TAUNTON, Mass. (WHDH/AP) – An attorney for the woman charged with involuntary manslaughter for allegedly convincing her boyfriend to kill himself through a series of text messages asked a judge to find his client not guilty, but that request was denied Friday.

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Because the judge rejected the request, the defense is expected to start calling witnesses.

The attorney for Michelle Carter, charged in the July 2014 suicide of Conrad Roy III, told a judge Friday there is insufficient evidence to show that his client caused Roy’s death.

The prosecution, which rested Thursday, countered that Carter caused Roy’s death through text messages in which she urged him to get back in his vehicle as it filled with carbon monoxide.

Carter, now 20, was 17 when the 18-year-old Roy died.

(Copyright (c) 2024 Sunbeam Television. The Associated Press contributed to this report. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)

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