She was the girlfriend who never swung a punch, never fired a gun, and yet ended up on trial for killing her boyfriend.
The first film to raise the question: Can one human cause another to commit suicide?
Trailer for “I Love You, Now Die”
You Can’t Make This Sh*t Up
- Despite dating for two years, Carter and Roy only met face-to-face around five times. Their entire relationship played out over thousands of texts and calls.
- Carter didn’t just encourage Roy’s suicide. When he stepped out of the truck, she told him to get back inside, a directive the judge later called “wanton and reckless.”
- After Roy’s death, Carter organized a fundraiser for suicide prevention in his name. This was even as police were uncovering her role in his death.
- She texted a friend that she could have stopped him, but chose not to. Proof that became central to the prosecution’s case.
Watch “I Love You, Now Die”
You can watch “I Love You, Now Die” on Amazon Prime Video or on HBO Max.
You can also find the latest streaming options at JustWatch.
Ratings:
- My Rating: 90/100
- IMDB Rating: 7.4/10
- Rotten Tomatoes Ratings: 82/100 (Users); 88/100 (Critics)
Director’s Note: Erin Lee Carr directs this two-part HBO doc. She’s known for deep dives into crime and justice, including “Mommy Dead and Dearest,” (which my colleague Rob Kelly rates 93/100), Thought Crimes: The Case of the Cannibal Cop,” and Netflix’s “Britney vs Spears.”
Release Date: July 9, 2019 (HBO)
My Review of “I Love You, Now Die”
The Setup
The doc unpacks the disturbing relationship between Michelle Carter and Conrad Roy, two Massachusetts teens who met only about five times in person but exchanged thousands of texts over two years. When Roy killed himself by carbon monoxide poisoning in July 2014, investigators discovered Carter had repeatedly encouraged him to go through with it—including the chilling moment when she told him to “get back in” his truck. Her words led to an involuntary manslaughter conviction, one of the first cases of its kind.
More Highlights from the Doc
- The courtroom drama centers on whether words alone—without physical action—can constitute a crime.
- The defense portrays Carter as a lonely, mentally ill teenager herself, obsessed with pop culture love stories like “Glee.”
- Roy’s struggles with depression and prior suicide attempts are detailed, raising questions about personal responsibility versus outside influence.
- The media frenzy around Carter’s trial highlights how the case blurred lines between teen drama, legal precedent, and moral outrage.
- The judge’s ruling—delivered without a jury—was groundbreaking, cementing the idea that “words can kill.”
Lesser-Known Details from the Doc
- Carter styled herself after Lea Michele’s character from “Glee,” even imitating Rachel Berry’s mannerisms and tragic love arc.
- Texts reveal that Carter hoped Roy’s death would finally make her “the grieving girlfriend” and win her sympathy from friends she desperately wanted approval from.
- The doc points out how Massachusetts had no law explicitly criminalizing “encouragement of suicide,” making this case a legal first in the state.
- Carter’s sentence was 15 months in jail, but she served only 11 months before early release in January 2020.
Wrap Up
This doc is both chilling and tragic. It forces you to ask where the line is between free speech, manipulation, and criminal responsibility—and whether Carter was a villain or a deeply broken teen herself.
Thanks for reading!
Heather Fenty, Guest Writer, Daily Doc