01x07 - Teenage Dirtbag

[bunniefuu]

Previously on "The Girl
from Plainville"...

I'm going to direct
your attention

to July 12th of 2014.

That was the last day
you saw your son alive.

How was he that day?

I know my son.

And he didn't want to die.

Not that day.

I'm here because
of Michelle Carter.

I don't like seeing
innocent people prosecuted.

I want to help this girl.

48 Hours wants to talk to me.

- You gonna do it?
- He's not just

a dead kid on the
news, you know.

He's Coco.

Go away.

What's wrong?

I'm the m*rder*r's sister,
that's what's wrong!

Get the f*ck out!

Can you read the
highlighted text message

from Michelle?

"Then I am left
crying in bed at night

"because I have no one

"and I have no plans, no future.

I am nothing."

If you ever tell
anyone about me,

I will never, ever
f*cking talk to you again!

Got it?

Your text freaked me out.

Call me back.

I'm sorry.

I didn't know you
cared that much.

How could you say that?

I don't even have
anybody's number.

If something happened to you,
I wouldn't know who to call.

I know, I know, I'm...

I'm sorry, okay?

Is this just a game to you?

No.

Then tell me what to do.

Nothing.

You've done plenty.

What does that mean?

You've been here for me.

You've listened.

It's just not enough.

I'm never satisfied.

I'm stuck.

In my own little reality,

and I thought everything
was good, but...

It's not.

I'm not going to leave you.

You need me.

Stay.

Conrad?

Carter has waived her
right to a jury trial,

which means the judge
alone will decide

whether or not she is guilty.

If convicted, she faces
up to 20 years in prison.

Could you please describe

your educational background?

I went to Harvard

and Case Western
Reserve Medical School,

researching the psycho
physiology of anxiety.

And can you please
list and describe

your professional activities?

Oh, golly.

There's a lot of them.

I have been
practicing psychiatry

full time since 1968.

I teach.

I have a subspecialty in
clinical psychopharmacology.

And what is that?

It's the study of
the effect of dr*gs

on the actual clinical,
real-life behavior of people.

And have you given
any presentations

for any governmental bodies?

Yes.

Well, thank you for carving out

some time with us
today, Dr. Breggin.

You're quite a busy man.

- Of course.
- Thank you for the invitation.

Your Honor.

Move it along.

Uh, Dr. Breggin,

for our non-medical
experts in the room,

could you illustrate, uh,
for us what an SSRI is

and how it affects the brain?

The SSRI is a selective

serotonin reuptake inhibitor.

And what is serotonin?

Serotonin is a neurotransmitter

that originates
deep in the brain.

It can affect our judgment,

love, and empathy.

When serotonin is naturally
created by the brain,

these... these receptors fire.

And the idea behind people who
are depressed or... or angry

is that maybe the feed to
the receptor gets backed up.

The brain isn't doing its job.

Right, and the SSRI, it... what?

The SSRI,

like Prozac and all SSRIs,

blocks the removal of serotonin.

And unfortunately,

this is very unstable

because the brain reacts to
this as a toxic intrusion.

And how does the brain react
to this toxic intrusion?

After the first dose even,

the brain stops
producing serotonin.

So instead of creating
a clear pathway

for the serotonin
to enter the brain,

Prozac and other SSRIs
can actually halt

the natural production
of serotonin entirely?

Yes, it's possible.

Oh.

Does the FDA identify the
SSRIs in a specific way?

They developed a black
box warning that remains

the highest level class
warning for all of these dr*gs.

Does Celexa have a
black box warning?

Yes, it does.

And do you know specifically

what the black box
warning is on Celexa?

The black box warning
specifically says

that there's an
increased risk of su1c1de

in people aged 24 and younger.

And to the best
of your knowledge,

was Conrad Roy III

on Celexa at the
time of his death?

Yes, he was.

Thank you. No further questions.

We'll break for lunch.

Am I really selfish?

No.

Why?

Well, for wanting to
k*ll myself so bad

and dragging you
along with all this.

No.

You're not selfish.

Don't ever think that.

And you're not
dragging me along.

I chose to stay.

I don't want to fail again.

That's what I'm scared of.

Obviously, you don't
really want to die then.

Because you wouldn't
be scared to try.

You'd want to try anything
as much as you could.

I guess you're partially right.

I'm just still researching
and hoping that

I find a better way.

I am so right.

Part of me wants you to try
something and then fail.

Just so you could go get help.

I love you.

Say it back.

I love you too.

I'm gonna turn in.

Okay.

You good?

Yeah, I'm good.

Don't stay up too late, okay?

Hey.

Can I get a beer?

Is it over?

Lunch.

Thank you.

Some of this stuff
this doctor's saying...

We thought we'd be
doing the right thing.

Right?

Yeah.

Yeah.

I don't know.

You know what I can't
stop thinking about?

What?

The f*cking guacamole.

I mean, how the
hell has this kid

never had guacamole before?

Well, I mean, it's not like
we're known for it here.

Fair.

Your mom says you're running.

You even talked to my mom?

Yeah, you sent her
over to check on me.

I just didn't like the idea of
you being alone, that's all.

I'm training for
the Boston Marathon.

You?

Yeah?

You who drives two blocks.

I who used to drive two blocks.

They say it makes
your nipples bleed.

They're not lying.

Hot.

I'm doing it for
su1c1de awareness.

Running it, I mean.

You know, raising money for it.

That's good, Co.

Yeah.

He'd be real proud.

I tried drinking all
the water I could,

but nothing happened.

What the f*ck is that?

Why didn't you
tell me you tried?

All of a sudden, you're
trying and serious about it?

I'm sorry, I want to
tell you the truth,

but I don't want to scare you.

I want you to always
tell me the truth.

Never be sorry about it.

I want it to look
like an accident.

Why?

Well, I'd like people

to think that and
not feel guilty.

Can I tell you something?

Of course.

There's nothing anyone can do

that's gonna make
me want to live.

Come on!

Come in!

You okay?

I can't really talk about it.

That doesn't sound good.

"Ooh, Constantine!

I love you, Constantine."

- Give it back, Cassie...
- You guys write love letters.

Ooh, does he send you d*ck pics?

I said give it back!

Jesus Christ, fine.

I'm just playing.

This is life and death, Cassie.

Hey.

I'm sorry about Cassie.

She was... Can be a b*tch.

Sometimes.

Now he's not responding.

Conrad?

Talk to me.

You can trust me.

Can I?

Of course.

I'm here for you.

God, he's so messed up.

He'll only talk to
me about things,

and he said that he
won't be with me anymore

if I tell anyone.

So you have to promise me, okay?

You can't tell anyone, Natalie.

Seriously.

You have to promise.

Of course.

Of course, I won't say anything.

Is there anything I can do?

Oh, it's just...

I don't even know
where to begin.

What information did you review

in connection to this case?

Every available medical record

for Michelle and Conrad.

I evaluated every
available text, uh,

or phone or Facebook
message for both people.

I interviewed a
half a dozen people

in great detail
who knew Michelle.

And... and why the interviews?

I needed to get, uh, a baseline

for Michelle's behavior.

Was Michelle known to do
mean, angry, hostile things?

Before age 12 was key
for me because at 12,

she begins to develop
anorexia and is put on Prozac,

and she's then
medicated off and on

for her entire adolescence.

And did that have any
significance for you

ultimately in forming certain
opinions on this case?

It shows that she's a
very vulnerable person

who does very severe
cutting of herself

in order to control her pain.

And did the text messages

between Michelle
Carter and Conrad Roy

have any relevance
or significance

to your clinical
analysis of the case?

Oh, yes.

He's a very distressed young man

who has a lot of family conflict

that, uh, he's dealing
with, and he is constantly

telling Michelle that
he's gonna k*ll himself

and there's nothing she can do.

And this goes on and on

for hours and hours and
months and months of text.

And she gets more
and more desperate.

And this boy that she loves

says that he's going
to k*ll himself

and that he's even got plans.

This is an intolerable
position for her to be in.

Doctor.

What is involuntary
intoxication?

It means that
there's a disruption

in the neurochemistry
of the brain

where intoxication is observable

through thoughts and
behaviors, activities.

And during an intoxication,

the person generally
has loss of judgment,

maybe confusion,

and often loss of
memory of the event.

And how do you
analyze and determine

if someone is involuntarily
intoxicated by dr*gs?

Well, first,

you need to know,
can the drug do this?

Does Celexa?

Do all SSRIs cause marked
changes in behavior?

Yes.

And when SSRIs cause
abnormal reactions,

which involuntary
intoxication is the extreme,

they cause agitation,
anxiety, um,

panic, irritability,

and a dramatic, sometimes
instant, shift in behavior.

It's in the diagnostic manual.

And specifically,

as to Michelle, do
you have an opinion

as to whether or not she was
involuntarily intoxicated?

Yes, I do. Yes, she was.

There's a significant
change in her behavior

about 11 days before
Conrad's su1c1de

on July 12th.

And as a result of this

involuntary intoxication
suffered by Michelle Carter,

do you have an opinion
as to whether or not

she was able to conform
her actions and conduct

to the requirements of the law?

She couldn't.

She was enmeshed in a delusion

where she was thinking it was
a good thing to help him die,

that she could mitigate
the circumstances,

reassure him that he
was going to heaven,

and that she could then go
to his family and help them

to mourn less severely.

And are you able to pinpoint,

in your opinion,
of course, around

when Michelle became
involuntarily intoxicated?

On or about July 2nd,

she begins to help
him go to heaven.

I don't know if it's
bad or good that you

understand me this way.

If I do end up...

Dying...

I don't

want to go to hell.

I don't belong there.

You won't go to hell.

I promise you.

Heaven needs a hero.

You're gonna help me
with this tomorrow.

With what?

I've been reading about
it on the internet.

I've been talking to
people online about it.

Talking to who?

I don't know,

it's the internet.

Are you really sure
you're gonna do this?

I'm going to try again.

When I'm home.

Tomorrow.

Promise me something.

Sure.

Say goodbye before you do it.

Of course.

How's he doing?

Not good.

Yeah.

It's a good thing you're doing.

Seriously.

He's really lucky to
have a friend like you.

Girlfriend.

Right.

Girlfriend.

Thanks, Cassie.

Some things I've been doing is

trying to realize that
it's not realistic.

What's going on in my head

that keeps on piling and piling?

He wanted to excel.

He just wanted to be
this, like, great person.

And in my eyes, he was all that.

He was rough on himself.

He really, really struggled

with just disappointing, I
think, my husband and me.

I don't understand
why you would want

someone that was so
beautiful inside and out

that had so much,

that was such a
kind person to die.

How do you describe

what this young woman did?

I cannot.

Only... only she can.

Had to fight off a
nurse for a cruller.

Worth it.

Any bright ideas in the
half hour I've been gone?

No.

I don't know how to get him.

I... you saw, Moniz loves him.

He trusts him.

None of this was in the report.

Nothing about cutting or...
Or "involuntary intoxication."

I mean, what the
hell even is that?

I can't prepare overnight.

Well, maybe that's it.

I mean, he didn't say
any of it in the report.

Gonna have to get
him to bury himself.

You said during your
direct examination

that the defendant had
been cutting, correct?

Yes.

Would you agree with
me that your initial

60 or so page report

didn't mention anything
about that, correct?

- Correct.
- I didn't have those texts.

Would it be fair to say that

her mother never reported
any concern about cutting?

I didn't interview
Mom in that depth.

May I approach, Your Honor?

Mm-hmm.

Didn't you write here,

page 60,

"Michelle's mother cannot
recall any bizarre behavior

"on Michelle's part at
any time of her life,

including during the period
of the alleged crime."

Yes.

So you at least talked
to her a little bit.

Yes.

And in that conversation,

she did not report any concerns
about her daughter at all.

No, she didn't.

The information that you
had about her cutting

was based on text
messages with her friends?

Yes.

And now, of course, when
you looked at these messages

where she was talking about
how severely she cut herself,

you would also look
at other messages

she sent to other people
contemporaneously?

Yes, she often sent
different messages

to different people.

And it would be
significant to you

if, uh, she was simultaneously
texting one person

that she was cut so badly,

she had to go to
the emergency room

and then a moment
later, texting a boy

something completely different.

Yes, she did that a lot

about a lot of different things.

Yes.

But in these texts,

she is claiming that she's
talking to her mother

about going to the
hospital, correct?

Yes.

Isn't it true that
at the initial outset

of your involvement
in this case,

you did not diagnose the
defendant as depressed?

Well, yes, that
was the knowledge

I had at the time.

You were wrong?

Oh, golly, yeah.

You completely
misdiagnosed the defendant?

- No.
- Well...

I'm sorry, uh, you said
she wasn't depressed,

and now you're saying she is?

I literally did not
have enough information.

And I didn't know that I didn't
have very much information.

Oh, but when you talked
to the defendant...

I never talked to the defendant.

How many times have
you formed the opinion

that a patient or someone
you've been asked to examine,

uh, is involuntarily
intoxicated?

Golly, maybe

40 times over the last 20 years?

It's really a wild guess.

A wild guess.

So one of the things
you need to do

in forming a baseline is
determining if the behavior

during the period in
question is of stark contrast

to his or her normal
behavior, correct?

Yes.

Would you agree with me that
if your baseline is off,

it could greatly
affect your opinion?

That's why I carefully
rechecked my opinion

and found that everything
in there reconfirmed

the date she had the
breakdown of the intoxication.

Right, you... you were saying
that happened on, uh, July 2nd?

Yes.

It's important that it
happened on July 2nd

because it shows
that she had a break.

She behaved one way on
July 1st and on July 2nd,

she behaved entirely differently

because of the intoxication,

and it was completely
out of her control.

Do... do I have that right?

Yes.

Uh, "What about hanging
yourself or stabbing yourself?"

"What about overdosing
on sleeping pills

"or suffocating
with a plastic bag?

"Sleeping pills would work,

"but if you really want to die,

I don't get why you
wouldn't try it."

Yes, correct, exactly.

But you said that her
behavior changed on July 2nd?

Yes.

Well, these text messages

from Michelle
Carter to Conrad Roy

were sent on June 29th, 2014.

You're taking my
words out of context.

Okay.

May I approach?

Can you please tell the
court what this book is?

Yes, it's the Diagnostic
and Statistical Manual

of Mental Disorders, the DSM-5.

An encyclopedia of every
diagnosed mental disorder.

Yes.

Could you grab the
section that covers

involuntary intoxication
for me, please?

Well, there is no section
on involuntary intoxication.

It's a legal term.

Well, then, what are
you diagnosing her with?

Oh, she has drug intoxication.

It's in the general group...

Of substance-induced

mood disorders.

- So it's not in there.
- Well, it's...

Sir, I'm asking whether or not

the DSM-5 has a
specific criteria

for the diagnosis of
involuntary intoxication,

the diagnosis that you are
providing for the defendant.

Is it in there?

Well, no.

- It's a legal...
- Legal term.

I tender the
witness, Your Honor.

Sorry, I took some
sleeping pills

and I fell asleep.

You said you wanted this bad.

I knew you wouldn't try hard.

I feel like such an idiot.

Why?

Because you didn't
even do anything.

You lied about this whole thing.

I'm just...

I'm just so confused because...

I thought you really
wanted to die.

But apparently you don't.

I just feel played
and just stupid.

Don't.

I found out a new plan,
and I'm gonna do it.

I don't believe you.

You're gonna have
to prove me wrong

because I don't think
you really want this.

You just keep pushing
it to another night.

And you never do it.

Okay.

Okay what? Okay.

I'll prove you wrong.

If I were that judge,

you know what I'd say?

"Your parents aren't
going to miss you

if you're locked up
for the next 30 years."

This is evil. Turn it off.

Where does evil come from?

- It's the news.
- Your sister does not

need to hear this right now.

Turn it off, Hayden.

He was an easy target.

It's all about attention,

people noticing her.

We're just supposed
to ignore it?

I'm not doing this with
you right now, sorry.

No, you know what
everyone thinks of me

in school, in this town?

Hayden, I am sorry, but
this is not helping.

We can't be watching
this garbage right now.

- You should go get ready.
- No, you always yell

at me and I don't understand.
It's always about her.

- Don't be dramatic.
- I'm serious.

All you do is focus on
her, talk about her.

Your closing
argument, Mr. Cataldo.

The medical examiner
ruled the death a su1c1de.

Now, there's no statute in
the state of Massachusetts

outlawing su1c1de,
there's no statute

in the state of
Massachusetts that says

it's against the law to help

or assist in a su1c1de.

The evidence shows
that Conrad Roy

was suicidal for a very,
very lengthy period of time.

That comes out in the text
messages very clearly,

and Miss Carter was
under no legal duty

to call for assistance.

The evidence also shows
in the text messages

that Conrad Roy

specifically sought
out her encouragement.

Your Honor, I believe that

the Commonwealth has
failed to provide

any evidence that Miss
Carter caused him to die.

Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Cataldo.

Who's arguing for
the Commonwealth?

Okay.

Okay.

I'm not just gonna
stand here and say,

"Look at Commonwealth v. Carter"

and sit down, Your Honor.

With regards to the
offense of manslaughter,

I would, uh, suggest
that the Commonwealth

needed to prove that the
conduct was intentional,

not that the outcome
was intentional,

but that the conduct was.

I believe we have done that.

Your Honor, I ask
that you consider

not just what you
know about Conrad,

but what you have learned
about the defendant

through the course of all this.

The defendant clearly had many,

what she believed, to be
substantial relationships,

mostly through texting.

And for Mr. Cataldo to suggest

that Conrad had free will
is an oversimplification

because she knew him.

She knew he had social anxiety.

She knew that he was depressed.

She knew his frailties.

And not only that, Your Honor,
she knew what it was like

to feel lonely and want
someone to talk to.

And she did talk
to him that night

and she told him to
get back in the truck.

Yes, the medical examiner
has said this is a su1c1de,

but she is not the
final determiner

of what the crime here is.

You are, Your Honor.

Thank you.

We should go home.

We're here for your sister.

She doesn't want me here.

Well, your mother needed
to take a night off.

Do you think the judge likes me?

It doesn't have anything
to do with him liking you.

Is that... what the...
The doctor was saying,

is that what happened?

Did you black out?

I wish you would talk to me.

I wish you knew that
you could talk to me.

I...

I love you no matter what.

I will always be here for you,

no matter what.

You should just
go in without me.

I can't.

It's okay.

No, you're not allowed
to be left alone.

We'll just let them get
through the first few songs

and then we'll go in.

I'd like to perform
a song for someone

very special to me
that's here tonight.

My sister, Michelle.

Michelle, come up here.

- Come on.
- Go on.

Sit.

Stop!

You okay?