Woman Indicted In Cyber-Bully Suicide

Mo. Mom Allegedly Played Role In MySpace Hoax Played On Teen Girl Who Hanged Herself

(CBS/AP)  A federal grand jury on Thursday indicted a woman for her alleged role in perpetrating a hoax on the online social network MySpace against a 13-year-old neighbor who later committed suicide.

Lori Drew of St. Louis, Mo., allegedly helped create a false-identity MySpace account to contact Megan Meier, who thought she was chatting with a 16-year-old boy named Josh Evans. Josh didn't exist.

Megan hanged herself at home in October 2006 after receiving cruel messages, including one stating the world would be better off without her.

Due to juvenile privacy rules, the indictment refers to the girl as M.T.M., the U.S. attorney's office said.

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

"This is an extremely rare case of an adult woman posing as a teenage boy but the cyberbullying is very real and very hurtful,'' notes CBS technology analyst Larry Magid. "About one-third of teens say they have been bullied or harassed online and though suicide is rare, there are plenty of cases where it has led to depression and extreme anxiety."

The unprecedented charges came out of Los Angeles because MySpace is headquartered there, reports CBS News Correspondent Sandra Hughes. According to the indictment "Lori Drew created a fictitious account and used MySpace to "harass, humiliate, and embarrass...".

While no charges were filed in Missouri, Hughes reports, a local law was passed to outlaw cyberbullying - but some St. Louis neighbors have retaliated with cyber-payback at Rottenneighbor.com - posting: " jail lori drew now" and " ...shame her out of her home..."

Salvador Hernandez, assistant agent in charge of the Los Angeles FBI office, called the case heart-rending.

"The Internet is a world unto itself. People must know how far they can go before they must stop. They exploited a young girl's weaknesses," Hernandez said.

Drew was charged with one count of conspiracy and three counts of accessing protected computers without authorization to get information used to inflict emotional distress on the girl.

"She should be punished because she knew exactly what she was doing," Megan's mother, Tina Meier, told CBS' The Early Show on Friday. "She was playing a game with my 13-year-old daughter. And there is absolutely no reason that she should be able to be walking on the street... We were served a life sentence without Megan, and she should be serving a life sentence."

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Podcast: CBS News technology analyst Larry Magid analyzes the implications of this historic indictment.

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

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

"This was a tragedy that did not have to happen," O'Brien said.

Both the girl and MySpace are named as victims in the case, he said.

MySpace is a subsidiary of Beverly Hills, Calif.-based Fox Interactive Media Inc., which is owned by News Corp. The indictment noted that MySpace computer servers are located in Los Angeles County.

Each of the four counts carries a maximum possible penalty of five years in prison.

Drew will be arraigned in St. Louis and then moved to Los Angeles for trial.

The indictment says MySpace members agree to abide by terms of service that include, among other things, not promoting information they know to be false or misleading; soliciting personal information from anyone under age 18 and not using information gathered from the Web site to "harass, abuse or harm other people."

Drew and others who were not named conspired to violate the service terms from about September 2006 to mid-October that year, according to the indictment. It alleges they registered as a MySpace member under a phony name and used the account to obtain information on the girl.

Drew and her coconspirators "used the information obtained over the MySpace computer system to torment, harass, humiliate, and embarrass the juvenile MySpace member," the indictment charged.

After the girl killed herself, Drew and the others deleted the information for the account, the indictment said.

Last month, an employee of Drew, 19-year-old Ashley Grills, told ABC's "Good Morning America" she created the false MySpace profile but Drew wrote some of the messages to Megan.

Grills said Drew suggested talking to Megan via the Internet to find out what Megan was saying about Drew's daughter, who was a former friend.

Grills also said she wrote the message to Megan about the world being a better place without her to get Megan to end the online relationship with "Josh" because Grills felt the joke had gone too far.

"I was trying to get her angry so she would leave him alone, and I could get rid of the whole MySpace," Grills told the morning show.

Megan's death was investigated by Missouri authorities, but no state charges were filed because no laws appeared to apply to the case.

[dogsoul]

...that''s ridiculous - this is clearly a case of media driven prosecution. Don''t get me wrong - I''m no fan of this woman - but it''s not illegal to do what she did - but some prosector wants to make a name & so they vaguely interpret laws & just hope to get an angry jury to railroad her...

[staycalm]

I am glad this is finally happening. Five years in jail would give this scumbag of a mom time to think about what she did to an innocent child and think about what it means to me a mother. This kind of a woman is most surely damaging to her own daughter as well.

[freckster]

dogsoul,
C''mon - you''re talking about an adult playing mental games with a 13 year old girl that results in the girl''s death by suicide. As an adult she has to take responsibility for her actions. At that age with the emotional and physical turmoil of puberty, the woman inflicted cruel mental pain.

[chicls]

I don''t care if this is a crime or not, this woman will rot in hell for what she did.

[danton1956]

A crime was committed here. That society has not firmly decided the legal issues or worded a law well does not change this fact. In tort law this is called intentional infliction of emotional distress. Certainly there is enough background in the common law for a crime to be defined.

[inmo-2009]

dogsoul - I agree with all of your points but one - it is the prosecutor hoping to make a name for themselves NOT the media! The media did not drive this - people are shcoked and wants to know more so as media we report the news you want to hear and sometimes what you do not want to hear. This woman did nothing criminally wrong - but morally is another matter.

[cbsguest6]

"Grills also said she wrote the message to Megan about the world being a better place without her. The message was supposed to end the online relationship with "Josh" because Grills felt the joke had gone too far.

"I was trying to get her angry so she would leave him alone and I could get rid of the whole MySpace," Grills told the morning show."

If she wanted to end the relationship why didn''t she just simply state who she really was. The prosecutor is right in pursuing this. This woman''s motives are suspect.

[jetlizhan]

the internet world has just gone too far. i''m glad the woman has been indicted - it''ll make people stop and think about sending hurtful messages. she deserves prison - shame on her, she should''ve known better.

[galaxiana]

OMG this witch deserves what she''s getting and a LOT more! Her story kept changing throughout this whole thing, first she admitted it and then a few weeks later denied it and said that someone else created the page and did the harrassment although she knew about it.

As any police officer can tell you, people who change their stories are virtually ALWAYS lying, just like people who add details when asked to repeat the story a couple of times. There is no doubt whatsoever that this petty, meddling c||nt should rot in prison the rest of her life!

[erasmus81]

"I am glad this is finally happening. Five years in jail would give this scumbag of a mom time to think about what she did to an innocent child and think about what it means to me a mother. This kind of a woman is most surely damaging to her own daughter as well." Posted by staycalm at 03:24 PM : May 15, 2008

I agree 100%.

[mikefrmd]

I agree with cbsguest6.....why didn''t Grills just delete the profile...instead she just wanted to cause more pain...also why hasn''t she also been indicted?

[hissteps4u]

I hope she gets every second of time she deserves for this. It is a pity she can not be charged with Murder what a world class witch to do what she did.

[rudy654-2009]

My sympathy of course if with the girl who committed suicide. However, these charges will not stick. They are stretched beyond anything reasonable.

[cbsguest6]

My sympathy of course if with the girl who committed suicide. However, these charges will not stick. They are stretched beyond anything reasonable.


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Posted by rudy654 at 03:50 PM : May 15, 2008

If the prosecutor can prove she intended to cause this little girl emotioanl distress, this woman will be convicted or plea to a lesser charge.

[rudy654-2009]

If the prosecutor can prove she intended to cause this little girl emotioanl distress, this woman will be convicted or plea to a lesser charge.


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Posted by cbsguest6 at 03:52 PM

I don''t think so. Look, if I say to someone on here, "the world would be better off without you," and the person commits suicide, there is no way that I can be held liable. I don''t agree with what this person did, but there are many silly people on the internet pulling krap everyday.

[mahdeealoo]

There is no thing that can bring her back from the dead. But you do the crime, you do the time. Period. This is quite a hateful act that was followed through to a bitter end. I''m appreciative that someone is pushing some buttons to serve justice.

[mecury69]

New laws are created by testing cases. There is nothing wrong with bringing charges; this is how we will make new laws to address technology and changes in society.

There is plenty of ''cause evidence'' this act was designed to emotionally hurt a minor and we owe it as a society to address it.

[cbsguest6]

http://www.senate.state.mo.us/00info/bills/SB758.htm

I think somewhere in this the prosecutor will be able to make a case against her.

[mikefrmd]

The difference here Rudy is that Drew already knew this girl suffered from depression and also misrepresented herself as someone else...wouldn''t that be fraud?

[randynason]

Causing great emotional distress designed to promote self-injury is a crime. This "mother" should pay a heavy penalty. If no self-respecting D.A. picks up the fight it''s not because there has been no crime, but because they''re cowardly interpreters of the law and lack conviction.

Partially in response to dogsoul...

Cyberbullying **IS** illegal!!! This woman needs to be locked away for a good long while. It is more more understandable (though still unacceptable). As an adult and especially a MOTHER, this woman should know better. I think this is indicative of why we have so many problems in schools. Parents are resorting to the same kind of juvenile tactics that teens use to resolve problems. This woman needs to have the book thrown at her... because she''s a horrible excuse for a human being AND to set an example for other scum that claims to be adults.

[annia1233]

why, a grown up woman would do such thing to a child that could very well be her daughter? That is cruelty. We all know how vulnerable young children are on their egos and self worth. It probably comes from hate and wnvy to the mother of this child who seems to be a good lucking woman. The perpetrator saw revanche and let go her negative feelings toward the mother on the child. I really would like to see how the perpetrator looks like.

[annia1233]

Just imaging if the perpetrator had just told the victim to go meet this fictitious "Josh" to a dangerous place at night? To me she did the same as if she was a sexual predator. To me, there is no difference between her and a sexual predator. I would also take her in for sexual misconduct towards a minor. Talking "romantic" talk to a child by any one over 18 is sexual misconduct. I do not care if she justifies it what ever way. This was sexual harrasment and misconduct too that anded in harm to the child and death.

[megamanx1-2009]

MAKING A FAKE MYSPACE ACCOUNT IS NOT ILLEGAL IM SORRY.

SAYING MEAN THINGS TO SOMEONE IS ALSO NOT ILLEGAL.

IF I CALL SOMEONE AN IDIOT AND THEN THEY GO HOME AND KILL THEMSELVES, THAT IS NOT MY FAULT.

THIS IS RIDICULOUS....

KEEP YOUR 13 YEAR OLDS OFF OF MYSPACE.

[cbsguest6]

Talking "romantic" talk to a child by any one over 18 is sexual misconduct. I do not care if she justifies it what ever way. This was sexual harrasment and misconduct too that anded in harm to the child and death.


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Posted by annia1233 at 04:07 PM : May 15, 2008

This is another possible charge. Child pornography or the intent to commit lewd acts with a minor.

[impeach_w]

I guess I should quit pressing for Bush and Cheney to Commmit suicide... It might be illegal if they did it.

[mikefrmd]

Is talking sexually to a 13 year illegal Megaman? Drew even stated that the chatting turned sexual to police?

[rudy654-2009]

Lori Drew of suburban St. Louis was charged with one count of conspiracy and three counts of accessing protected computers without authorization to obtain information to inflict emotional distress on the girl.
***********

Before you people go too far on this and that charge, these above are the actual charges. So now the prosecutor will have to prove that she shouldn''t have had access to certain computers and that she and two others were conspiring to cause this girl to commit suicide. That''s stretching. But I am not sympathetic, I''m just saying it''s stretching.

[impeach_w]

What ever happened to good old revenge? She''s right down the street!

[marbru-2009]

This whole internet thing has gotten completely out of control and every nut around the world is able wreak havoc anonymously. It is really scary!

[dabsgram]

Megan may very well have been at the point where anything could have set her off and led her to suicide, DaVicar2. This does not, however, excuse Lori Drew from acting as she did. She is an adult and should certainly know better. She must be held accountable for her actions, no matter how it had turned out for Megan.

[nolalou]

"that''''s ridiculous - this is clearly a case of media driven prosecution. Don''''t get me wrong - I''''m no fan of this woman - but it''''s not illegal to do what she did" Posted by dogsoul

Oh, are you a lawyer? The article clearly states the charges and possible sentence. No prosecutor, no matter the media hype, would take on a case if he (or she) thought it had no merit! After all, the prosecutors reputation would be at risk!

[megamanx1-2009]

Is talking sexually to a 13 year illegal Megaman? Drew even stated that the chatting turned sexual to police?




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Posted by MikefrMd at 04:11 PM : May 15, 2008

KEEP YOUR 13 YEAR OLDS OFF OF MYSPACE.

I''LL GIVE YOU THAT IF THE MOTHER OR ANYONE OVER 18 WAS TYPING SEXUALLY EXPLICIT THINGS TO THE 13 YEAR OLD THEN YES THEY WOULD BE GUILTY OF THAT (ALTHOUGH I DON''T KNOW HOW THEY WOULD PROVE WHO TYPED WHAT).

HOWEVER, AS I SAID BEFORE MAKING THE ACCOUNT ALONE IS NOT ILLEGAL AND NEITHER IS SAYING "MEAN THINGS".

BOTTOM LINE IS PARENTS NEED TO WATCH WHAT THEIR KIDS ARE DOING ON MYSPACE ETC..ESPECIALLY A 13 YR OLD GIRL COME ON...

[bdrlnt4rl]

good,good,good,good,good. maybe more tracking the computer thing will become a priority for our government and our laws!!!

[love4all2]

I think this is an extremely sad case. especially when a grown woman is out to find out things about her daughter from a supposed friend. it was cruel what she did and she should be put away

[bdrlnt4rl]

Is talking sexually to a 13 year illegal Megaman? Drew even stated that the chatting turned sexual to police?




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Posted by MikefrMd



if this is the case, she should also be listed and tried as a *** offender!!!

[mikefrmd]

Megaman...exactly how does one protect their 13 year old completely from the internet...lock them up in a closet?. What happens when they go to their friends house? or to the library?

I think its more resonable to expect grown adults not to prey on kids and get into their squables...2 adults against a 13 year is just plain wrong and we''ll soon find out if its criminal.

[sblake63]

Why isn''t her mother and father being indicted also for child neglect? One of the 1st articles on this stated the mother and father knew that she was carrying on a myspace "relationship" with a "boy" in the weeks before the suicide. They also knew that her daughter had changed "acting strangely" and heard her cussing etc.

I know know what kind if TRASH families are out there reading this and surely I will hear from you with your brain dead quotes "you got to let them live and experience life" blah blah. She was 13 and she had NO business being on myspace or any other social networking site. Her parents KNEW there were problems. CONTROL your kids people and first off they''ll grow up and be productive and most of all they will be ALIVE..

This story is plain REPULSIVE to me because it paints this innocent mom and day grieving over the loss of their kid when in fact it''s partially THEIR FAULT. Her parents got separated after this incident, I wonder what their argument was over hmmmmmmmmmmmmmm LOL !

[spinster2]

MAKING A FAKE MYSPACE ACCOUNT IS NOT ILLEGAL IM SORRY.

SAYING MEAN THINGS TO SOMEONE IS ALSO NOT ILLEGAL.

IF I CALL SOMEONE AN IDIOT AND THEN THEY GO HOME AND KILL THEMSELVES, THAT IS NOT MY FAULT.

THIS IS RIDICULOUS....

KEEP YOUR 13 YEAR OLDS OFF OF MYSPACE.


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Posted by MegamanX1
---------------------------

I agree with EVERYTHING you just said but this woman went out of her way to inflict what damage she might on this girl and I, for one, would bear that in mind when considering any "related" charges.

The whole point of setting up this profile was to cause suffering if possible and although she might not be liable in a criminal court, civil court is another matter. She didn''t even seem sorry about it when the story first broke.

[dogsoul]

"The whole point of setting up this profile was to cause suffering if possible and although she might not be liable in a criminal court, civil court is another matter. She didn''''t even seem sorry about it when the story first broke. "

It doesn''t matter - the whole point WHENVER you do ''mean things'' is to cause a person to feel bad. You are legally ALLOWED to say mean things to people - period. Does that make her a model citizen??? No. But should it be punishable under law? No.

[opedanderson]

I agree that making a fake myspace account is not illegal, nor is saying stupid things.....but to let it go on and on surely is criminal in nature. Especially when youre an adult who knows the "target" is 13 yrs and has emotional issues......

[bestillandno]

Little Megans pitiful existence, fueled by parents who could not help her develop emotionally, was balanced on the edge of logic and reason long before Lori Drew got bored with her own life and decided to start playing pranks on her neighbor.

So many of YOU POSTERS would love to see another persons life (Lori Drew) ruined, so that you can call it JUSTICE.

That little girl would have hanged herself if her cat died that day!

Dont waste another life by condemning Lori Drew for a poorly timed joke!

Posted by DaVicar2 at 04:02 PM : May 15, 2008


That''s pathetic. You would not see things this way if you found little DaVicar jr swinging from a rope.

[taddles-2009]

"No. But should it be punishable under law? No.

Posted by dogsoul at 04:42 PM : May 15, 2008"


If I yell "fire" in a crowded theater and someone gets killed rushing for the exits...am I liable? You bet your a$$ I am.

[spinster2]

Why isn''''t her mother and father being indicted also for child neglect? One of the 1st articles on this stated the mother and father knew that she was carrying on a myspace "relationship" with a "boy" in the weeks before the suicide. They also knew that her daughter had changed "acting strangely" and heard her cussing etc.

I know know what kind if TRASH families are out there reading this and surely I will hear from you with your brain dead quotes "you got to let them live and experience life" blah blah. She was 13 and she had NO business being on myspace or any other social networking site. Her parents KNEW there were problems. CONTROL your kids people and first off they''''ll grow up and be productive and most of all they will be ALIVE..

This story is plain REPULSIVE to me because it paints this innocent mom and day grieving over the loss of their kid when in fact it''''s partially THEIR FAULT. Her parents got separated after this incident, I wonder what their argument was over hmmmmmmmmmmmmmm LOL !


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Posted by sblake63
----------------------------------

The idea that her own parents bear any responsibility worth mentioning is something you might expect from a moron and enough to make some wonder if this woman isn''t up to her same old tricks posing as a moron.

[bestillandno]

I don''''t think so. Look, if I say to someone on here, "the world would be better off without you," and the person commits suicide, there is no way that I can be held liable. I don''''t agree with what this person did, but there are many silly people on the internet pulling krap everyday.

Posted by rudy654 at 03:55 PM : May 15, 2008


Point taken, but I think this scenario was a little different. She was being targeted. Even though she could have turned off her computer, the whole thing was designed to target her specifically and they knew who and where she was. Just a sophisticated way to stalk someone and stalking is illegal.

[bestillandno]

MAKING A FAKE MYSPACE ACCOUNT IS NOT ILLEGAL IM SORRY.

SAYING MEAN THINGS TO SOMEONE IS ALSO NOT ILLEGAL.

IF I CALL SOMEONE AN IDIOT AND THEN THEY GO HOME AND KILL THEMSELVES, THAT IS NOT MY FAULT.

THIS IS RIDICULOUS....

KEEP YOUR 13 YEAR OLDS OFF OF MYSPACE.

Posted by MegamanX1 at 04:07 PM : May 15, 2008


Agreed that 13 year olds should not be on myspace. That being said, I think your analogy of calling someone an idiot and what happened here a little off base.

[yeahsure69]

cruel... yes this was.

but I gotta say... I would have expected a lawsuit before actual legal action. To that end if Megan turned to suicide over a relationship with something she had never met , never talked to say for electronic form and did not really know. Well then sorry she would have committed suicide for some other reason if she was that weak minded and fragile. Yes that sounds cruel as well but its the truth.

In this day and age parents as well bear some responsibility. She had no business being allowed on my space and myspace had no business allowing a minor to create an account.

So yes Ms Drew did a terrible thing, but she alone does not bear responsibility and if you are going to bring federal charges, than megan''s parents as well should be included.

[bestillandno]

What ever happened to good old revenge? She''''s right down the street!

Posted by impeach_w at 04:18 PM : May 15, 2008


There ya go! If it had been my daughter, conviction would be the least of her worries.

[dogsoul]

The reality is that this woman could have said & done those very same things to a million other 13 year olds & they would have gone to their room & pouted for a few days... and any prosecutor would have laughed at the prospect of trying to jail any adult who did what she did...

But because she hit the bad lottery of doing this to a head case girl who went off & killed herself - NOW it''s a crime being aggressively pursued by the prosecutor''s office...

No folks - she''s guilty of being a jerk face to a kid - but that''s about it...

It really is sickening to me.

A **CHILD** killed herself here. We should be asking ourselves why she did it. Granted, teens are prone to overreacting to situations, but it''s got to be pretty bad to go this far. You''ve got to ask yourself, what is the incident cause to the action that occurred... and in this case, it''s this woman MISREPRESENTING herself as another teen and trash talking this poor girl. The girls parents aside, Lori Drew was the incident cause of death for this girl. If Drew had not been making her statements, this girl would NOT have committed suicide.

As for those people saying that a 13 year old shouldn''t have been on MySpace... that''s a matter of opinion. Kids today communicate this way... it is much different than how there parents did things. I can promise you, you cannot keep them off... MySpace the company cannot even keep them out. It is impossible... that''s why the fauly lies with the Drew for her actions and NOT with the child for doing what kids do.

[snojen]

I am a mother and even if I wasnt I still have to ask what is wrong with this women. Why would a grown women feel the need to hurt this young girl? I know that some people may think that it is only the childs fault and no one elses. What you said is children teenagers they do over react, I will even go as far as state too much drama. But this grown women and I use the term Women loosely, nothing any of us can say will make things better. If this women is not put in jail, then you are looking at ever one who has a grudge to start this crap. So as a Women, a mother, I want to see this women put in jail for a very very long time. If she lived next door to this child and her family and if she had a reason to be angry then she should of got off her big butt and spoke to the girls parents. It is trash like her that put children at risk, lets be honest here I dont see what she did any different then a man going on line to sexual abuse children. Maybe the women is sexual interest in this child and because of being rejected felt the need what ever it seems that at the least she should be arrested for Stalking