Woman indicted in missouri online suicide case

5/15/2008 8:38:37 PM	Woman indicted in missouri online suicide case
lust4love Atco, NJ age: 37	LOS ANGELES - A Missouri woman was indicted Thursday for her alleged role in perpetrating a hoax on the online social network [blocked site] against a 13-year-old neighbor who committed suicide. Lori Drew, 49, of suburban St. Louis, who allegedly helped create a [blocked site] account in the name of someone who didn't exist to convince Megan Meier she was chatting with a 16-year-old boy named Josh Evans, was charged with conspiracy and fraudulently gaining access to someone else's computer. Megan hanged herself at home in October 2006, allegedly after receiving a dozen or more cruel messages, including one stating the world would be better off without her. Salvador Hernandez, assistant agent in charge of the Los Angeles FBI office, called the case heart-rending. "The Internet is a world unto itself. People must know how far they can go before they must stop. They exploited a young girl's weaknesses," Hernandez said. "Whether the defendant could have foreseen the results, she's responsible for her actions." Drew was indicted by a federal grand jury on one count of conspiracy and three counts of accessing protected computers without authorization to get information used to inflict emotional distress on the girl. Drew has denied creating the account or sending messages to Megan. Dean Steward, a lawyer representing Drew in the federal case, said a legal challenge to the charges was being planned. He characterized them as unusual and puzzling. "We thought when prosecutors in St. Louis looked at the case and all the facts, it was clear no criminal acts occurred," Steward said. A man who opened the door at the Drew family home in Dardenne Prairie, Mo., on Thursday said the family had no comment. Megan's mother, Tina Meier, told The Associated Press she believed media reports and public outrage helped move the case forward for prosecution. "I'm thrilled that this woman is going to face charges that she has needed to face since the day we found out what was going on, and since the day she decided to be a part of this entire ridiculous stunt," she said. Megan's father, Ron Meier, 38, said he began to cry "tears of joy" when he heard of the indictment. The parents are now separated, which Tina Meier has said stemmed in part from the circumstances of their daughter's death. Tina Meier has acknowledged Megan was too young to have a [blocked site] account under the Web site's guidelines, but she said she had been able to closely monitor the account. Meier's family has also acknowledged that Megan was also sending mean messages before her death. Megan was being treated for attention deficit disorder and depression, her family has said. Meier has said Drew knew Megan was on medication. [blocked site] issued a statement saying it "does not tolerate cyberbullying" and was cooperating fully with the U.S. attorney. U.S. Attorney Thomas P. O'Brien said this was the first time the federal statute on accessing protected computers has been used in a social-networking case. It has been used in the past to address hacking. "This was a tragedy that did not have to happen," O'Brien said at a Los Angeles press conference. Both the girl and [blocked site] are named as victims in the case, he said. Rebecca Lonergan, a former federal prosecutor who now teaches law at the University of Southern California, said use of the federal cyber crime statute may be open to challenge. Lonergan, who used the statute in the past to file charges in computer hacking and trademark theft cases, said the crimes covered by the law involve obtaining information from a computer, not sending messages out to harrass someone. "Here it is the flow of information away from the computer," she said. "It's a very creative, aggressive use of the statute. But they may have a legally tough time meeting the elements." She said, however, that because "a very bad harm was done," the courts may grant some latitude. [blocked site] is a subsidiary of Beverly Hills-based Fox Interactive Media Inc., which is owned by News Corp. The indictment noted that [blocked site] computer servers are located in Los Angeles County. Due to juvenile privacy rules, the U.S. attorney's office said, the indictment refers to the girl as M.T.M. FBI agents in St. Louis and Los Angeles investigated the case, Hernandez said. Each of the four counts carries a maximum possible penalty of five years in prison. Federal officials said Drew will be arraigned in St. Louis and moved to Los Angeles for trial. Her lawyer, however, said Drew did not have to surrender in Missouri but would be arraigned in early June in Los Angeles. The indictment says [blocked site] members agree to abide by terms of service that include, among other things, not promoting information they know to be false or misleading; soliciting personal information from anyone under age 18 and not using information gathered from the Web site to "harass, abuse or harm other people." Drew and others who were not named conspired to violate the service terms from about September 2006 to mid-October that year, according to the indictment. It alleges they registered as a [blocked site] member under a phony name and used the account to obtain information on the girl. Drew and her coconspirators "used the information obtained over the [blocked site] computer system to torment, harass, humiliate, and embarrass the juvenile [blocked site] member," the indictment charged. The indictment contends they committed or aided in a dozen "overt acts" that were illegal, including using a photograph of a boy that was posted without his knowledge or permission. They used "Josh" to flirt with Megan, telling her she was "sexi," the indictment charged. Around Oct. 7, 2006, Megan was told "Josh" was moving away, prompting the girl to write: "aww sexi josh ur so sweet if u moved back u could see me up close and personal lol." Several days later, "Josh" urged the girl to call and added: "i love you so much." But on or about Oct. 16, "Josh" wrote to the girl and told her "in substance, that the world would be a better place without M.T.M. in it," according to the indictment. The girl hanged herself the same day, and Drew and the others deleted the information in the account, the indictment said. Last month, an employee of Drew, 19-year-old Ashley Grills, told ABC's "Good Morning America" she created the false [blocked site] profile but Drew wrote some of the messages to Megan. Grills said Drew suggested talking to Megan via the Internet to find out what Megan was saying about Drew's daughter, who was a former friend. Grills also said she wrote the message to Megan about the world being a better place without her. The message was supposed to end the online relationship with "Josh" because Grills felt the joke had gone too far. "I was trying to get her angry so she would leave him alone and I could get rid of the whole [blocked site]," Grills told the morning show. Megan's death was investigated by Missouri authorities, but no state charges were filed because no laws appeared to apply to the case. [Edited 5/15/2008 8:39:32 PM]
5/17/2008 8:36:19 PM	Woman indicted in missouri online suicide case
edawg2 Knoxville, TN age: 59	She should be.
5/17/2008 8:57:15 PM	Woman indicted in missouri online suicide case
kay46 Quitaque, TX age: 46	i feel for the family of the girl that died. so terrible. and for the lady that did it all, she must really be an insecure person that has to live with this for the rest of her life. i hope she remembers it daily. i also hope they all find peace with Jesus
5/17/2008 10:18:49 PM	Woman indicted in missouri online suicide case
lostinwyoming Evanston, WY age: 50	feds are all over the internet now. was some preety messed up shit they pulled on that girl.they should get life.
5/20/2008 4:36:24 AM	Woman indicted in missouri online suicide case
kay46 Quitaque, TX age: 46	i just dont understand people sometimes. maybe it will change the way they view internet crimes so people dont get away with these things. i keep hearing of the child porn going around. ive typed in things quite innocently and ended up on a porn site(not child site) so makes you wonder how many started quite innocently and then it went from there. it a bad thing now to take naked pics of your kids. used to, it was just a thing you did was take pictures of them in the nude when they were first born, playing in the bathtub etc and now it could be used in porn. so gross and so wrong that people makes something wonderful and natural into porn and equate something sexual out of it. yuck
5/21/2008 9:57:53 PM	Woman indicted in missouri online suicide case
curiousone2 Springfield, IL age: 42	Quote from edawg2: She should be. I agree, If this had been kids, I would have disagreed, but this sick and demented woman gained access to an account, and I believe she gained access as a girls frind in a sneaky way too right? like she tricked her or someone else into accepting her as a friend? and then they started a relationship. So in my Mind, this is similar to the texas cheerleading Mom, that tried to have her daughters rival killed. even though her intent wasn't neccesarily for her to die, she wa sintending to cause harm to this CHILD, because of a childhood rivalry betwen her and her daughter. I think seperating this nasty b*tch from all children should be first and foremost, give her some time to work on her own relationship network. I think taking her away from her family is a wonderful gift to her children. She clearly expected something bad to befall this girl, what could she have thought was going to happen? just amajor depression, and she would drop out of the social circles, or what?? what a freak. I hope the court is hard on her, and gives her so much time she wont be an influence on her kids, or her grandkids.
5/22/2008 6:07:48 AM	Woman indicted in missouri online suicide case
1pinkstar Omaha, NE age: 54	Curious: think about this case and try to consider being a little less mean yourself with some of the people on DH. Calling people handytards and stupid is deameaning as well.
5/22/2008 6:21:16 AM	Woman indicted in missouri online suicide case
lust4love Atco, NJ age: 37	pinkstar has also called me an Anchor Baby.a term that would have driven some weak individuals to end their lives. shame on you pinkstar!!
5/22/2008 8:43:58 PM	Woman indicted in missouri online suicide case
1pinkstar Omaha, NE age: 54	Lust: Once the immigration laws are obeyed, that will be the last you'll hear about anchor babies. That does not remotely equate with the matter here where a young girl killed herself. Additionally, Lust you are supposed to be an adult now. Act like one.
5/22/2008 8:52:04 PM	Woman indicted in missouri online suicide case
krupa1 Abilene, TX age: 39	For the love of God!......not sure how sniping each other is supposed to prove a point about ideological stances.... Good job kids.....after this....I will need to go go play with a slinky to regain IQ points.
5/22/2008 8:57:48 PM	Woman indicted in missouri online suicide case
1pinkstar Omaha, NE age: 54	Playing with your slinky may not do it.
5/22/2008 8:59:10 PM	Woman indicted in missouri online suicide case
krupa1 Abilene, TX age: 39	Better than my other options.

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