A former Boston College student charged with manslaughter over the suicide death of her boyfriend pleaded not guilty to manslaughter on Friday after arriving back in the US from her native South Korea.
Inyoung You, 21, has been charged with involuntary manslaughter for the death of her boyfriend, Aexander Urtula, 22, in May. She pleaded not guilty on Friday.
Urtula leaped to his death from the roof of a parking garage, 90 minutes before he was due to graduate, as You pulled up in an Uber.
Prosecutors later charged her, claiming she told him in tens of thousands of messages to ‘go die’. They say the woman manipulated and emotionally abused him over a period of several months.
She issued their final text exchange earlier this week in an attempt to prove that she tried to save his life by begging him ‘baby please stop’ when he alluded he was about to kill himself.
On Friday, You said nothing as she entered the court.
Inyoung You, 21, has been charged with involuntary manslaughter for the death of her boyfriend, Aexander Urtula, 22, in May. She is seen on Friday
Inyoung You, 21, released the final texts between her and her boyfriend Alexander Urtula, 22, before he jumped to his death in October. She has been charged with involuntary manslaughter for allegedly telling him repeatedly to kill himself over the course of several months before he died. She insists she is innocent and the texts she released show how she begged him not to leave her the day he died
You’s legal team released them in an effort to prove that she did not want him to die and begged him to ‘stop’ what he was doing after he warned her: ‘I’m far away on a tall place and I’m not gonna be here for long.’
The text message exchange began with her lambasting him for turning location services on his phone off, indicating that she had been tracking his movements.
She first asked him: ‘excuse me why is ur [sic] location not available.
‘what are u [sic] doing. where the f*** are you’.
You continued: ‘are you kidding, really? you really turned your location off you were being sus [sic] as f***when u [sic] left i [sic] knew u [sic] were gonna go f*****g see them.
‘u [sic] thought u [sic] were being sly about it.
‘u [sic] think I’m that DUMB? u [sic] turn ur [sic]location off at a time where it’s not even POSSIBLE that u [sic] made it to the parking lot then.’
He sent her fewer texts and they were somber.
His first read: ‘I’m not talking to anyone. I won’t ever again. I’m happy I got to spend my last night with you. I love you Inyoung until my last breath.’
She carried on arguing with him, replying: ‘Then WHERE ARE YOU’ and ‘that’s all you’ve got to f*****g say?’
Urtula then warned: ‘I’m not gonna be anywhere Inyoung this is goodbye forever. I love you. This isn’t your fault it’s mine.’
Her response was angry and written it block capitals.
She replied: ‘what. whAT. UR LEAVING ME [sic]’. It is unclear if she was at this point aware if he planned to take his own life.
His final texts, where he said ‘I’m far away on a tall place and I’m not gonna be here for long. I’m leaving everyone,’ spark her panic.
She begged: ‘ALEX. WHAT SRE [sic] YOU F***** DOING.
‘IF U [sic] F****** LOVE ME STOP.
‘IF U [sic] EVER F****** LOVED ME STOP.’
He replied morosely, writing: ‘I did love you just not well enough’ to which she said: ‘UR GONNA F****** LEAVE ME TO NOTHING.’
His final texts were ‘goodbye’ and then ‘you’ll have everything once I’m gone.’
After receiving them, You said a barage of panicked and angry messages, pleading with him to ‘stop’ whatever he was doing and saying: ‘Baby, please, please, please…. I love you.’
Her legal team and his family say that while he did not respond to any more texts, he did turn the location services on his phone back on.
It allowed her to track him to The Renaissance Parking Garage in Boston.
She ordered an Uber to take her there and continued texting him while also alerting his brother to his whereabouts.
The pair raced there and Urtula was still standing on top of the building when she arrived but, according to his family, jumped at the sight of her.
Prosecutors said that the pair exchanged more than 75,000 texts in the months before his suicide including some in which she allegedly told him to kill himself.
They say among them are some in which she told him ‘go die’ and ‘go kill yourself’.
They said in May that You had ‘complete’ control of her emotionally fragile boyfriend and that she used it to manipulate and abuse him.
‘Many of the messages clearly display the power dynamic in the relationship wherein Ms. You made demands and threats with the understanding that she had complete and total control over Mr. Urtula, both mentally and emotionally,’ prosecutor Rachel Rollins said at a press conference announcing the charges in October.
They said the ‘abuse’ was witnessed by friends of Urtula and that he also documented it in a journal.
He was studying biology and had completed his studies.
The day he died, he was due to receive his diploma and his family had traveled to Boston from New Jersey to watch the ceremony.
It remains unclear if or when You she will return to the US.
Prosecutors said they hoped she would surrender voluntarily but that if she didn’t, they would take the necessary steps to bring her back into the country.
Authorities have suggested involving Interpol to try to get her to come back.
So far, no extradition has been issued.
The case is the second of its kind to attract publicity.
Earlier this year, Michelle Carter was sentenced to 15 months in prison for encouraging her boyfriend Conrad Roy III to commit suicide in 2014 when she was 18.
Prosecutors, when they announced the charges against You, said the cases were similar.
However, there are some significant differences.
The biggest difference between them was that You launched an unrelenting campaign of abuse on her boyfriend whereas Carter was egged Roy on.
The younger pair also had limited physical contact whereas You and Urtula were frequently with each other.
‘We have a barrage, a complete and utter attack on this man’s very will and conscience and psyche by an individual to the tune of 47,000 messages,’ Rollins said in October.
Prosecutors have not commented on the texts her legal team released.
If you or anyone you know is struggling, for confidential support contact the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline on 1-800-273-8255 or visit their website here.
The garage Urtula leaped from in Boston as his girlfriend arrived at it in an Uber