New True Crime Special 'Michelle Carter: Love, Texts & Death' Explores How Texts Can Have Dire Consequences

From the outside, it seemed as though 17-year-old Michelle Carter and 18-year-old Conrad Roy had a modern clandestine romance, mostly communicating online via phone calls and texts while keeping their relationship secret from family and certain friends. But a darker secret was Conrad’s struggle with mental health issues, including depression. He confided in Michelle, and she seemed to be helping him. But Michelle had her own struggles, and no one expected this seemingly innocent relationship to have such a tragic end. What began with Michelle encouraging Conrad to seek help took a disturbing turn, resulting in Conrad’s suicide. When police search for answers, the true relationship between the teens is uncovered, and Michelle Carter finds herself on trial for involuntary manslaughter for the role she may have played in Conrad’s death. MICHELLE CARTER: LOVE, TEXTS & DEATH will be available to stream on discovery+ Tuesday, September 7, and will premiere on ID at 9/8c.

“We're honored that Conrad Roy's family trusted us to tell his story by sharing the raw and emotional video diaries he filmed about his struggles with loneliness and mental illness,” said Jason Sarlanis, President, Crime and Investigative Content, Linear and Streaming. “As the world becomes increasingly more digital it’s more important than ever to shed light on the fact that our words can have grave consequences, even online or by text.”

MICHELLE CARTER: LOVE, TEXTS & DEATH delves into the complicated relationship between Michelle Carter and Conrad Roy using an extensive archive of texts and online activity between the two teenagers, including video diaries from Conrad himself that provide a better glimpse into how he was struggling prior to his death. This two-hour special features interviews with those closest to the case, including Conrad’s mother, sister, friends, and law enforcement who worked directly on the case. Each poignant interview sheds light on key events leading up to Conrad’s death, the aftermath of his suicide, and Michelle’s strange behavior following his death. Some wondered if Michelle was seeking the spotlight by so publicly and intensely mourning a boy that few even knew she was dating. It was not until police seized her phone that they discovered startling texts she sent to Conrad and others. Those words would land Michelle at the center of a national controversy as she was charged with involuntary manslaughter in connection with Conrad’s death. In this landmark case a court had to decide whether words could do more than hurt. Could they be so criminal that they would lead a troubled young man to his death?