Trigger warning: This article discusses suicide and emotional abuse.
The new Hulu original series The Girl From Plainville centers around the real-life death of Conrad Roy and one of the most upsetting court cases of recent memory. Michelle Carter and Conrad Roy III were two high schoolers in a long-distance relationship, with the two living in separate Massachusetts towns and conversing mainly through text messages. But their relationship took a dark turn in the summer of 2014 when Roy took his life at Carter’s behest, all of which is documented in a series of now-infamous text messages between the two.
The Girl From Plainville stars and is produced by The Great character actress Elle Fanning, who bears a striking similarity to Michelle Carter. The series details the events that led up to the suicide of Conrad Roy III, as well as the reckoning that followed his death. Although the series certainly takes some liberties with the story in order to fill in the gaps, most of the details in the show thus far have remained true to what is known about Roy’s death and the court case that ensued.
Conrad Roy’s death caught the attention of the nation due to the unusual nature of his text conversations with his girlfriend, Michelle Carter. Roy had lived with depression for some time before his death, attempting to take his own life once prior in 2012. Carter helped to convince Roy not to take his life in 2012, but her tone changed drastically in 2014 when she began counseling him to do precisely the opposite. Michelle Carter explained to Roy why he should end his life and routinely encouraged him to do so in the weeks leading up to his death, chastising him any time he expressed a desire to live and even helping him to design the means of his demise.
How Conrad Roy III Killed Himself
On the evening of July 13th, 2014, 18-year-old Conrad Roy III drove his truck to the Kmart parking lot where he would take his life. He had brought with him the portable gas-powered generator that he and Carter had picked out, which he used to create poisonous fumes within the cab of his truck. Experts testified that Roy struggled to breathe in the vehicle for over 40 minutes, more than twice the time it normally would take to suffer fatal carbon monoxide poisoning, likely due to Roy having second thoughts about taking his life. Michelle Carter confirmed these suspicions in her trial, saying that Roy had gotten out of the truck while on the phone with her, at which point she insisted that he “get back in,” covered in the true-crime show.
On June 16th, 2017, nearly three years after Roy’s death, Michelle Carter was found guilty of involuntary manslaughter and eventually sentenced to 2.5 years in prison. Carter was granted a stay of the sentence until February 6th, 2019 when the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court ruled that she had acted with criminal intent and upheld her conviction, though her sentence was reduced to 15 months followed by five years of probation. She was released on January 23rd, 2020 after serving only 11 months and 12 days, less than half of her original sentence. The Girl From Plainville paints an appropriately vile and deranged picture of Carter and her role in the death of Conrad Roy, revitalizing the public outrage against a malicious criminal who got off too easy.
New episodes of The Girl From Plainville limited series release Tuesdays on Hulu.
