A Boston College student has pleaded guilty to manslaughter after consistently telling her boyfriend at the same school to end his life, which he eventually did, per BBC News.
On Thursday, Inyoung You, 23, pleaded guilty as she accepted responsibility for her late boyfriend Alexander Urtula's death following verbal, physical, and psychological abuse that she inflicted on him, the Suffolk County district attorney's office confirmed.
She initially pleaded not guilty in 2019, but under her new guilty plea, she will receive a suspended sentence. If she breaks any of her probation terms over the next decade, she could spend two and a half years behind bars.
She is to undergo mental health treatment and carry out community service. She is also prohibited from profiting from any portrayal of the case over the next decade.
“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," Suffolk County District Attorney Rachael Rollins said in a statement. "They believe this is something Alexander would have wanted."
The young couple started dating around the end of 2017 or start of 2018, per BuzzFeed News. According to the prosecution, You started becoming abusive towards Urtula in the summer of 2018 when she learned that he lied about meeting up with an ex-girlfriend.
During You and Urtula's 18-month relationship, she sent multiple abusive texts to her boyfriend, often telling him to kill himself.
"Do everyone a favor and go f***ing kill yourself, you’re such a f***ing stupid a** worthless s***," one of the texts from You to Urtula read.
Urtula committed suicide on May 20, 2019, just hours before his graduation from college.
Just four days before he died, You texted him, "F*** YOU GO F***ING KILL YOURSELF..."
You's lawyer, Steven Kim said in a statement in November 2019 that the prosecution had made his client out to be “a monster to the entire world, further traumatizing her.”
Our thoughts continue to be with Alexander Urtula's family at this difficult time.
