No laws broken in MySpace-suicide case

[slime]

there ought to be a law...

Mom: Web Hoax Led Girl to Kill Herself -- chicagotribune.com

Mom: Web Hoax Led Girl to Kill Herself

By BETSY TAYLOR

Associated Press Writer

4:46 AM CST, November 17, 2007

DARDENNE PRAIRIE, Mo.

Megan Meier thought she had made a new friend in cyberspace when a cute teenage boy named Josh contacted her on MySpace and began exchanging messages with her.

Megan, a 13-year-old who suffered from depression and attention deficit disorder, corresponded with Josh for more than a month before he abruptly ended their friendship, telling her he had heard she was cruel.

The next day Megan committed suicide. Her family learned later that Josh never actually existed; he was created by members of a neighborhood family that included a former friend of Megan's.

Now Megan's parents hope the people who made the fraudulent profile on the social networking Web site will be prosecuted, and they are seeking legal changes to safeguard children on the Internet.

The girl's mother, Tina Meier, said she doesn't think anyone involved intended for her daughter to kill herself.

"But when adults are involved and continue to screw with a 13-year-old, with or without mental problems, it is absolutely vile," she told the Suburban Journals of Greater St. Louis, which first reported on the case.

Tina Meier said law enforcement officials told her the case did not fit into any law. But sheriff's officials have not closed the case and pledged to consider new evidence if it emerges.

Megan Meier hanged herself in her bedroom on Oct. 16, 2006, and died the next day. She was described as a "bubbly, goofy" girl who loved spending time with her friends, watching movies and fishing with her dad.

Megan had been on medication, but had been upbeat before her death, her mother said, after striking up a relationship on MySpace with Josh Evans about six weeks before her death.

Josh told her he was born in Florida and had recently moved to the nearby community of O'Fallon. He said he was homeschooled, and didn't yet have a phone number in the area to give her.

Megan's parents said she received a message from him on Oct. 15 of last year, essentially saying he didn't want to be her friend anymore, that he had heard she wasn't nice to her friends.

The next day, as Megan's mother headed out the door to take another daughter to the orthodontist, she knew Megan was upset about Internet messages. She asked Megan to log off. Users on MySpace must be at least 14, though Megan was not when she opened her account. A MySpace spokeswoman did not return calls seeking comment.

Someone using Josh's account was sending cruel messages. Then, Megan called her mother, saying electronic bulletins were being posted about her, saying things like, "Megan Meier is a ****. Megan Meier is fat."

Megan's mother, who monitored her daughter's online communications, returned home and said she was shocked at the vulgar language her own daughter was sending. She told her daughter how upset she was about it.

Megan ran upstairs, and her father, Ron, tried to tell her everything would be fine. About 20 minutes later, she was found in her bedroom. She died the next day.

Her father said he found a message the next day from Josh, which he said law enforcement authorities have not been able to retrieve. It told the girl she was a bad person and the world would be better without her, he has said.

Another parent, who learned of the MySpace account from her own daughter who had access to the Josh profile, told Megan's parents about the hoax in a counselor's office about six weeks after Megan died. That's when they learned Josh was imaginary, they said.

The woman who created the fake profile has not been charged with a crime. She allegedly told the St. Charles County Sheriff's Department she created Josh's profile because she wanted to gain Megan's confidence to know what Megan was saying about her own child online.

The mother from down the street told police that she, her daughter and another person all typed and monitored the communication between the fictitious boy and Megan.

A person who answered the door at the family's house told an Associated Press reporter on Friday afternoon that they had been advised not to comment.

Megan's parents had been storing a foosball table for the family that created the MySpace character. Six weeks after Megan's death, they learned the other family had created the profile and responded by destroying the foosball table, dumping it on the neighbors' driveway and encouraging them to move away.

Megan's parents are now separated and plan to divorce.

Aldermen in Dardenne Prairie, a community of about 7,000 residents about 35 miles from St. Louis, have proposed a new ordinance related to child endangerment and Internet harassment. It could come before city leaders on Wednesday.

"Is this enough?" Mayor Pam Fogarty said Friday. "No, not by any stretch of the imagination, but it's something, and you have to start somewhere."

[Jamroll]

This is quite a sad and disturbing story:

No laws broken in MySpace-suicide case
No criminal charges filed because none could be applied under current law

updated 12:27 p.m. ET Dec. 3, 2007
ST. CHARLES, Missouri - A prosecutor said Monday he will not file criminal charges in the case of the teenage girl who committed suicide after being bullied on the Internet because no charges could be applied under current law.

The parents of 13-year-old Megan Meier, who hanged herself last year, said her suicide was the result of harassment after she created a profile on the MySpace social networking site.

They have said an adult neighbor fabricated a teenage boy online who pretended to be interested in Megan before he began bullying her. The mother is quoted in a police report as saying she and an 18-year-old employee created the boy's account.

St. Charles County Prosecutor Jack Banas said the fake MySpace page was not created by the mother of one of Megan's friends, as has been reported. He said the page was created by an 18-year-old employee of that mother, though the mother knew about the page.

The messages were being sent by the 18-year-old and by the neighbor's daughter.

The prosecutor's office had been investigating whether any laws were broken or charges could be filed.

Prosecutor: No laws broken in MySpace-suicide case - Internet - MSNBC.com

[Wolfn]

Even if those psycho parents aren't charged, they will be harrassed and made fun of for the rest of their lives, which I think is what they deserve.

[YOUSUFofSD]

yea i was pretty amazed when i read the whole story back when it came out...but now that the woman, and the 18 year old employee is going to get off, its ridiculous. She knew what they were doing and did nothing.

[Wolfn]

Originally Posted by YOUSUFofSD

yea i was pretty amazed when i read the whole story back when it came out...but now that the woman, and the 18 year old employee is going to get off, its ridiculous. She knew what they were doing and did nothing.

Not only that, but the psycho parents aren't even sorry for what they did.

[nectar]

Originally Posted by Wolfn

Even if those psycho parents aren't charged, they will be harrassed and made fun of for the rest of their lives, which I think is what they deserve.

Mo. family shunned over hoax, suicide
By CHRISTOPHER LEONARD, Associated Press Writer 1 hour, 38 minutes ago



DARDENNE PRAIRIE, Mo. - Waterford Crystal Drive is one of those suburban streets that seem so new as to have no history at all. But the suicide of a teenage girl — and allegations she had been tormented by a neighbor over the Internet — have brought a reaction that is old, almost tribal, in its nature.

Residents of the middle-class subdivision have turned against the neighbor, Lori Drew, and her family, demanding the Drews move out. In interviews, they have warned darkly that someone might be tempted to "take matters into their own hands."

"It's like they used to do in the 1700s and 1800s. If you wronged a community, you were basically shunned. That's basically what happened to her," said Trever Buckles, a 40-year-old who lives next door to the Drews.

Drew became an outcast after she participated in a hoax in which a fictional teenager by the name of "Josh Evans" exchanged online messages with 13-year-old Megan Meier. Megan received cruel messages from Josh that apparently drove her to hang herself in her closet in 2006.

Through her lawyer, Drew, a mother of two in her 40s, has denied saying hurtful things to the girl over the Internet, and prosecutors have said they found no grounds for charges against the woman. Nevertheless, the community reaction has been vengeful and the pressure on the Drews intense.

More than 100 residents gathered in front of their home on a recent evening, holding candles and reciting stories about Megan.

Last December, after neighbors learned of the Internet hoax, someone threw a brick through a window in the Drew home. A few weeks ago, someone made a prank call to police reporting that there had been a shooting inside the Drews' house, prompting squad cars to arrive with sirens flashing.

Someone recently obtained the password to change the Drews' outgoing cell phone recording, and replaced it with a disturbing message. Police would not detail the content.
Clients have fled from Drew's home-based advertising business, so she had to close it. Neighbors have not seen Drew outside her home in weeks.

Death threats and ugly insults have been hurled at Drew over the Internet, where she has been portrayed as a monster who should go to prison, lose custody of her children, or worse. Her name and address have been posted online, and a Web site with satellite images of the home said the Drews should "rot in hell."

Some of the threats "really freak me out," Buckles said while standing on his front porch after dark Tuesday night. As he spoke, a car slowed and stopped in front of Drew's home. It sat there idling for a few long minutes, then sped away. Buckles said it is a common occurrence.

"I just really hope that no one comes out here and does something insane," Buckles said. "If they do, I hope they get the right house."

continued

[zakk]

Several fairly stupid things:

Why is a 13 year old on myspace?

The parents knew that their 13 year old daughter was communicating with a 16 year old guy whom they did not know, and didn't stop it.

The other mother knew that this girl was on anti-depressants and still was ok with all the fakery

wth?

[Wolfn]

Originally Posted by zakk

Several fairly stupid things:

Why is a 13 year old on myspace?

The parents knew that their 13 year old daughter was communicating with a 16 year old guy whom they did not know, and didn't stop it.

The other mother knew that this girl was on anti-depressants and still was ok with all the fakery

wth?

Well, I know that there's an age limit on myspace, but if one uses it responsibly, I don't see any harm in it. I have a nice little profile that I have pictures and videos and everything. Nothing haraam or anything, and it's a nice way to keep in contact with people.

Well, the parents didn't think there was any harm with her talking to an older person. I'm 18 and I have people who are more than 30 on my friend's list. If one is 15, would you be okay with that person talking to an 18 year old? Even on a site like this, are you okay with talking to those older than you?

The other mother (who created the fake account) was okay with the fakery because some people are like that. Even today, that mother is not even sorry that she drove that child to suicide. There's just some sick people in the world like that


And regarding the previous thread with everyone shunning the Drews, I agree with that. Well, I don't think the daughter should be shunned unless she played a role in this. However, there should be consequences for what happened, and since authorities are not doing anything, the neighbors have every right to do something back. People need to learn that they can't say or do anything without getting away with it.

[zakk]

What I'm saying is, I would absolutely not be okay with my 13 year old daughter talking online with anyone she did not know, especially not a 16 year old guy.

[Wolfn]

Originally Posted by zakk

What I'm saying is, I would absolutely not be okay with my 13 year old daughter talking online with anyone she did not know, especially not a 16 year old guy.

Would you be okay with your daughter being on a site like this?

[zakk]

not at 13, no.

also, myspace is different that a message board. message boards are a community, but myspace involves direct communication.

[slime]

search, it's your friend

i feel bad for the psycho mom's kid.

this happened a year ago and its only coming out now

[Deel]

ok so i was talking about this with some friends today.
what happened to the 18 year old employee?
there must be something that they can charge the mother and the 18 year old for. anything!
when i told my friend that they didn't break any law according to the case,
she asked, "What about identity theft?" they must've had a picture on the fake profile, no?

Originally Posted by slime

i feel bad for the psycho mom's kid.

doesn't it say that her daughter participated in the fake messages also?
this is sick. poor megan .

They have said an adult neighbor fabricated a teenage boy online who pretended to be interested in Megan before he began bullying her. The mother is quoted in a police report as saying she and an 18-year-old employee created the boy's account.

St. Charles County Prosecutor Jack Banas said the fake MySpace page was not created by the mother of one of Megan's friends, as has been reported. He said the page was created by an 18-year-old employee of that mother, though the mother knew about the page.

The messages were being sent by the 18-year-old and by the neighbor's daughter.

[serendipity_000]

Assalamu Alaikum,

"Megan, a 13-year-old who suffered from depression and attention deficit disorder"


People with depression don't kill themselves because of fake male friends who abandon them, they kill themselves because they are depressed! A normal child's reaction to something like that would have been some sadness and tears, but they would not kill themselves. Obviously she was neither normal nor stable. In all likelihood, if not as a result of this, she would have killed herself for some other reason.

How can you charge someone for that? Lots of relatives of depressed children try to blame any and everyone if they commit suicide. Some people will commit suicide regardless of what and who is or isn't in their lives, just to stop the anguish and pain.

Given the situation, her parents never should have left her alone.

[shadha]

Yeah it was an asinine idea of the mother to create a false profile on MySpace to begin with, but why should she be charged because the child committed suicide? She can't even be charged with assisted suicide because she didn't prompt the child to do so. What if the Josh boy was real, and he really did say that to the girl, should he have been charged? And the girls parents are obvious *******s.


shadha-