MA v. Michelle Carter

There was no weapon. No physical confrontation. No one in the room. And yet… a conviction. When Conrad Roy III died by suicide, the case initially appeared to be a personal tragedy. But as investigators uncovered a series of text messages between Roy and Michelle Carter, the focus began to shift—from what happened… to what was said. In those messages, prosecutors argued, there was more than support. There was encouragement. Direction. And at a critical moment, a statement that would become central to the case: telling him to get back in. In this episode of Degrees of Guilt, we examine a case that challenges the boundaries of criminal responsibility—where communication, influence, and omission collide, raising a difficult question about where accountability begins… and where it ends. Because if words can shape actions… can they also carry the weight of guilt?