tagged w/ Megan Meier
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Prosecutors in Missouri have been filing a flurry of charges under a new anti-cyberharassment statute that was passed as a result of the landmark Lori Drew/MySpace cyberbullying case.
The law went into effect in late August and was passed after 13-year-old Megan Meier hanged herself in Missouri in 2006 following online harassment through a MySpace account.
When a press report in 2007 revealed the role that 47-year-old Lori Drew played in Meier's harassment, local authorities felt pressured to charge Drew with a crime, but could find no law under which to prosecute her. So Missouri lawmakers drafted legislation to outlaw future threats or harassing communication that causes emotional distress.
Under the law, perpetrators can be charged with a misdemeanor or felony.
In the three months since the law took effect, Missouri authorities have wasted little time in bringing charges against seven people, according to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.
* A 21-year-old woman named Nicole Williams was charged for allegedly sending harassing text messages to a 16-year-old girl and allowing others to use her cellphone to leave vulgar voicemail messages for the victim threatening her with rape, among other things. Williams allegedly targeted the teen over a jealous dispute involving a boy, according to the Post-Dispatch.
* Two St. Louis men were charged separately with sending harassing text messages to their ex-girlfriends.
* A man protesting the development of a proposed resort was charged with sending a threatening e-mail to city hall staff.
* A 28-year-old woman was accused of sending harassing text messages to her ex-husband's girlfriend.
* A 19-year-old man was charged with sending some 17 text messages to his mother's husband.
* A 17-year-old involved with a classmate in a dispute over a girl is accused of sending the classmate death threats via text messages.
Nicole Williams' attorney says the law was poorly written and hastily passed in an effort to appease the public's anger over Drew's involvement in Meier's death.
Megan Meier was lured into an online MySpace relationship by a 16-year-old boy named "Josh Evans" who rejected her a month later, telling Meier the world would be better place without her. Authorities later learned that Drew, along with her 13-year-old daughter and an 18-year-old family friend and employee, created the fake "Josh Evans" MySpace account to lure Meier into a relationship and determine if Meier was spreading rumors about Drew's daughter.
Meier, who had a history of depression and emotional instability, hanged herself in her bedroom after being attacked by "Josh."
After Missouri authorities concluded they could not charge Drew with any crime, federal prosecutors in Los Angeles decided to use a federal anti-hacking statute, the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act, to charge Drew with three felony counts of unauthorized access to MySpace's computers and one felony conspiracy count. Drew was acquitted of the three felony counts for unauthorized access but was convicted on three lesser misdemeanor charges of unauthorized access. A jury deadlocked on the fourth charge of conspiracy.
Prosecutors have been criticized for using the CFAA to prosecute Drew. The case is likely to be appealed, at which point experts expect the verdict to be overturned.
At least 18 states currently have laws addressing cyberbullying and harassment.Prosecutors in Missouri have been filing a flurry of charges under a new... more
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The case of a 49-year-old woman who is accused of violating MySpace's terms of service went to the jury for deliberation.
Drew is charged with one count of conspiracy and three counts of unauthorized computer access for allegedly violating the MySpace terms-of-service by creating a fake MySpace profile for a non-existent 16-year-old boy named "Josh Evans" for the purpose of inflicting psychological harm on 13-year-old Megan Meier, who then committed suicide.
She wanted to know if Megan was spreading rumors about her daughter.The case of a 49-year-old woman who is accused of violating MySpace's terms of... more
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The U.S. Attorney's office in Los Angeles is expected to make an announcement this morning about a grand jury indictment in the cyberbullying case that resulted in a young Missouri teenager killing herself.
Authorities won't say who the indictment might target, but the likely suspect is an adult woman named Lori Drew whom authorities in Missouri investigated for her involvement in the scheme. Los Angeles authorities began investigating the case after Missouri authorities decided Drew had broken no laws.
Earlier this year in January the Los Angeles Times reported that a federal grand jury had taken up the case and issued a number of subpoenas to determine if Drew might be charged with defrauding MySpace in creating a false account through which the bullying was done. Los Angeles is considered a valid venue for the investigation because MySpace resides in Beverly Hills.
Drew and two others allegedly created the fake MySpace account of a nonexistent teen named Josh Evans to woo 13-year-old Megan Meier (at right) into his confidence and determine what Meier might be saying about Drew's daughter online (Drew initially told police that she "instigated and monitored" activity on the Josh Evans account but has since denied that she created the account or sent any messages to Meier). Once Meier was pulled in to the ruse, "Josh Evans" turned against her and began attacking her verbally online and saying the world would be better off without her, resulting in Meier committing suicide.
In April, one of the teens who was involved in creating the Josh Evans account came forward to say that Drew had indeed participated in the bullying. She revealed that she and Drew's daughter created the account with Lori Drew's approval and that Drew actively participated in the ruse by writing some of the messages that Megan Meier received on her MySpace page.
According to anonymous sources who spoke with the Los Angeles Times in January, prosecutors in the Los Angeles attorney general's office were looking at the possibility of charging Drew with federal wire fraud and cyberfraud crimes.
But a law professor told the Times that even if a case were brought against Drew, it probably wouldn't result in the kind of outcome that would satisfy those who wish to see Drew punished. And several 1st Amendment lawyers expressed concern that a case like this could set a bad legal precedent for criminalizing online speech.
UPDATE: The Smoking Gun has a report from an interview that Ashley Grills gave to investigators in 2006, a month after Meier's suicide. Grills is the teen who helped set up the fake Josh Evans MySpace account. In the interview with investigators who were working for Meier's parents, Grills says the MySpace page was Lori Drew's idea and she directed the design and communicated with Meier through the page. She also said that she tried to end the hoax when she thought it was getting out of hand but that Lori Drew insisted they continue. After Meier killed herself, Grills says the Drews were "freaking out," and Lori Drew mentioned that they might have done something to push Megan over the edge.The U.S. Attorney's office in Los Angeles is expected to make an announcement... more
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kushan
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added this
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4 years ago
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DARDENNE PRAIRIE, Mo., Nov. 21 Megan Meier died believing that somewhere in this world lived a boy named Josh Evans who hated her. He was 16, owned a pet snake, and she thought he was the cutest boyfriend she ever had.
Josh contacted Megan through her page on MySpace.com, the social networking Web site, said Megans mother, Tina Meier. They flirted for weeks, but only online Josh said his family had no phone. On Oct. 15, 2006, Josh suddenly turned mean. He called Megan names, and later they traded insults for an hour.
The next day, in his final message, said Megans father, Ron Meier, Josh wrote, The world would be a better place without you.
Sobbing, Megan ran into her bedroom closet. Her mother found her there, hanging from a belt. She was 13.DARDENNE PRAIRIE, Mo., Nov. 21 Megan Meier died believing that somewhere in this... more
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Missouri prosecutors will not file criminal charges in connection with the suicide of a teen who had been dumped by a fictitious boy on MySpace, officials announced Monday.
St. Charles County Prosecutor Jack Banas announced at a news conference that there wasn't enough evidence to press criminal charges in connection with the death of Megan Meier, 13.
Meier of Dardenne Prairie, Mo., committed suicide last year after being dumped by "Josh," a boy created under the direction of Lori Drew, the mother of one of Megan's former friends, who wanted to know what the girl was saying about her daughter online. Missouri prosecutors will not file criminal charges in connection with the suicide of... more
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