Inyoung You Charged With Manslaughter For Effectively Forcing Her Boyfriend To Commit Suicide
A Korean woman who had “complete and total control” over her boyfriend has been charged with manslaughter for allegedly forcing him to commit suicide, The Boston Herald reports. Authorities say that Inyoung You allegedly sent over 700 “manipulative” text messages per day to Alexander Urtula, who died in May.
Back on May 20, Urtula, who was 22, jumped to his death from the top of a Boston parking garage. Just hours later, he was to receive his diploma from Boston College, and his family was in town from New Jersey to support him. They never got to see him graduate.
While investigating Urtula’s death, authorities searched his phone and made a horrifying discovery: tens of thousands of text messages from You, thousands of which allegedly consisted of You telling Urtula to “go die” and “kill yourself.” Authorities say that, in the days and weeks leading up to Urtula’s death, You sent him an average of 780 such texts per day.
District Attorney Rachael Rollins said that You used threats of self-harm to assert control over Urtula, and that, by the time of Urtula’s death, the power dynamic in the relationship consisted of You having almost total control over Urtula. Rollins says that You was “physically, verbally and psychologically” abusive to the young man.
Prosecutors say @BostonCollege student Alexander Urtula leapt from Roxbury parking garage after verbal & psychological abuse from girlfriend 22- year old Inyoung You.
It happened the morning of BC graduation in May…hours before he was set to walk.@boston25 pic.twitter.com/oeuUDyyalt— Scott McDonnell (@ScottMcDonnell_) October 28, 2019
Further, You allegedly stalked Urtula, using phone-tracking software to keep abreast of his whereabouts. She was allegedly present at the parking garage on the day that Urtula took his life.
“[You] 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,” Rollins said.
You, who was herself a Boston College student at the time of Urtula’s death, dropped out of school shortly afterward and has reportedly returned to Korea. Authorities are hoping that she will return on her own to face charges; failing that, authorities are also looking into pursuing extradition.
You’s case bears eerie similarities to that of another Massachusetts suicide in which a female encouraged a male to commit suicide.
As previously reported by The Inquisitr, Michelle Carter made headlines when, in 2014, Carter encouraged her friend, Conrad Roy, to commit suicide. Though they were miles apart at the time, the two young adults exchanged text messages as Roy was going through with the act of killing himself via carbon monoxide poisoning, having filled the cab of his pickup truck with the deadly gas. At one point, Roy indicated that he didn’t want to go through with it, but Carter texted him back, encouraging him to go through with it.
If you or someone you know is in crisis, please call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255) or contact the Crisis Text Line by texting TALK to 741741. For readers outside the U.S., visit Suicide.org or Befrienders Worldwide for international resources you can use to find help.
