♪ ♪ doesn't look back just run ♪ this is "nightline." tonight, can words kill? a young when sent to prison for convincing her boyfriend to commit suicide. >> and her secret text messages. >> she mocked him when he chose to delay his death. >> plus catch a python in the everglads. endangered species becoming house pets and locals are fighting back. >> they've followed them since they were three years old.

>> and claiming her time. >> california congressman maxine water stern congressional meeting transformed into gospel remix. why it is catching fire on social media.

♪ good evening. thank you for joining us. tonight the tragic story of a teenage relationship that ended way young man taking his own life, the young woman going to prison. at the heart of this closely watched case her text messages encouraging him to commit suicide and the debate over whether words can kill. >> for 20-year-old michelle carter an uncertain future. >> her fate handed down two months after the stunning verdict. >> applying the law now finds you guilty. >> guilty of involuntary manslaughter for using text messages and phone calls for encouraging her boyfriend to take his own life. this troubled relationship

began in 2011 she then an athletic 17-year-old from plainville, massachusetts, he shared her love of sports, and he had a love for the sea and had a future in the family tug boat business. >> he roffloved being on the wa. got his captain license at 18. pretty awesome. >> yet he was adrift and troubled. >> hi this is conrad henry reporting to you what's going on through my mind, my head last few days. >> confiding deep emotional stress in these private video diaries. >> i've created a monster out of myself past few years because of my depression. racing thoughts. suicidal thoughts. hardest thing for me is to be comfortable in my own skin.

>> sarah is a reporter for boston affiliate wbbb says michelle had her troubles. >> she suffered from depression and had a eating disorder and took ability eye depressants. >> but something clicked between the two. falling into a heavy virtual romance. one conrad's mother knew little about. >> she thought it was an acquaintance nothing more. >> in fact had he meet in person only two or three times. their relationship nearly entirely electronic. >> they were intimate over text messages, talking about their personal feelings. were they boyfriend-girlfriend hard to say. >> in a facebook exchange early on he tells her about his brush with death. >> i tried to kill yourself. >> how did you try to kill yourself do you still want the to. >> no i'm going to. just letting you know. the voices in my head tell me to. >> there's weeks of messages he is saying i'm depressed.

i want to die. she says it over and over. >> she's overwhelmed by this care taker role sh he has with her boyfriend she can't handle it. >> she repeatedly tried to talk him out of it encouraging him to get help. >> you're in a dark tunnel it's not going to last forever you'll find the life some day. >> for two years he talked about ending his life warning her not to tell anyone she doesn't. >> only way i would hate you is if you tell people about this. >> i'm not going to tell anyone if i did you would have to go to a hospital i know that's not what you want. >> his family is aware he struggled with depression but says they know nothing about the text messages. july 12, 2014, he says he's going to see a friend but she worries when he didn't return. next day officer finds conrad's truck and lifeless body behind

the wheel. >> i've seen enough people that were gone to realize that he was gone by looking at him. there's nothing anyone could do for him. >> in the back seat this pump used to fill his car with lethal cloud of carbon monoxide. he left notes for his family and michelle. >> thanks her for sticking with him as he went through these struggles and mental health problems. >> most of his family and friends never met her, michelle attends his wake and funeral. >> showing up at these various times. >> yeah. >> and even asked for part of his ashes. >> yeah she wanted to go through his room and take some of his belongings. >> what did you all make of that? >> that's when things started to get a little weird. like, hmmm, yeah you don't do that. >> fair haven police are working what seems like a straight forward suicide investigation until they get the password for

conrad's phone and find disturbing text messages from michelle. >> i don't get why you don't over dose and go somewhere in private you floerd already know works. >> she begins to agree with him, when are you going to do it. >> you're really going to do this. >> yeah. >> okay there's no turning back now. carbon monoxide poisoning is the best option. if you fall asleep in the car while it's running in a garage it will kill you and there's no pain. >> investigators are stunned. in the last week of his life michelle ask the conrod when he's going to kill himself more than 40 times. >> when are you going to do it? >> i'll let you know when. >> well is it going to be soon. >> conrad had attempted suicide before but waivered on that july evening michelle now encourages him. >> are you going to do it now? >> leaving now. >> okay. you can do this.

>> five minutes later conrad sends this text. >> okay i'm almost there. >> it would be his last before taking his life. later when she hears detectives are searching for conrad's phone michelle begins to worry sending a frantic text to her friend. >> if they read my messages with him i'm done, his family will hate me, i could go to jail. >> then this jaw dropping one. >> sam his death is my fault. like, honestly i could have stopped him i was on the phone with him and he got out of the car because it was working and he got scared and i [ bleep ] told him to get back in. >> is the question whether words can kill. >> this was more than words. much more than words. she researched modes of deaths. >> the reason she did that is because he asked for help. he is the one who drew her into this from the beginning. >> six months after conrad's

death a stunning indictment charging michelle carter with involuntary manslaughter. >> what she said is reprehensible and it is just bone-chilling. but that's a separate question from is it criminal. >> she seasis and her legal tea decline a jury instead putting her fate in the hands of a judge. >> she assisted, planted suicide, pushed him to kill himself sooner rather than later. >> presented as a girl who was manipulating, looking for attention. >> she wanted him to die appears to gain attention or friendships or get girls to like her more. >> she used him as a pawn in her sick game. >> the defense resting entirely on one witness psychiatrist peter br e gan. >> the short explanation is she thought that was the only way to

help him. >> says she was an emotionally disturbed team who became overwhelmed with his talk of suicide. >> she told him two years you don't want to do it. >> until she eventually says do it. >> she says if that's what you want do it. she breaks under his pressure, under the drugs. >> spoke exclusively with defense attorney. >> what did the world not understand about michelle. >> she really cared for conrad. she thought she was supporting what he wanted. >> after six days of testimony michelle carter now 20 years old found guilty in her boyfriend's death. >> this court finds instructor mr. roy to get back in the truck constituted wanton and reckless conduct by miss carter. >> yesterday the sentence. >> two and half years in the bristol county house of correction. >> adding she will only spend 15

months behind bars and probation but tonight michelle carter remains free as the team works on at peel. conrad's family calls it a slap in the face but finding solis with in one thought. >> she has to live the rest of her life in her skin as her, one of the most hated people in the country. so good luck with that. >> for "nightline" in massachusetts i'm deborah roberts. >> thanks to deborah roberts. next learn how to hunt pythons, never know when it will come in handy. ...they're not all the same. turns out, they're really... ...different. who knew? i had no idea. so, she said look for... ...one that's shaped like a dental tool with a round... ...brush head. go pro with oral-b. oral-b's rounded brush head surrounds each tooth to... ...gently remove more plaque and... ...oral-b crossaction is clinically proven to... ...remove more plaque than sonicare diamondclean.

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♪ burmese pythons have few natural predators, alligators, black bears, cougars and tribesmen in india taught to hunt them since they are three. >> there are tens and thousands terrorizing wild life. >> preying on all the native wild life. >> they are seemingly everywhere. >> the woman found seven foot python under clothing. >> we know there's a lot of missing cats in that neighborhood. >> but in reality they're hard to find. if sources florida is thinking so florida is thinking outside of the box. and in the brains of these

experts from india's renowned snake catching tribe. >> aha! >> they have been hunting snake since they were three years old. they know things they can't even explain to us. >> for two months only they come to the everglads to do this. teaching their techniques to researchers at the fish and wild life conservation commission and university of florida. >> we got another one. >> he got his nickname from wrestling alligators but is just as eager to get his hands on these. he invited us to spend a day on the hunt with the snake-catching combo. >> so nice to meet you. i'm gloria. >> nashi. >> i have reluctantly chased down deadly snakes before.

that's me sccoworring when a coa appears. >> is he taking it out now? should i stay right here? oh, my god. >> today i'm putting on a brave face because pythons are not venomous but no less lethal this one swallowed a man hole. >> we found seven foot alligators inside them. >> that's what we're going to look for now? >> yes. >> we set out in the swam buggy. covering a lot of ground slowly. >> they are laser focused. their eyes are just shhh. >> you can see how difficult it is with the landscape here and the color of the snake to start with being all cam owed you have to really, really concentrate. >> slid he hits the brakes and the trackers think they spotted the snake trail and see the path

these animals carve through the everglades. >> but this trail belongs to another reptile. >> we were seeing a trail that looked like a snake trail but is really anal gate joor trail. >> they take a knee to roll a tobacco cigarette a routine break that renews their focus and instantly are off again darting in and out of the brush. >> it's a slow process and so far no python yet. but that's not unusual. it's hard to find these snakes. >> it is so hard there are numerous python catching efforts around the state. >> it's not about the money, it's about the everglades. >> the south florida management district paid hourly wage to special wranglers and they're trying everything from detection dogs to training amateurs. >> hold it would two fingers. who wants to go first. >> they even hold competitions to encourage the public to get

in onto hunt. >> you don't think might bite you. >> it might but then i'll pull it out of there. >> "nightline" spent the day with the cyprus boys who made it look easy. spotting one from their car. >> oh, my god. >> just watch it. >> come here. >> there he is. there he is. >> i see him. >> and in catching two more at once. >> jahhe holy [ bleep ]. >> they caught four that day. winning the python challenge by catching 33 in a month. >> ready. >> yeah. >> that's the same number these two caught in their trip in the sunshine state. >> our mission is not yet finished we're getting on to the

boats to check some of the waterways because that's where pythons like to hang out. >> we island hop. >> got if. >> our team battles some very thick branches. heading for holes and other potential hide out zbrz in case one attacks. >> okay. >> where he goes i try to follow. >> getting a little challenging. >> that's far if you have for me. ah! >> despite their previous success the snakes remain allusive on this day. >> when you approach this problem the goal is not to catch every python in the florida everglades. >> well that's what we like to do but we don't believe that you can ever capture all of the python. what we're trying to do is kind of control it. that's why we have the python challenge, to educate the public and why we brought the irula indians in. >> helping florida try to get a

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and finally tonight a democratic party hero is going viral after 25 years of service. >> reclaiming my time. >> california senator maxine waters is having a moment started july 27th when secretary steve seemed to avoid her questions. >> reclaiming my time. reclaiming my time. >> waters repeatedly revoked house floor procedure. ♪ >> this morning on the view she

addressed the sensation. >> i'm so surprised about the way the millenials in particular have connected with me. >> waters was joined by the voice behind the gospel remix. ♪ i'm reclaiming my time ♪ >> catchy tune, sources say the congress woman will stick to her day job. >> thanks for watching us. on abc "nightline." thanks for the company america. have a great weekend. >> you know, technically they call this program a game show, but with $1 million on the line, clearly we're not playing around. this is "who wants to be a millionaire." [cheers and applause] [dramatic music] ♪ hey, everybody, welcome to the show. you guys ready to play "millionaire" today? [cheers and applause] let's do it. having worked as a mailman for the last ten years, our first contestant is ready to

deliver his own check for $1 million. from henderson, nevada, please welcome alan gegax. >> all right! all right. >> hey, what's up, buddy? >> hey, how are you? >> good to see you. [cheers and applause] >> yeah. >> i'm glad you got the memo about the plaid tie. >> that's right. >> we're killing it today. >> so that means you accept my invitation to sadie hawkins? >> i do, sir. yes, i do. >> all right. >> you were a mailman for quite a long time. >> i was. i still am. >> what's the best thing about being a mailman? >> you know, probably the best day i ever had as a mailman came early in my career when i got to deliver packages on christmas day. we went through all the mail and found things that looked like christmas gifts, and to see the surprise on people's faces when i knocked on the door and gave them that, it was awesome. >> and... [applause] then when i ask you the worst part about it, you'd be like, "working on christmas day." >> right, right. no, it's the dogs. >> the dogs? >> yeah, that is not a myth. >> so that's just not a cliché. >> no, no. i have been chased by