While interviewed, the teenager explained his rough childhood growing up with Anthony Lewis. According to the interview, Lewis struck the child with nearly 20 lashes over three different times with a belt or extension cord. He also choked his son mercilessly, as his son mentioned witnessing unusual colors during the strangulation. This was not all Lewis had done though. Furthermore, he cut off his son's education through supposed homeschooling that resulted in endless chores. When not working around the house, he was involuntarily sitting in his room with the absence of electronic devices. The action of leaving his room to use the bathroom was denied unless he asked for pre-approved permission.
This case reminds me of the documentary "I Love You, Now Die", as Michelle Carter portrayed similar characteristics to Lewis, instructing her boyfriend to commit suicide. As both were reached out to as companions and potential help for those who felt weak and vulnerable to suicide, they not only supported the action of killing oneself but demanded that they continue with their thoughts and end their lives. Although Michelle may have not physically abused her boyfriend the same way Lewis abused and treated his son, her repeated texts convincing her boyfriend to commit suicide resulted in death.
Some of the suicides that have occurred in our area lately not only affected the direct family, the close friends, but all those in the community that have been touched by that life at any point. This leads me to believe that anyone that encourages such an act and abuses the mental health of someone that has suicidal thoughts, should be held accountable to the full extent of the law.
Source: https://www.foxnews.com/us/maryland-man-suicidal-son-just-do-it
I agree there should be a charge for encouraging suicide. Although it is difficult to make it a charge I think in certain situations people deserve to be held accountable. Encouraging suicide should be considered to the same degree of severity as being a part of the murder.
ReplyDeleteI also agree with the idea that people should be convicted if they encourage suicide. If we look at the “I Love You, Now Die" documentary, Michelle Carter pushed him past the tipping point. Without Michele Carter, Conrad Roy would not have died in that car. To begin with, Michelle Carter put the idea of killing himself in his mind to “end his pain”. If it wasn’t for Carter's involvement in this entire process Conrad may be still alive today and the whole situation probably would have looked very different. However, I believe that there are different levels of involvement regarding suicide, and they should be tried accordingly.
ReplyDeleteI agree that there should be a charge to hold people for encouraging someone to commit suicide. Both the "I Love You, Now Die" and this case are similar in the way that Michelle and Lewis encouraged a "loved one" to kill themselves. Although yes it is difficult to hold someone accountable, suicide encouragement should not be allowed and there should be some sort of punishment. But I also believe that than just punishing them they should also be offered help because obviously they are mentally ill too and not in the right state of mind.
ReplyDeleteThis is so sad! Similar to what others have said, this case can be compared to the Michelle Carter case that we learned about in class. In both situations, Michelle and this father had complete control over Conrad and the son. They were important figures in their lives, so Conrad and the boy followed everything that told them to do. Situations like these are so sad because there can be a lot more done to prevent these suicides from happening. This case is almost worse because family are expected to take care of their children, not punish them in unfair ways that lead them to want to kill themselves.
ReplyDeleteI agree that there should be a charge for suicide incitement. What I am curious about is whether something like this could fit into criminal indictment laws, which punish people who incite others' into committing crimes. So, do you believe that suicide's a crime? Or should such a charge for inciting suicide be separate from other laws?
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