Inyoung You at court for her arraignment Friday morning. (James Rojas/WBZ NewsRadio)
BOSTON (WBZ NewsRadio) — The Boston College student accused of pressuring her boyfriend to kill himself back in May made her first courtroom appearance Friday morning in Suffolk Superior Court.
Inyoung You, 21, is charged with involuntary manslaughter in the death of Alexander Urtula, who was 22 when he jumped off the roof of a Roxbury parking garage on May 20, just hours before he was set to walk in BC's graduation ceremony.
You pleaded not guilty and is free after posting $5,000 bail. She was also ordered to give up her passport, and cannot leave the state.
In an indictment last month, prosecutors said You sent over 75,000 texts to Urtula, with some prompting him to "go kill himself" or "go die," and that she, his family, and the world would be better off without him. They claim the abusive relationship is corroborated by You and Urtula's friends and classmates, as well as Urtula's diary.
Former Boston College Student Indicted In Boyfriend's Suicide
You showed little to no emotion while prosecutors read aloud vulgar and disturbing text messages she allegedly sent to Urtula.
"Both the defendant and Mr. Urtula discussed how the defendant 'owned' Urtula, how he was her slave," the prosecutor said. "As one witness related, You would text Urtula or say that she was going to harm herself to make sure she pulled him away, and very often he would say 'Inyoung's trying to hurt herself,' and that he has to leave the party."
Outside the courtroom, You's attorney Steven Kim went on the attack against District Attorney Rachael Rollins.
"After the indictment came down, she waited several days for a slow news cycle, and then held a press conference and decided to paint a fragile 21-year-old as a monster to the entire world," Kim said. "I've never seen in my entire career such an unjust and callous behavior by a district attorney, in what I can only conclude is a cheap pursuit of headlines—and she got them."
Rollins responded to Kim Friday afternoon with the following statement:
"We are focusing our attention on the victim in this case and his loving family. The Urtula family has endured an unimaginable amount of pain and we ask that the media honor their wishes for privacy during this time. We will honor Alexander and his legacy by holding the defendant accountable for her relentless, reckless, abusive and criminal behavior. This process will be long and difficult, but we will be there with the Urtula family each step of the way, remembering the best parts of Alexander."
A PR firm recently released more text messages, which appear to show You telling Urtula to stop before committing suicide.
DA Rollins said those are being used to change the narrative, and that You will be held accountable "for what we would say is egregious and reckless behavior."
"If the genders were switched in these two individuals, there would not be nearly as many questions," Rollins said.
You's next court hearing is set for January 21.
WBZ NewsRadio's James Rojas (@JamesRojasWBZ) reports
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