Best of MURDERISH - E113 Alexander Urtula: “The Power of Words”

MURDERISH

Cloud10

True Crime, Society & Culture, History

4 • 3.3K Ratings

🗓️ 13 November 2023

⏱️ 38 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

In 2015, 17-year-old Michelle Carter was indicted on charges connected to the suicide of her 18-year-old boyfriend, Conrad Roy Jr III. In a controversial 2017 trial, a Taunton, Massachusetts jury found her guilty of involuntary manslaughter. A similar case occurred in May 2019, though it received much less publicity. Boston College students Inyoung You and her boyfriend Alexander Urtula had been dating for 18 months when he died by suicide. An investigation would uncover an abundance of abusive text messages from Inyoung in the months leading up to Alexander’s death. The Carter and You cases involved problematic text messages that many argue are what drove both victims in these cases to end their lives. But where does free will end and the power of suggestion take over? Is it possible to brainwash someone into ending their own life? Let’s see if we get any closer to answers as we explore Alexander Urtula’s case in this episode of MURDERISH. Let’s get social: Follow MURDERISH on Instagram & TikTok @MurderishPodcast. We’re also on Facebook. Visit murderish.com to learn more about Jami and the podcast. You can also buy merch & sign up to become a MURDERISH | Behind the Mic Patreon member and get access to exclusive perks. Listening to this podcast doesn’t make you a murderer, it just means you’re murder …ish. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0	Hey everyone, it's Jamie.
0:02.0	Today I'm re-releasing a previous episode of Murderish,
0:05.4	covering the case of Alexander Ortula,
0:08.0	who died by suicide at the age of 22.
0:11.2	Alexander died on May 20th of 2019, the day of his graduation from Boston College.
0:17.6	After his controversial death, police discovered that Alexander had encouraging text messages from his girlfriend
0:25.0	telling him to do it. This episode involves discussions about suicide.
0:30.0	Listener discretion is advised. The opinions expressed in this episode do not necessarily reflect those of the
0:38.1	murderous podcast. Sensitive topics are discussed.
0:41.7	Listen or discretion is advised.
0:46.6	Modern technology has presented the American justice system
0:50.0	with an array of unique advantages, but also many challenges.
0:55.0	Within the last decade, advancements like smartphones, social media platforms,
1:00.0	and GPS tracking have been used in criminal acts.
1:04.0	Nowadays, technology accelerates at such a rapid pace
1:08.0	that oftentimes the law cannot keep up.
1:11.0	In these cases, either a legal precedent doesn't exist or the
1:15.6	offense lands in a legal gray area. Michelle Carter is just one recent example.
1:21.4	Her case centered around text messages that allegedly encouraged suicide.
1:27.2	In February of 2015, 17-year-old Michelle Carter was indicted on charges connected to the suicide of her 18-year-old. old 2017 trial, a Taunton, Massachusetts jury found her guilty of involuntary manslaughter.
1:47.0	Though Carter faced up to 20 years in prison, she was sentenced to just 15 months and was released after a year.
1:55.0	A similar case occurred in May of 2019, though it received much less publicity.
	...

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