 days back monthly for working at the jail and attending educational and other programs, he said.

Carter’s request for parole was denied this week by the board, citing “Self-Serving Statements and behavior” as the reason for the denial.

“The [board] is troubled that Ms. Carter not only encouraged [Conrad Roy III] to take his own life, she actively prevented others from intervening in his suicide,” the parole board wrote in its decision, which was released on Friday morning. “Ms. Carter’s self-serving statements and behavior, leading up to and after his suicide, appear to be irrational and lacked sincerity.”

Carter’s legal team has been trying to appeal her conviction, claiming it violated both her First Amendment right to free speech and her Fifth Amendment right to due process. Her lawyers are hoping to bring the case to the Supreme Court, where they want her conviction to be reviewed and vacated. 

“Michelle Carter’s conviction for involuntary manslaughter in connection with Conrad Roy III’s suicide is unprecedented,” Carter’s defense wrote in a petition filed over the summer.

Earlier this year, Massachusetts lawmakers proposed a new law called “Conrad’s Law,” which would make what Carter did, encouraging someone to commit or try to commit suicide, punishable by up to five years in jail.