MySpace Suicide Case Could Set A Precedent In U.S.
Posted November 18, 2008 12:00 pm.
This article is more than 5 years old.
Her name is Lori Drew and she goes on trial Tuesday for conspiracy and accessing computers without authorization. But some believe she should be accused of something far more serious.
You may not remember her name, but few can forget what she’s accused of doing. Drew is the Missouri mother who allegedly set up a MySpace page and created a fictional character on it that helped drive a young 13-year-old girl to suicide.
The story began in 2005, when young Megan Meier and Drew’s daughter had a falling out. Drew is said to have become worried that the youngster was spreading lies about her offspring on the Internet, so she’s accused of having a co-worker create a fictitious home-schooled and handsome teen named “Josh Evans” on the social networking site in the summer of 2006. He befriended the mentally unstable girl and became one her best online pals, showering her with attention.
Things went well for several months, before those involved realized they’d taken it too far, and arranged for “Evans” to break-up with the vulnerable child, who was overweight and described as troubled – a mental state Drew was said to be well aware of.
When “he” accused her of saying malicious things about her friends and that the world would be better off without her, Meier ran upstairs crying. Her parents found her hanging in her bedroom 20 minutes later, an act they claim was directly related to the “Evans” rejection.
She died the next day in hospital.
Officials say Drew then tried to cover her tracks by ordering her employee to delete the page and cover up all traces of “Evans’s” existence.
It wasn’t long before Megan’s folks discovered the truth and demanded that local police arrest the next door neighbour in their child’s death.
But cops in Dardenne Prairie, Missouri couldn’t find any laws that covered the bizarre circumstances and despite becoming something of a local pariah, the 49-year-old Drew couldn’t be charged with anything.
That’s when officials in California stepped in. Noting that MySpace was headquartered in Los Angeles, they charged Drew with a federal statute about accessing protected computers. The co-worker who created “Evans” is expected to be the star witness, but it’s not clear if she’s been offered immunity for her testimony.
It’s the first time the law has ever been used in a case that didn’t involve hackers, but Drew’s lawyers are worried that the jury will only see it as a murder case.
The judge flirted with excluding the suicide evidence, but realized most jurors would have heard about the case and decided to allow it, noting he would instruct the panel that they’re not judging the Missouri mom on what happened to the girl next door.
Whether that works remains to be seen.
Either way, many are calling it a legal landmark and will be watching with intense interest to see if the state can make its case stick – and how the jury reacts to such an emotionally drenched tale of love and loss that all agree should never have happened.
Previous stories:
Parents cry tears of joy at indictment
Woman accused of setting up false MySpace page breaks her silence
No charges against adults who set up page
Parents demand tougher laws after suicide
Teen: mother knew what was going on
