Woman Accused of Urging College Student Boyfriend's Suicide Over Text Says She Tried to Stop Him

According to law enforcement officials, Inyoung You, 21, told police she rushed to the roof of the parking garage to save her boyfriend

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

The girlfriend of the Boston College senior who jumped from a parking garage hours before graduating in May told authorities she tried to stop him.

According to law enforcement officials, Inyoung You, 21, told police she rushed to the roof of the parking garage to save her boyfriend, 22-year-old Alexander Urtula, before he jumped, the Boston Globe reports. However, authorities believe You was abusive towards Urtula and had urged him to kill himself in thousands of text messages uncovered from their investigation.

“Ms. You used manipulative attempts and threats of self-harm to control him,” Suffolk County District Attorney Rachael Rollins said in a statement obtained by PEOPLE. “It also found that she was aware of his spiraling depression and suicidal thoughts brought on by her abuse, yet she persisted, continuing to encourage him to take his own life.”

You faces a charge of involuntary manslaughter in Urtula’s death. On Tuesday, Rollins said more details of the investigation would be revealed at You’s arraignment, the Globe reports.

In August, You withdrew from Boston College and returned to her home country of South Korea. The Globe reports she grew up in Washington state. It is unclear who is representing You at this time.

Rollins said in her statement she believes You will willingly return to the United States. The Globe reports the extradition process could take time.

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Two months before his death, the couple had exchanged 75,000 texts with more than half being from You. On the day of Urtula’s death, You had tracked his phone and was on the parking garage roof with him when he jumped, according to the statement.

You had “complete and total control” over her boyfriend, Rollins said in her statement. Revealing that in her messages, You would allegedly tell Urtula to “go kill himself, to “go die” and that “she, his family, and the world would be better off without him.”

Rollins said that the friends and classmates of both You and Urtula witnessed the “unrelenting abuse.”

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.