FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 20, 2019 The Boston Globe Metro B
By Emily Sweeney
GLOBE STAFF
NATICK — Michelle Carter,
the Plainville woman convicted
in 2017 of involuntary man-
slaughter for badgering her
friend into committing suicide,
apparently asked the Massa-
chusetts Parole Board on
Thursday to reduce the amount
of time she spends behind bars.
However, the hearing before
two board members was held
behind closed doors, and no
one who exited the building
Thursday indicated to reporters
they had participated. Carter
was seen being escorted from
the rear of the parole board
building around 11:30 a.m.
wearing handcuffs. She then
entered a Bristol County sheriff
prisoner transport van that
drove away.
According to board spokes-
man Jake Wark, the hearing be-
fore two board members lasted
about 90 minutes and a deci-
sion could come within the next
48 hours.
Carter is serving a 15-month
sentence imposed in connec-
tion with the death of Conrad
Roy III.
Carter was 17 years old and
had been out of a psychiatric
hospital for about a month
when she urged the 18-year-old
Roy to commit suicide on July
13, 2014, according to testimo-
ny in her Bristol Juvenile Court
trial in 2017. The teens called
themselves boyfriend and girl-
friend though they had seen
each other in person only a few
times.
Carter was 30 miles away
from Roy and on the phone
with him, listening as he in-
haled carbon monoxide in his
pickup truck in a Fairhaven
parking lot, according to testi-
mony. At one point, Roy told
Carter he was getting out of the
truck, but Carter ordered him
back in, prosecutors said.
The Plainville woman was
convicted of involuntary man-
slaughter in a jury-waived trial
in 2017 and sentenced by Juve-
nile Court Judge Lawrence
Moniz to serve 15 months in
prison. That sentence was put
on hold until the Supreme Judi-
cial Court upheld her convic-
tion, and she began serving the
sentence Feb. 11.
In its Feb. 6 ruling, the SJC
unanimously rejected defense
arguments that Carter’s conver-
sations with Roy and the doz-
ens of text messages and e-
mails that they exchanged be-
fore his death were protected
speech under the First Amend-
ment.
Massachusetts’ involuntary
manslaughter law covers “wan-
ton and reckless conduct” that
causes the death of another and
that includes “overpowering
[another] person’s will to live
and resulting in a person’s
death,’’ the court noted.
“We are therefore not pun-
ishing words alone... but reck-
less or wanton words causing
death,’’ the SJC ruled. “Our
common law provides sufficient
notice that a person might be
charged with involuntary man-
slaughter for reckless or wan-
ton conduct, including verbal
conduct, causing a victim to
commit suicide.”Carter’s attorneys have
sought review by the US Su-
preme Court, which has not yet
decided whether it will hear the
case. However, the nation’s
highest court has asked Attor-
ney General Maura Healey’s of-
fice for her views on the legal
questions raised by the high-
profile matter.
Healey’s office has been giv-en until Nov. 22 to file a brief in
the case, according to court re-
cords.
A spokesman for Bristol Dis-
trict Attorney Thomas M.
Quinn III, whose office prose-
cuted the case, declined to com-
ment.Emily Sweeney can be reached
at [email protected].Parole Board mulls Carter sentence reduction
PHOTOS BY DAVID L RYAN/GLOBE STAFF
Michelle Carter, convicted in 2017 for her role in pushing a friend to commit suicide, was
ushered from a Parole Board hearing to consider her request to reduce her jail term.Family members of Conrad Roy, the teen who killed himself
in 2014, were present for Thursday’s hearing.By Travis Andersen
GLOBE STAFF
The man accused of fatally
shooting 27-year-old Marcus
Dunn-Gordon on Monday
night in Dorchester had been
sentenced to probation in
June for a conviction in a pre-
vious gun case in Suffolk Su-
perior Court, court records
show.
Brian Keith Joyce Jr., 25, of
Dorchester, faces a murder
charge after Dunn-Gordon
was gunned down late Mon-
day near the Boston Bowl.
Joyce was arrested Wednesday
in Manchester, N.H., and will
eventually be brought back to
Boston to face the murder
count.
According to a law enforce-
ment official, Dunn-Gordon
and Joyce got into an argu-
ment outside the bowling alley
during which Dunn-Gordon
was shot multiple times. The
Randolph man was able to
make it to the lobby of the Ra-
mada by Wyndham motel,
where he collapsed.
Joyce was convicted in June
during a bench trial in Suffolk
Superior Court on a charge of
armed robbery subsequent of-
fense but acquitted of three
additional gun counts, records
show.
Superior Court Judge Janet
L. Sanders sentenced him to
three years of probation with
conditions that he submit to
GPS monitoring, stay away
from the named victim, reside
with his grandmother, per-
form community service, and
seek and maintain employ-
ment or participate in educa-
tional or training programs,
records show.
Joyce had served time be-
fore.
He pleaded guilty in 2013
in Suffolk Superior Court toarmed robbery, assault with a
dangerous weapon, armed as-
sault to rob, and assault and
battery with a dangerous
weapon.
He was sentenced in that
case to 2½ years in jail with 18
months to serve, according to
legal filings.
In addition to the murder
arrest Wednesday, Joyce also
has a pending drug case in
Suffolk Superior Court, where
he pleaded not guilty last year
to distributing Class A and
Class B drugs, as well as un-
lawful possession of ammuni-
tion, records show.
His lawyer in that case
didn’t return a call seeking
comment Thursday.
US Marshal Enoch F.
“Nick” Willard of the District
of New Hampshire praised the
authorities who arrested Joyce
on the murder warrant
Wednesday in Manchester. He
was apprehended by the mar-
shals, as well as Boston and
Manchester police.
Friends of Dunn-Gordon,
meanwhile, have taken to so-
cial media to voice their grief
and recall his kindness.
“My deepest condolences to
the Dunn-Gordon family,” one
Boston resident wrote on Face-
book Tuesday. “Young bull had
a beautiful soul.’'
Dunn-Gordon collapsed in
the Ramada lobby at about
11:45 p.m. Monday. He was
taken to a local hospital,
where he later succumbed to
his injuries.
Authorities haven’t detailed
the evidence allegedly tying
Joyce to the crime, nor have
they disclosed a possible mo-
tive.John R. Ellement of the Globe
Staff contributed to this
report. Travis Andersen can be
reached at
[email protected].
Follow him on Twitter
@TAGlobe.Accused murderer
was on probation
Suspect caught in
New Hampshire
CREATE YOUR DREAM SHOWER NOW!
LUXSTONE: A NEW GENERATION OF SHOWERS
CUSTOMIZABLE STORAGESTYLISH SHOWER HEADSBEAUTIFUL ACCESSORIESCall now for a FREE quote:
781-205-
Rules & Restrictions apply. Not valid on previous sales or estimates. May not be combined with other offers.Valid on initial visit only.Total savingsequals 20% off retail. Other restrictions may apply. See a NEWPRO product specialist for complete details. NEWPRO is neither a
broker nor a lender. Subject to credit approval. Interest is billed during the promotional period but all interest is waived if the purchase amount is paid before the expiration of the promotional period.There is no minimum monthly payment required during the promotional
period. Financing for GreenSky® consumer loan programs is provided by federally insured, equal opportunity lender banks. Offer expires September 30, 2019. MA Reg #146589, RI Reg #26463, CT Reg #INSTALLED
IN AS LITTLE AS
1DAY!