Michelle Carter suicide Trial: ‘Let’s Do a Romeo and Juliet’

In the weeks leading up to Conrad Roy III’s suicide, Michigan teen Michelle Carter told him not to do it, says her attorney.

But last week, in a court hearing, her attorney said Roy “brainwashed” her into eventually accepting his plan.

Cataldo told PEOPLE:

“She says, ‘Okay, if you’re going to do it, good luck and look down from Heaven upon me,’ ” Carter’s defense attorney Joseph P.. “She didn’t want him to do it at first. It was only upon his repeated statements and telling her, ‘I want to do this,’ that she then endorsed his idea.”

Carter, now 18, was charged with involuntary manslaughter after Roy, 18, committed suicide in a Fairhaven, Massachusetts, store parking lot in 2014. At the time, the Bristol District Attorney’s office released a statement stating:

“Instead of attempting to assist him or notify his family or school officials, Ms. Carter is alleged to have strongly influenced his decision to take his own life, encouraged him to commit suicide and guided him in his engagement of activities which led to his death.”

But her attorney argues there is no evidence that Carter caused Roy’s death. “Suicide is personal. Nobody can get you to kill yourself if you don’t want to kill yourself,” Cataldo says.

In fact, says her attorney, there were two instances that Roy allegedly sent her texts, asking her to die with him.

Cataldo said:

“He actually said to her, in a text message, ‘Let’s do a Romeo and Juliet. We’re not going to end up dead.’ After that, he again asked her, ‘Will you do this with me?’ And she said, ‘No, I want to live.’ He tried on two occasions to get her to kill herself with him and she rejected that.”

Carter also made assurances that Roy’s family would not be too hurt by his death.

In one long exchange, she wrote:

“They know there is nothing they can do. They’ve tried helping. Everyone’s tried, but there is a point that comes where there isn’t anything anyone can do to save you, not even yourself.”

“And you’ve hit that point and I think your parents know you’ve hit that point. You said your mom saw a suicide thing on your computer and she didn’t say anything. I think she knows it’s on your mind and she’s prepared for it.”

“Everyone will be sad for a while but they will get over it and move on. They won’t be in depression. I won’t let that happen. They know how sad you are, and they know that you are doing this to be happy and I think they will understand and accept it.”

Last week, Cataldo filed a motion to dismiss the case. The judge plans to return a decision on Oct. 2.