The Suicide of Megan Meier

UPDATE, July 2, 2009: Case dismissed against woman in MySpace hoax that led to teen's suicide

A federal judge tentatively decided today to dismiss the case against a Missouri woman who had been convicted of computer fraud stemming from an Internet hoax that prompted a teenage girl to commit suicide.

Lori Drew of Darden Prairie, Mo., was convicted in November of three misdemeanor counts of illegally accessing a protected computer.

The decision by U.S. District Judge George H. Wu will not become final until his written ruling is filed, probably next week. Wu said he was concerned that if Drew was found guilty of violating the terms of service in using MySpace, anyone who violated the terms could be convicted of a crime.

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Internet creeps.

If you spend any time communicating on Internet social-networking sites and blogs, chances are you've come across some truly ugly behavior.

The supposed anonymity unleashes incredible levels of harassment. The false identities, the hoaxes, and the cruelty are positively disgraceful.

One case of Internet harassment, the case of Megan Meier, is headed to federal court.

LOS ANGELES -- A Missouri woman accused of taking part in a MySpace hoax that ended with a 13-year-old girl's suicide has so far avoided state charges — but not federal ones.

Lori Drew, 49, a neighbor of the dead teen, was to make an appearance in federal court here Monday, accused of one count of conspiracy and three counts of accessing protected computers without authorization to get information used to inflict emotional distress.

The charges were filed in California where MySpace is based. MySpace is a subsidiary of Beverly Hills-based Fox Interactive Media Inc., which is owned by News Corp.

Drew, of suburban St. Louis, allegedly helped create a fake MySpace account to convince Megan Meier she was chatting with a nonexistent 16-year-old boy named Josh Evans.

Megan Meier 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. Drew has denied creating the account or sending messages to Meier.

U.S. Attorney's spokesman Thom Mrozek said Drew is expected to enter a plea in federal court, then have her case assigned to a judge and be given a trial date. He said she would then be allowed to return to her home state pending trial.

Drew's lawyer has said he will legally challenge the charges. And experts have said the case could break new ground in Internet law. The statute used to indict Drew usually applies to Internet hackers who illegally access accounts to get information.

U.S. Attorney Thomas P. O'Brien has acknowledged this is the first time the federal statute on accessing protected computers has been used in a social-networking case.

Rebecca Lonergan, a former federal prosecutor who now teaches law at the University of Southern California, has 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 harass someone.

...James Chadwick, a Palo Alto attorney who specializes in Internet and media law, said he has never seen the statute, known as the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act, applied to the sending of messages.

He said it was probable that liability for the girl's death would not be an issue in the case. "As tragic as it is," he said, "You can't start imposing liability on people for being cruel."

First, as sad as it is, Megan is responsible for her death. She chose to kill herself.

Second, Lori Drew's alleged actions are absolutely reprehensible. The mother of Megan's former friend created an online character, Josh Evans, with the sole intent of harassing Megan. Her cruelty is astounding, and so is this adult's immaturity.

I'm sure Drew didn't set out to get Megan to kill herself, but she did want to hurt her. She wanted to break her heart.

Who knows how this will all play out in court? The Internet is a relatively new frontier. Cyber bullying, Internet harassment, legal liability, and all the ramifications are still being sorted out.

However, it's clear that what Lori Drew is alleged to have done is immoral.

No question, Drew is conscience-challenged. In court, she may not be found guilty of anything. Nonetheless, if there's any justice in this life, Drew will be haunted every day for the rest of her miserable life by thoughts of what she did to Megan Meier.