Suicide case: Cyberspace law or human drama?

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By LINDA DEUTSCH AP Special Correspondent
Article Launched: 11/17/2008

LOS ANGELES—The case of U.S. vs. Lori Drew is viewed in legal circles as landmark Internet law, but as outlined in government documents with its neighborhood feuds and a teen's suicide it reads more like a plot line for a made-for-TV drama.

In fact, as the judge has noted, the case of the 49-year-old Missouri woman accused of taunting a 13-year-old girl on the Internet to the point where she committed suicide has already inspired an episode of "Law & Order."

U.S. District Judge George Wu said he considered a defense motion to exclude evidence of the suicide from the trial which begins Tuesday. But he finally decided it would be futile since people being called for jury duty most likely know about it.

Instead, he said he would instruct the jurors that the case is about whether Drew violated the terms of service of the MySpace social networking site, not about whether she caused the suicide of Megan Meier.

Drew has pleaded not guilty to one count of conspiracy and three counts of accessing computers without authorization. Each count carries a potential sentence of five years in prison.

Drew's lawyer, Dean Steward, argued in exasperated tones that no matter what the judge tells the jury, once they hear the story, they will not see it as a case about violating rules in cyberspace.

"They will conclude it's about the tragic death of a young girl," he said. "The jury is going to end up thinking that Lori Drew is being tried for the death of Megan Meier."

Not so, said Assistant U.S. Attorney Mark Krause, but his memorandum presents a compelling narrative of neighborhood discords and death in the town of O'Fallon, Mo.

The saga began years ago when the Drew and Meier families were friends in the St. Louis suburb. Their daughters were the same age, attended school together and were friends.

Megan, who is referred to in court documents as M.T.M. because she was a minor, spent time with the Drews and traveled with them, the prosecutor said.

"However, their relationship was, at times, rocky," the document notes. "On ... occasions, M.T.M. feuded with defendant's daughter."

Megan's mother, Christina Meier, confided in Drew that she was concerned for her daughter's mental health and felt she was "particularly vulnerable," Krause said.

In one conversation, Megan's mother disclosed her daughter was suffering from depression and said she was considering reversing the locks on her bedroom door "so that she could not lock herself in and harm herself."

Eventually, the girls drifted apart and in 2005 Megan transferred to a new school.

In the summer of 2006, Drew became concerned that Megan was spreading malicious rumors on MySpace about her daughter. The mother discussed the matter with her daughter and her 18-year-old assistant, Ashley Grills, the document said.

The three plotted to invent "an attractive male teenager" on MySpace and approach Megan using the false identity. They allegedly planned to find out what she was saying about Drew's daughter.

Grills, who is expected to testify as the government's star witness, has said she warned they would get in trouble if unmasked. But she said Drew assured her that "many people created fake identities on the Internet."

Prosecutors declined to comment on whether Grills has been given immunity in exchange for her testimony.

"Josh Evans" was born on MySpace on Sept. 20, 2006, and was introduced as a new boy in town who was home schooled and lonely.

"The co-schemers also posted a photograph of an attractive boy on the profile to further the fraud," the document said, and "he" contacted Megan. She was "smitten," and after some innocent messages Drew encouraged her co-conspirators to have him "flirt" with Megan.

Drew enjoyed sharing details of the scheme with her friends and colleagues and even told her hairdresser that Megan "may have had the 'hots' for the fake guy," Krause said.

Complications arose when another neighborhood girl obtained the password for the "Josh Evans" account and sent messages to Megan saying Josh no longer wanted to be friends with her. A dispute erupted and on Oct. 16, 2006, Grills typed a message telling Megan "that the world would be a better place without (her) in it."

Megan ran upstairs at her home and her mother found her about 20 minutes later hanging in her closet. She died the next day in the hospital.

Steward said outside court that part of Drew's defense would be that she was not at home when the message was sent.

Grills said during an interview with the ABC's "Good Morning America" last spring that she wrote the message to Megan in an effort to end the online relationship with "Josh" because Grills felt the joke had gone too far.

When she learned of the suicide, Drew told her "co-schemers" to delete the MySpace account, Krause wrote. She called the other girl who had become part of the MySpace conversation and told her to "keep her mouth shut" and to "stay off the MySpace."

Megan's death was investigated by Missouri authorities, but no state charges were filed because no laws appeared to apply to the case. But in California, U.S. Attorney Thomas P. O'Brien, noting that MySpace was headquartered in Los Angeles, found a statute that seemed to apply.

O'Brien said this was the first time the federal statute on accessing protected computers has been used in a social-networking case. It had been used in the past to address computer hacking.

Source:
http://www.mercurynews.com/news/ci_11006242


Suicide evidence likely out of MySpace hoax trial
Nov 10, 2008

Update in United States v. Lori Drew: The Associated Press has a report on today's hearing in the Lori Drew case.

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Prosecutors in the trial of a woman accused of a MySpace hoax that allegedly led a 13-year-old girl to kill herself will likely be prohibited from presenting evidence of the suicide, a federal judge said Monday.

U.S. District Judge George H. Wu told attorneys he was leaning toward excluding the evidence from the trial of Lori Drew, who is accused of using a fictitious profile on the social networking site to drive Megan Meier, her daughter's former friend, to hang herself.

Drew has pleaded not guilty to one count of conspiracy and three counts of accessing computers without authorization.

"I don't necessarily think the suicide is relevant to the crime charged," Wu said, adding he thought details of Meier's death would unfairly prejudice the jury. He said he planned to announce his final decision Friday.

Prosecutors say Drew, 49, of O'Fallon, Mo., helped create a false-identity MySpace account and harassed Meier with cruel messages.

Meier, who was being treated for depression, hanged herself after allegedly receiving messages saying the world would be better off without her.

The government is prosecuting Drew under the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act, which has never before been used in connection with a Web site's terms of service barring misrepresentation by users setting up new accounts.

Drew's attorneys have argued that cyber-bullying is not a violation of the act, which is typically used to prosecute hackers and those committing high-tech crimes.

On Wednesday, defense lawyer Dean Steward waived Drew's right to a jury trial in an effort to have the case decided by a judge, not jurors. But prosecutors refused to agree with the defense waiver, which automatically resulted in a jury trial.

Jury selection is set to begin Nov. 18.

(This version CORRECTS Drew's home town to "O'Fallon" sted "Fallon".)

Source:
The Associated Press: Suicide evidence likely out of MySpace hoax trial


Megan Meier Story 16



Megan Meier interview 4 December 2007 Lori Drew tells her side of the story through her attorney Jim Briscoe.

Why is this case being tried in California, when all the persons concerned lived in Missouri? Or does it have something to do with where FaceBook is based?

Mrs. Drew deserves to be sentence to the fullest extent of the law and a just punishment of twenty years in state / federal prison.

THE STORY VIDEO: A 49-year-old Missouri woman accused of pretending to be a love-struck teenage boy on MySpace and driving a 13-year-old girl to suicide with cruel messages was indicted on Thursday on federal charges.

>>Jury in MySpace Cyberbullying Trial Might Not Be Told Of Teen's Suicide<<

Jury in MySpace Cyberbullying Trial Might Not Be Told Of Teen's Suicide | Threat Level from Wired.com

How is this possible or legal? This lady abused MySpace, and her actions caused a death. She should be charged with manslaugher/murder, not computer fraud.

I don't think this case should include the events after the fact (the suicide, or even the harassment).

If they prove this woman set up & did the MySpace account, then they can go after her for her stalking & harassment. She could end up with manslaughter at the least.

but for THIS CASE, the suicide is not pertinent.

LORI UR A ****ING FAT ASS MOTH***IN CUTFACE ***** U HURT MY FRIEND TO THE DAM POINT WHERE SHE ****ING KILLED HERSELF GO TO HELL LORI

what a sadistic *****...she truly deserves a lifetime of pain and unhappiness for those minutes megan suffered so bad that she felt she had to kill herself. no lori the world would be a much better person without YOU. and to think you are a mother of a teenage girl no less ....disgusting is what she is. i just pray lori's daughter realizes now how awful it was, what her own mother coaxed her into and she will never ever be a thing like her own repulsive vile mother....

While the local DA may not have anything to charge her with, does anyone know if out region's Federal Prosecutor/US Attorney has been contacted in this at all?

We have a name for deception via telecommunications with intent to cause harm:
Wire Fraud. It is a Federal Felony.

There's also a name for causing, even unintentionally or indirectly, the death of another by the commission of a felony:
Felony Murder.

US Attorney for Eastern MO:
Catherine Hanaway

MAIN OFFICE

Thomas Eagleton U.S. Courthouse
111 S. 10th Street, 20th Floor
St. Louis, MO 63102

Telephone: 314.539.2200
Fax: 314.539.2309
TDD: 314.539.7690


Cybercrime Taskforce:
JOHN BODENHAUSEN
and
CARRIE COSTANTIN
Coordinators
Cybercrime Task Force
314-539-2200 (office)
314-539-2309 (fax)

Let these people know.

[Yahoo!_news]

AP - Tina Meier often sat with her daughter while she was online to ensure nothing fishy was happening. Lori Drew wanted to find out what kind of nasty rumors were being spread about her daughter.

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