Boston College Student Pleads Guilty to Encouraging Boyfriend's Suicide

Inyoung You was charged with involuntary manslaughter due to a record of abusive texts and behavior after her boyfriend killed himself in May 2019

Alexander Urtula and Inyoung You. Photo: Suffolk County District Attorney's Office

The former Boston College student charged with pushing her boyfriend to kill himself has pleaded guilty to involuntary manslaughter.

Inyoung You reached a deal in Suffolk County Superior Court in Boston on Thursday, Reuters reported. As part of the agreement, she was allowed to avoid jail time.

Prosecutors charged You with involuntary manslaughter back in November 2019, six months after her 22-year-old boyfriend Alexander Urtula leapt to his death. He was meant to graduate hours later.

During an investigation, You was found to have sent Urtula over 47,000 text messages in the last two months of their 18-month relationship, many of which showed her repeatedly belittling him and urging him to kill himself and to "go die."

"Suffolk County prosecutors, and the MBTA transit police detectives determined that Ms. You was physically, verbally and psychologically abusive toward Mr. Urtula during their 18-month-long relationship," Suffolk County District Attorney Rachael Rollins announced in October 2019 in a statement previously obtained by PEOPLE.

You, now 23, had been fighting the charges in the hopes of taking her appeal to a higher court in the state in February. However, her lawyer Steven Kim said in a statement to Reuters on Thursday that she decided to give that appeal up and take responsibility for her actions instead.

Part of the deal she struck with prosecutors stipulated that You is not able to profit in any way from the case by selling her story in the future.

Judge Robert Ullmann sentenced her to a 2½-year suspended jail sentence and 10 years of probation, along with 300 hours of community service and required mental-health treatment, the Boston Herald reported.

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Regarding the plea deal reached this week, District Attorney Rachael Rollins said in a statement per the Boston Globe, "This agreement with defense counsel was made in close consultation with the Urtula family. It is consistent with their desire to seek accountability and closure and to protect the legacy of Alexander, a loving son, brother, and uncle."

"They believe this is something Alexander would have wanted," Rollins added, according to the outlet.

You's case echoes that of another Massachusetts student, Michelle Carter, who at 17 used texts and phone calls to urge her 18-year-old boyfriend, Conrad Roy III, to go through with a plan to kill himself in 2014.

After those texts were revealed, Carter was charged and found guilty of involuntary manslaughter and sentenced to 15 months in jail.

As of January 2020, Carter was released from prison three months short of her term, thanks to "good time" credit.

If you or someone you know is considering suicide, please contact the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255), text "STRENGTH" to the Crisis Text Line at 741-741 or go to suicidepreventionlifeline.org.

If you are experiencing domestic violence, call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233, or go to thehotline.org. All calls are toll-free and confidential. The hotline is available 24/7 in more than 170 languages.