Report: Feds Probe Girl's Internet Suicide

L.A. Times: Grand Jury Subpoenas MySpace.com After Deadly Web Hoax In Missouri

(AP)  A federal grand jury has issued a subpoena to MySpace.com in a probe stemming from the suicide of a Missouri teenager who received cruel messages on the networking site that turned out to be a hoax, a newspaper reported.

Federal prosecutors are considering charging a mother in the girl's neighborhood with defrauding MySpace by creating a false account that she, her daughter and a teenage employee used to fool 13-year-old Megan Meier into believing she was communicating with a 16-year-old boy, the Los Angeles Times said Tuesday on its Web site, citing unidentified sources.

It said its sources insisted on anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly about the case.

Megan, of suburban St. Louis, hanged herself in October 2006 after receiving cruel messages from the fictional boy she had befriended online, including one saying the world would be better off without her.

The neighborhood woman, Lori Drew, has denied creating the account but acknowledged being aware of it. She also has denied sending any messages to Megan or being aware of the unkind messages.

Prosecutors in Missouri declined to charge anyone because no laws appeared to apply to the case.

A Missouri state panel formed by Gov. Matt Blunt after the suicide met for the final time Tuesday and said it would recommend making certain types of harassment a felony, such as if anyone 21 or older harasses people 17 and younger.

Several grand jury subpoenas issued last week included one to MySpace and others to witnesses, the Times reported.

Thom Mrozek, spokesman for the U.S. attorney's office in Los Angeles, told the AP he could not comment on grand jury matters, which are secret.

Lori Drew's attorney Jim Briscoe told the AP that the Drews had not been subpoenaed, and that he did not know of anyone else who had received a subpoena.

"I do not know if it's true," he said of the report.

MySpace officials had no immediate comment.

Laurie Levenson, a former federal prosecutor and professor at Loyola University Law School, told The Associated Press that if the government convened a grand jury it would be trying to create a case in which MySpace would be the victim of a fraud - meaning the person who perpetrated the fraud could be prosecuted.

"The whole case is curious," she said, and could raise First Amendment issues of free speech.

The Times reported that its sources said federal prosecutors in Los Angeles believe they have jurisdiction because MySpace is based in Beverly Hills.

[irishfan2191]

The last person/thing to blame in this is Myspace. When someone gets one of these things, they are told the risks that it is open to the entire world wide web. Myspace did nothing worng in this case. What if these were e-mails on AOL instead? Blame AOL? What if these were just through letters in the mail? Blame the post office? This just supports the statement, don''t shoot the messenger.

[k9grizz]

Obviously this little girl had some major issues before the whole internet thing even happened. Yeah it''s a horrible thing for a 13 yr. old to commit suicide, but what probed to try it the first time? We should be looking at her parents and her life style. She was obviously troubled to begin with, and being told mean things by some "boy" just threw her over the edge. no Lori shouldn''t be let off the hook but people need to look further into things, it''s always one person''s fault.

[toolmangler-2009]

This has nothing to do with free speech. She didn''''t go on there as her self and tell this girl what she thinks of her. She went on there and set her up, pretending to be someone she wasn''''t. She made out like she was some guy who liked her and then turned around and destroyed her. That has nothing to do with free speech, that was an EVIL and VICIOUS DEED.
Posted by erasmus6 at 04:26 PM : Jan 09, 2008



conspiracy to commit fraud? stalking?

[michellem99-2009]

Yes us adults do know better. I was bullied growing up. It never surprises me what the sighted do. Some bloody power trip. Could not the girl have gone to a trusted person for morol support..Now she dead..Why did Mum not help.

[erasmus6]

The thing that makes this BAD is that it wasn''t another immature kid doing this, it was an ADULT, someone that should know better. They need to NAIL HER A-S-S!

[usakousagi]

What''s the other side of the story? What could this girl have done for an adult to manipulate her into suicide. Regardless that she had tried it again, that''s when you HELP someone not manipulate them to kill themselves. Manipulation should be considered a crime. It''s all too easy to do on most people though as most people don''t use their BRAINS. So anyone that went to trial for it would just manipulate the jury... never mind.

[finewoven]

Yeah, signing onto a blog must now require that you use your birth name, and provide a photo I.D., because using screen names is fraud. What is this, the "voting in an election" standard?

[mkbjon]

Having read Lori Drew''s online account of what happened and why, I have to say that having both sides of the story makes me aware that the whole situation is a great deal more complicated than what the media is portraying. I was a part of the mob that viewed Drew as a monster, but I don''t think it''s quite as black and white as that. It makes for great ratings when a network can print sensational headlines and are able to work the public into a frenzy, and for that reason I really have take these one sided stories with a grain of salt. I''m not defending Lori Drew, but I do think there is a lot of relevant history between these two families that the media is leaving out.

[interested4]

I still disagree with anyone who thinks that Megan was solely responsible. YES, she had tried it before, YES, she was ultimately the one who placed a belt around her neck and jumped off a chair, BUT, she was still an immature child who was manipulated by adults. Would you feel the same if she had been having *** with a 48-year old man (Lori''s age) and ended up with AIDS? How about if she had been given alcohol by a 48-year old and subsequently died of alcohol poisoning? It is all too easy to just say she knew what she was doing. But she was still a child, with all the immaturity that implies. Lori drew KNEW the girl had issues, and yet she still perpetrated her heinous hoax. And for those who still think it is a free speech issue, try using some "free speech" on your next tax return and just try that as a defense when the IRS comes for you!

[yoopermom]

I don''t really see how this could be a free speech issue. I would think Lori Drew is guilty of fraud for pretending to be someone else and creating a fictional profile.

I completely agree with tomanyt though. No one can make someone kill themselves. This young lady had her own issues, but Lori Drew took advantage of Megan''s issues.

[tomanyt]

erasmus6...But still free speech!!!

[erasmus6]

"As reprehensible as this mother''''s actions were, this clearly falls under free speech." posted by house015

This has nothing to do with free speech. She didn''t go on there as her self and tell this girl what she thinks of her. She went on there and set her up, pretending to be someone she wasn''t. She made out like she was some guy who liked her and then turned around and destroyed her. That has nothing to do with free speech, that was an EVIL and VICIOUS DEED.

[tomanyt]

interested4...You are welcome to disagree all you want. But the fact is, Megan had previously tried to kill herself. You don''t have to be 50 or 60 or even 17 or 18 to be suicidal. This girl hung herself. She CLEARLY knew what she was doing.

[interested4]

tomanyt, I disagree. She was 13 going on 14, not 50 going on 51, or even 17 going on 18. I do not believe that a child that age fully grasps the concept of suicide and the real, and irreversible, result. Otherwise we''d give kids that age all the rights of adulthood, like drinking, driving, voting, etc. We don''t give them those rights for a reason: they aren''t mature enough to handle them. I can''t believe that so many people want to place all the blame on Megan. Of course, she cannot defend herself now, can she?

[tomanyt]

The only one responsible for Megan''s death, is Megan herself.

[interested4]

What a stupid comment, octavianfdlr. This is not a free speech issue, it never was and it never will be. No matter what you say, it is not legal to shout "fire" in a crowded theater, and it isn''t legal to verbally assault someone, at least not in Missouri. The egregious assault on this young girl was verbal, but that doesn''t make it any more legal. The fact that Missouri prosecutors couldn''t find a specific charge just shows that the law sometimes lags behind technology. Lori Drew knew what she was doing, and no matter what, it was wrong. We are supposed to protect the vulnerable, not drive them to suicide. Lori Drew KNEW that Megan had emotional problems, and she deserves prosecution. I also have to laugh at her denials, since I have read the original police report on the alleged vandalism that the vitims parent''s propagated on a foosball table. Lori Drew is in damage control mode now, but she clearly perpetrated the whole issue. Maybe the Fed can make her accountable, as she surely won''t accept her responsibility, just like the immature imbecile she has shown herself to be.

[house015]

As reprehensible as this mother''s actions were, this clearly falls under free speech. The young woman was troubled long before logging on, according to other articles I''ve seen, and one nasty message mentioning the "world would be better off without her" (or something to that effect) does not equate to handing her a rope. It''s a horrible situation, but with people complaining about the Patriot Act cutting into freedom of speech I find it curious that so many folks are ready to alter that freedom for this sort of thing.

[octavianfdlr]

At last, the government is trying to make free speech a felony. Now, perhaps, we can do something about those felonious voters, reporters, and advertisers.

(Oh yes. The Federalists tried that about two centuries ago. The Supreme Court struck down the law. Perhaps, this time it will work. After all, we are trying to protect (have protected) some teenager from herself. The old law was simply claiming to protect all Americans from government oppression.)

[Krazcarl]

Should be hung picking on a child desperate old woman trying to find friends/