No Charges In Deadly MySpace Hoax

Prosecutor Won't Pursue Online Harassment That Parents Say Led To Teen Daughter's Suicide

(CBS/AP)  The St. Charles County 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.

County Prosecutor Jack Banas, announcing his decision at a news conference here, said no charges could be applied under current law.

The parents of 13-year-old Megan Meier of Dardenne Prairie, 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 that she and an 18-year-old employee created the boy's account.

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.

Messages to the 13-year-old girl's MySpace page included "Megan Meier is fat," "Megan Meier is a slut" and "the world would be a better place without you," reports CBS News station WBBM-TV.

The neighbors admitted to police that they created the account.

Jayne Hitchcock, 49, understands like few others how devastating online harassment can be. In 1996, someone falsely assumed her identity and posted messages that she liked group and sadomasochistic sex, even circulating her phone number and address. To her horror, strangers started calling.

Even as Megan's hometown, Dardenne Prairie, has adopted a law making Internet harassment a crime, Hitchcock wonders if it has any value.

"In the Megan Meier case, from the messages I've seen and read, they're not considered harassment. They're cruel, yes. Demeaning, yes," she said.

"That law, I hate to say it, is meaningless."

But others disagree.

Dardenne Prairie's assistant city attorney, John Young, said this week that harassment and stalking already are illegal. The town's new law expands the definition to include electronic media.

The law is limited to violators in the small town of Dardenne Prairie, a bedroom community of St. Louis, but officials there call it a starting point. They're encouraging state and federal changes.

Hitchcock, however, says a local change in the law doesn't fix the wider problems.

She would like Web sites to better police themselves, perhaps by requiring identification or small fees via credit cards to register on social networking sites.

Naomi Harlin Goodno, an assistant professor at Pepperdine University School of Law in California, thinks the Dardenne Prairie measure looks comprehensive and well thought out.

Her overview of U.S. cyberstalking law, published in the Winter 2007 Missouri Law Review, was used by lawyers who drafted the new measure, Young said.

She found that as of January, that six states - Illinois, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, Rhode Island and Washington - have state laws specifically dealing with cyberstalking. Four others - Florida, Nevada, Delaware and Virginia - have amended their laws to address aspects of cyberstalking.

[pepperp1]

Unfortunate.

[mythoughtsr]

The wrong person hanged themselves. I wish the perpetrators of this crime relentless harrassment of the unprosecutable kind. I wish them to be shunned, unwanted and unneeded. I hope their business suffers and fails and I hope their relationships break up. I also hope they suffer financial ruin and are ran out of their neighborhood. Hmmm, I wonder if I covered everything? Evil sick people who did it.

That beautiful young lady. What a loss she is to this world.

[plplearecrzy]

Unfortunate indeed. Kids are horrible to each other anymore. My daughter refuses to be friends with girls her own age (16) because they are so cruel. It all comes down to the fact that kids no longer socialize with each other...they are too busy playing violent video games, texting and surfing the net. Technology is not ALWAYS a good thing :(

[shanev137]

It''s clear from this article why they couldn''t prosecute.

The people who told her to kill herself did not pose a direct threat to her, or threaten her life.

Sure it''s not morally right what they did, but the girl ultimately took her own life, which made her responsible for her death.

Nobody showed up at her house, walked through her front door and killed her.

[yongamerica]

The girls depression that led to her suicide was deeper than the myspace harassment. Big egos in little girls.

[spaspy]

My space accounts have the capacity to block unwanted people from posting to your page. She could have blocked these kids. I think there is another reason she killed herself. Maybe her parents should take a look further into her homelife.

[shanev137]

Actually, they probably should write more laws that make criminals out of everyone who communicates on the internet, because they will scare everyone off the internet and back out into the real world of reality.

We need all the sick people doing what they do on the internet back out into the real world where we can see and hear them do what they do.

[ladyephesus1]

Very immature for an adult to do that to anyone.

They are all sick and need to get a life.

If they didnt kill her, then I say they contributed to her death.

[jetranger7]

She''ll have her Day, maybe a Speeding Freight Train will hit her car ! What goes around-comes around !

[Krazcarl]

What kind of sick adult mind would find humor in harrasing a 13 year old, there are other issues here for sure

[jeffjonez]

That''s BULL@#$%!!! gimme a break the man needs to be put in prison. A child killed herself for being bullied on the internet. I have 6 kids if they get bullied I have them do the right thing. THE LAW GETS AWAY ANYTHING,THEY RULE THE LAND( NOT GOD). Let god be with parents of the 13 year old girl. GOD BLESS YOU,

[ann3332]

shame on those people who had nothing better to do that harrasing a 13 year old girl which ultimately led to her sucide.Do you think that was funny what you did she dead now. do you think that funny too.

[nothappyatall]

Kids are cruel to each other in school , the playground etc every day, c''mon get real! they ALL tell fat kids they are fat slobs and all that, and Megan didn''t know it was an adult playing games so it doesn''t matter who "josh" really was.

In reality she was WEAK, as a kid/teen you eaither learn to COPE with petty insults designed to hurt and realise your reaction is giving them what they WANT, or you just curl up and die like she did.

The whole issue is MOM did not control HER computer or HER daughter''s on-line shenangans after the kid had earlier fabricated her OWN personna and was removed.
So the kid had faked a profile and photo of her own to play games on unsuspecting boys, and now it was done back at her.

MOM caved in and let her have ANOTHER myspace acct, it was MOM''s fault there.

"Even as Megan''s hometown, Dardenne Prairie, has adopted a law making Internet harassment a crime, Hitchcock wonders if it has any value"

LOL another useless knee-jerk law that wont do anything, harassment, unwanted repeated contact and especially THREATS are ALREADY a crime! the town passing a law is insane, like this would ever happen there again!

[yoopermom]

Wow, What sick people. For the Mother (of her friend) to even know anything about this and not do something is just wrong. What kind of adult would do this to a child? I know. Stupid question. All you have to do is watch the news to see the world is full of people like this!!

[neenga]

Have the identities of those who harrassed Mega been made public? I have never seen them identified. Why not?

[susanhelit]

The names - and phone numbers - of the people who did this are on the internet - one good site is the People you see in hell site - pysih.com. You can read the whole story there - these people who did this are scum - no conscience, no regret, no apology, they continue to bash the dead girl, were banging on her family''s door on Thanksgiving! to harass them.

It''s only appropriate they get back what they gave.

[Krazcarl]

Back in the old days sick varmits like this would be dragged from there house and taken care of I''m so sick of political correctness. I have rope and know where there trees with low limbs.

[talkingham]

Parents in these cases always have to blame someone else don''t they. It couldn''t possibly be that they weren''t paying any attention to their daughter could it? I''m very sorry for this kid but if she couldn''t take the so-called harrasmnet all she had to do was close her myspace account or block the person bugging her.

This is an absurd and ridiculous story.

Three cheerleaders were killed in Alabama last week when their car apparently left the road for no known reason (though there are survivors of the wreck) and tumbled down a 50-foot embankment. Now the parents are blaming the road, though thousands of people travel on it every week with no problem.

Let''s blame the road, let''s blame MySpace. This is absurd.

[glb1969]

If I were the adult who did this to this poor girl, I would either kill myself or be running for my life. In fact, I will put a $10 bet out that these adults don''t survive the year''s end.

[jjp735i]

The woman who did this should be a shamed and tried for this horrible crime. Let a jury decide her fate.

[dlb31093]

Lori Drew may not be able to be charged under the law, but she sure can be shunned by her neighbors. I sure wouldn''t want her to have anything to do with my family. There is more than one way for a person to be punished for their behavior.

[lawyertom1]

Some states, such as California, recognize a tort called intentional infliction of emotional distress. Combined with a claim for wrongful death, the parents could make the guano-head''s life miserable, and should.

[wheezel3]

Get the DA out of office. Get the AG to handle it, if he doesn''t, sue them in civil court. If no one calls a spade a spade in that state, take care of it themselves. An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth. No jury in the world would convict the parents for avenging their daughter''s death.

[rohink-2009]

Posted by talkingham

Good post. Although the internet wasn''t around when my children were younger. I can promise you I would not have allowed my 13 year old daughter would be allowed access to the computer without my supervision. And, I would not have allowed her to take much less post provacative pictures of herself.

[heamye]

That mother who knew about the mypspace page should be run out of town by the people who live there. She doesn''t sound like she has an empathetic brain in her head. And the kids who did it, they are old enough to know better; they need to run with her. How does filth like this survive..oh, they suck from the bottom of the barrel.

[shanev137]

Most of your comments make me feel like killing myself.

When I do, I''ll make sure my parents sue all of you and CBS.

[bencas4]

It is sad that people are looking at teenage suicide as "normal" or something that ''happens''. It is by definition abnormal behavior----hence the need for psychological help when anyone attempts this act.

To ignore the harassing behavior of the adults towards the child as if it were not a big deal is also abnormal. Children do not process information in the same manner as adults, let alone one that suffers from diagnosed conditions and has a low self esteem. The adults engaged in the harassment knew this as they were neighbors and prior friends of the girl''s parents. This makes the act even more of a disgrace.

They knew they were upsetting the child and still continued. The initiated the contact in manner that they chose because they knew she hoped to have a boyfriend. They took advantage of her vulnerability.

Oh by the way, Shane, the girl did not approach the adults, they approached her. How sick.

[bencas4]

It is sad that people are looking at teenage suicide as "normal" or something that ''happens''. It is by definition abnormal behavior----hence the need for psychological help when anyone attempts this act.

To ignore the harassing behavior of the adults towards the child as if it were not a big deal is also abnormal. Children do not process information in the same manner as adults, let alone one that suffers from diagnosed conditions and has a low self esteem. The adults engaged in the harassment knew this as they were neighbors and prior friends of the girl''s parents. This makes the act even more of a disgrace.

They knew they were upsetting the child and still continued. The initiated the contact in manner that they chose because they knew she hoped to have a boyfriend. They took advantage of her vulnerability.

Oh by the way, Shane, the girl did not approach the adults, they approached her. How sick.

[rohink-2009]

Posted by LawyerTom1

Yeah, lawyers need to make a living too...

[allunknowing]

myspace, facebook, friendster, did I forget any?

Recruiting pedophiles daily.

[smiley676]

The parents can file a civil suit. But very few criminal laws were broken. You can''t charge them with murder, she took her own life.
I know she was a child and this whole thing is terrible. But if you charge this person with murder for mean words, think of all the people who are mean to the person they are divorcing and that person commits suicide. This is NOT murder.
Instead, this is cruelty at its worst. It was a terrible thing that happened to these parents. I hope this makes more parents pay attention to what is being said to their child on the internet.
But, child or not. When I was a child I learned words didn''t hurt. That still holds true.

[kitty000]

I saw the story when it came on the news. The adult was wrong in posing as a child to "see why Megan had problems with their daughter." Megan had tried to commit suicide before. In looking at her parents I was struck by how superficial they came across. I really wondered how deeply they were involved with their daughter? I bet they made *** sure she picked up every piece of clothing she ever threw on the floor but how much attention did they pay to her spiritually? How much time did they spend telling Megan that she is loved by them and by God? Believe me I''m not "religious" I think children need more than just things.

Maybe if Megan''s mother, Tina had spent as much time taking walks with her daughter as she did going to the hair salon bleaching her hair Megan would still be here today. I know because my mother is exactly like Tina. My mother wouldn''t miss a hair appointment but she would never turn up to watch me learn to jump on a horse. Nevermind that she was 5 minutes away from where I was doing it.

Not everything should be legislated. I really wonder how many people are now harassing the mother who posed as "Josh." The feeling I get is that the town backs her and her family! Parents have no idea what it''s like to raise an emotionally healthy child. If your child is trying to commit suicide at age 13 I''d say you have a few family problems that need to be addressed in a pyschologist office.

[kitty000]

In the newsbroadcast the mother said that Megan was getting mean messages from "Josh" she was arguing with him when her mother wanted her to log off of the computer. Tina said that Megan told her "you''re suppose to be on my side." Tina was mad that Megan wouldn''t just sign off the computer. That''s when Megan ran upstairs & hung herself. The mother didn''t care that Megan was upset at fighting with this "Josh" she was only concerned that Megan wasn''t doing what she wanted her to do. As people have said this family had a TON of problems before this myspace incident.

Parents should ask themselves why their teens are reaching out to strangers on the net for love & attention!??

[shanev137]

WE NEED TO BAN ALL IMPROPER INTERPERSONAL COMMUNICATION ON THE INTERNET.

PERIOD.

IF YOU CAN''T BE A PROPER PERSON LIKE ME AND TYPE PROPERLY, THEN YOU ARE A CRIMINAL WHO NEEDS TO BE LOCKED UP FOR A FEW YEARS IN PRISON, TO MAKE YOU LEARN AND TEACH YOU A LESSON ABOUT BEING IMPROPER.

ALL IMPROPER PEOPLE SHOULD BE IN JAIL....AND IF THE JAILS AREN''T BIG ENOUGH, WE NEED TO BUILD MORE AND MORE AND MORE AND MORE AND EVEN MORE JAILS, BECAUSE PUTTING ALL YOU BAD, IMPROPER PEOPLE IN JAIL IS THE ANSWER. JUST LOOK AT HOW SMART PEOPLE ARE WHO GET OUT OF PRISON.

[nlm2383]

It''s almost better that they weren''t able to bring any charges against the woman. This family will probably end up moving to another state at the rate they''re probably being harassed... This is going to follow her the rest of her life, whether or not she''s in prision.

[jackie0428]

Sorry, but a normal person does NOT take their own life simply because they are harassed or a cruel joke is played on them. If they did, we''d have ten thousand cases like this EVERY DAY in the news. But we don''t. This person committed suicide because she was horribly depressed and could not see beyond her own misery, she could not see that things will get better if she would just open up, be patient, and work on the problems. People do not "cause" or "make" others commit suicide. Shame on the dead girl''s parents for pointing fingers outward and blaming others for something that was more THEIR fault(genes and upbringing) than anyone else. It is almost certain the girl was going to kill herself even if this trick had never occurred; it was just a matter of time. People out there who understand psychology will know what I''m talking about here.

[nothappyatall]

"This is going to follow her the rest of her life, whether or not shes in prision.

Posted by nlm2383"

Wishfull thinking, in 6 months people won''t even remember their names and the whole story will have long before faded away and replaced with the next one.

The whole thing culminated AFTER MOM yelled at and berated the kid after coming home and finding she still had not logged out as directed to do so by mom over the phone earlier.
It was AFTER the argument/falling out with MOM, that the kid hung herself.
Any kid that unstable probably would have been a statistic in the suicide 15-19 group anyway.

[nothappyatall]

"Lori Drew may not be able to be charged under the law, but she sure can be shunned by her neighbors."

I doubt they really care about their neighbors, after all, MOST people do not live in the same house for 30 years like grandma did, they get relocated, they move to another job/line of work, or to be closer to family in another state. Most people probably don''t live in the same house more than 5-8 years, so what their present neighbors think/feel is of no consequence.

"would not have allowed my 13 year old daughter would be allowed access to the computer without my supervision."

Whats a 13 year old doing on the net unsupervised (mom was gone) talking to a supposed boy named Josh that mom never talked to and knew nothing about? How would mom know "Josh" wasn''t a 60 year old pedo? Since MOM never spoke to "Josh" on the phone to verify anything like his AGE, where he LIVES etc, then she is just as guilty- she FAILED to supervise HER kid and "Josh" could EASILY have been a pedophile pretending to be a boy.

[nothappyatall]

The names - and phone numbers - of the people who did this are on the internet

Its only appropriate they get back what they gave.

Posted by SusanHelit"

So what you are suggesting is called telephone harassment, as well as physical altercations Susan, I have news for you, if you harrass someone by using the phone or other means, leave threatening messages etc YOU are committing a crime and YOU will go to jail not them;

Criminal Harassment
It is a criminal offence for anyone to make you reasonably fear for your safety or the safety of someone you know by
repeatedly; following you or someone you know
visiting, calling or writing you or someone you know
watching your home or workplace threatening you or someone in your family

No actual injury need occur. The offender does not need to have intended to harm you. If their behaviour would cause a reasonable person to fear for their safety, it is criminal harassment. Serious cases could result in an offender being sent to jail for up to ten years.

[nothappyatall]

' 223. Obscene or harassing telephone calls in the District of Columbia or in interstate or foreign communications

(C) makes a telephone call or utilizes a telecommunications device, whether or not conversation or communication ensues, without disclosing his identity and with intent to annoy, abuse, threaten, or harass any person at the called number or who receives the communications;
(D) makes or causes the telephone of another repeatedly or continuously to ring, with intent to harass any person at the called number;

shall be fined under title 18 or imprisoned not more than two years, or both.
shall be fined not more than $50,000 or imprisoned not more than six months, or both.

CANADA:
Indecent or Harassing Telephone Calls
It is a criminal offence to make an indecent telephone call, or to repeatedly call someone to harass them. This offence carries a penalty of up to six months in jail and/or a fine of up to $2000. It is also a criminal offence to tell someone false information with the intent to injure or alarm them, for example, that someone close to you has been injured or killed. The maximum punishment for this offence is two years in jail.

[nothappyatall]

I''m also sure by now their number has been changed to an unlisted one too.

[ssm9451]

Tonight on the St. Louis news, that the family will be considering filing a claim in civil court. St.Louis news: KSDK-TV.

[republic1776]

Oh Well,
This inmature witch, who messed with this young lady should get at least 10 YEARS!
What she did was endangerment the welfare of a child.
This Beach is NO different than a pedophile.
When are people going to stand up to our Government and tell them..."No, this is wrong"
What kind of bums are in our elected office?

[jackie0428]

Vbnvbnvbn, I have a Masters in psychology and 27 years experience. You, on the other hand, are ignorant and purely emotional on this issue. Nobody supports Drew''s behavior. My opinion stands: people simply do NOT make other people commit suicide. It doesn''t work that way. Give it a rest.

[shanev137]

A few of you people have figured it out...the rest of you people are friggen idiots.

I think some of you total morons need to go jump off a bridge for being so stupid....and yea, after you do, go ahead and have your family sue me.

Like someone said, if your child is stupid enough to go kill themselves because some whackjob stranger tells them to...then -YOU- are the one who needs to go to jail.

[republic1776]

Ok, now it''s the Parents fault!
Our Government creates new laws, tighten our freedon, raise taxes...
Their best campain,, "It''s for the children"
What about now?

And Ms. or Mr. jackie0428, why do you have a job?
"people simply do NOT make other people commit suicide"
Duh, murder, abuse, drug addition?
Most people had TRAMA in their past.
27 years huh. Ever been beaten with electric cords, pool sticks by your parents?
Ever been beat up at school to the point that you bleed from a bloody nose or lip almost everyday.
Ever been BF''d by your uncle.

You must be a pink sunglass liberal.
27 years,? you old and stupid.

[shanev137]

geezus....exactly what part can''t you morons get?


NOBODY WALKED THROUGH HER FRONT DOOR AND KILLED HER.

SHE KILLED HERSELF.

IT WASN''T H-O-M-I-C-I-D-E.

IT WAS S-U-I-C-I-D-E.


Seriously, can any of you count to 10 on your own?

[taylpatr]

That woman who started all this, Lisa Drew, should do the honorable thing: Hang herself so she can know how that little girl suffered.Hang her with her own computer power cord.The world would , indeed, be better off without her.Twist in the wind, you pathetic excuse for a human being.

[Skysblue]

Jerry Springer trailer trash meets McMansions in the burbs.

Why do you people defend Lori Drew? She needs to step up, accept responsibility, not blame in on her hired help, apologize and then lets all MOVEON. If she cannot do this, then she should move to another country. Course she still needs to reconcile the damage she''s done to her kids.

[somoney85]

i''m so glad to read all of these comments and hear that nearly everyone agrees with me.

calling someone fat is not harrassment. if your child is troubled enough to kill herself because of this, then you haven''t done your job as a parent. when you find her hanging in her bedroom, it has been too late for a long, long time.