PLAINFIELD, MASS. (WHDH) - A new series based on Michelle Carter’s notorious texting-suicide case premieres Tuesday.
“The Girl from Plainville,” which is available exclusively on Hulu, explores Carter’s relationship with Conrad Roy III and the events leading up to his death, as well as her conviction of involuntary manslaughter.
Carter, who authorities said sent her Roy a barrage of text messages urging him to kill himself when they were both teenagers, was convicted in June 2017.
Roy intentionally filled his truck with carbon monoxide in a Fairhaven store parking lot in July 2014.“Get back in,” Carter told Roy, according to a friend who testified that Carter described the conversation in a text message to her about a month after Roy died.
A judge said Carter’s words constituted “wanton and reckless conduct” and that she had a duty to call someone for help when she knew Roy was attempting suicide.
Carter was released from prison in January 2020 after more than three months was shaved from her sentence for good behavior. A judge had initially sentenced her to 15 months in jail.
Actress Elle Fanning plays Carter in the new show and Colton Ryan plays a role portraying Roy.
Conrad’s aunt, Becki Maki, watched several of the episodes and said seeing what her family went through rehashed by actors makes matters even worse.
“There’s a lot of teenagers that struggle, and have suicidal thoughts and in the last couple years of COVID, the suicide rates are rising and I don’t think a story like this is helping,” she said.
Conrad’s family has pushed for a law in his name that would criminally punish anyone who pressures others to die by suicide.
“We were very nervous about the Hulu series. Again, we have no idea how anyone is going to be portrayed but at the same time, the timing is impeccable,” said Roland St. Denis, who is married to Conrad’s mother. “There’s an opportunity here for us to kind of resurrect the conversation. It’s fallen by the wayside.”
Carter’s attorney said she and her family will talk at some point in the future.
(Copyright (c) 2026 Sunbeam Television. The Associated Press contributed to this report. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)