Using appraisal theory and the texts of Michelle Carter to assist in developing a means of analysing evidence in encouraged suicide cases

Authors

  • Lily Rae Calloway Aston Institute for Forensic Linguistics, Aston University

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.1558/ijsll.21783

Keywords:

appraisal analysis, encouraged suicide, coerced suicide, forensic linguistics, applied linguistics

Abstract

On 13 July 2014, 18-year-old Conrad Henri Roy III committed suicide by carbon monoxide poisoning. Conrad’s girlfriend, Michelle Carter, was accused of encouraging his suicide through a series of text messages and a phone call insisting Conrad ‘get back in the car’ which was filling with carbon monoxide; she was eventually found guilty on charges of involuntary manslaughter, a charge which sparked discussion around the lack of encouraged suicide legislation. This article examines the text messages between Michelle Carter and Conrad Roy and asks what we can learn from them for the purpose of designing analytical frameworks for courtroom evidence in cases of encouraged suicide. Using the attitude sub-system of appraisal analysis, Carter’s evaluation of emotive states, judgement of Roy’s character and level of value awarded to certain concepts are considered alongside how these appraisals may have been employed to elicit a persuasion response.

Author Biography

  • Lily Rae Calloway, Aston Institute for Forensic Linguistics, Aston University

    Lily Rae Calloway is a PhD candidate at Aston University’s Institute for Forensic Linguistics. Her research interests centre around critical discourse analysis, currently in the space of online harm. Her PhD research seeks to test the suitability of the appraisal framework for analysing cases of encouraged suicide in court and considers how encouragement may be realised in online communities such as pro-suicide and pro-ana fora.

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Cases

Commonwealth v. Carter, 52 N.E.3d 1054 (Mass. 2016

Published

2023-12-19

Issue

Section

Articles

How to Cite

Calloway, L. R. (2023). Using appraisal theory and the texts of Michelle Carter to assist in developing a means of analysing evidence in encouraged suicide cases. International Journal of Speech, Language and the Law, 30(2), 161-182. https://doi.org/10.1558/ijsll.21783