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Woman indicted in fatal cyber-bully case (Megan Meier update)
Reuters ^ | 5/15/08 | Dan Whitcomb

Posted on 05/15/2008 1:13:42 PM PDT by Bloody Sam Roberts

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - A Missouri woman who prosecutors say used a fake MySpace persona to "torment, harass, humiliate and embarrass" a 13-year-old girl who committed suicide was indicted on Thursday on federal charges.

Lori Drew, accused of participating in a hoax on 13-year-old Megan Meier that led her to believe she was chatting with a 16-year-old boy, was indicted on conspiracy charges by a U.S. District Court jury in Los Angeles.

Meier had what she thought was an online friendship with the fictional boy, "Josh Evans."

(Excerpt) Read more at reuters.com ...


TOPICS: Crime/Corruption; Culture/Society; Extended News; News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: loridrew; meganmeier; myspace; myspacesuicide; suicide
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To: paulcissa

Agreed.


21 posted on 05/15/2008 1:41:24 PM PDT by ishabibble (ALL-AMERICAN INFIDEL)
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To: Ouderkirk

She can rot in Hell along with the Burmese Military Junta, Saddam Hussein, Seung-Hui Cho, and Ted Bundy.


22 posted on 05/15/2008 1:41:47 PM PDT by Ptarmigan (Bunnies=Sodomites)
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To: Bloody Sam Roberts

What a bunch of freaking hypocrites. You are applauding a woman getting federally indicted for pretending she was someone other than herself on the internet. Lock up half the country, already including most of you.

What is wrong with you people?

Nobody was harrassed. What went on there meets NO legal definition of harrassment.

There were exactly ZERO attempts by the girl to break off contact.

There were exactly ZERO attempts by the girl to block the user in question.

“Torment”? Ridiculous. No reasonable person would have been “tormented” by a person she voluntarily chatted with on MySpace for a month.

“Oh, I am SOOOO tormented because those girls who I meet on MySpace really aren’t girls at all but the owners of adult sites. I’m soooooo tormented, who can I sue?”

You “conservatives” get the government you want. Enjoy it. Before smarting off to or zotting someone on this forum, you might take into account their mental well-being before doing so. You might find yourself under federal indictment.


23 posted on 05/15/2008 1:46:34 PM PDT by L98Fiero (A fool who'll waste his life, God rest his guts.)
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To: Fractal Trader
You deseerve the bravery medal for living in the city you do! I'm glad to see another republican in MA, we are the few and the proud!

Deval Patrick is a treasure isn't he! /sarc!

24 posted on 05/15/2008 1:46:52 PM PDT by rockabyebaby (PLEASE PRAY FOR OUR INFIDEL STEPHENJOHNBANKER)
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To: Bloody Sam Roberts

http://www.meganmeierfoundation.org/


25 posted on 05/15/2008 1:47:28 PM PDT by netmilsmom (I am Ironmom. (but really made from Gold plated titanium))
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To: paulcissa

It may be that federal law offered some avenues for prosecution that state law did not. This occurred over the internet, using out of state MySpace servers, and that is likely how it was brought under federal jurisdiction, even though all parties involved lived in the same state. And federal conspiracy laws are a good deal more extensive than most state conspiracy laws.


26 posted on 05/15/2008 1:48:42 PM PDT by GovernmentShrinker
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To: L98Fiero

We’ve had it happen here. One of our posters did suicide.

We should always think before we hit that post button.


27 posted on 05/15/2008 1:49:31 PM PDT by netmilsmom (I am Ironmom. (but really made from Gold plated titanium))
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To: netmilsmom

Freedom comes with great responsibilities. The price of freedom is eternal vigilance. When did that poster here at FR committed suicide?


28 posted on 05/15/2008 1:55:30 PM PDT by Ptarmigan (Bunnies=Sodomites)
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To: Fractal Trader

This went beyond “spiteful comments”. This was an adult who was personally acquainted with the minor target of her scheme, and knew the girl to be an insecure adolescent who’d never had any boyfriends in real life, and tailored the scheme to take advantage of this. The scheme was quite elaborate and went on for quite a long time. The woman also concealed her connection to the girl’s suicide for quite some time after she learned it happened (and actually never confessed until somebody with knowledge of her actions told police), and then she told some lies to investigators after the fact, trying to pin some of her own actions onto another minor.


29 posted on 05/15/2008 1:56:19 PM PDT by GovernmentShrinker
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To: L98Fiero
AMEN!!! Here's a thought...DON'T LOG ON AND READ IT!!

We are very quickly becoming a nation of wussified pu$$ies..

30 posted on 05/15/2008 1:57:27 PM PDT by Fedupwithit (We are but fleas on this Earthen canine)
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To: netmilsmom

“We should always think before we hit that post button.”

Agreed.

What makes me angry about this case is that no REASONABLE person would have committed suicide over it. That mother did not drive anybody to suicide. The girl had tried before. She had serious mental problems and was not the poor helpless, wilting violet that FReepers like to pretend.

Nobody was harrassed or bullied by ANY definitions of those words, other than the woman under federal indictment.

What happened to her was a damn shame but SHE DID IT TO HERSELF. Note to FReepers: Crazy people can be pretty little girls in braces.


31 posted on 05/15/2008 2:04:00 PM PDT by L98Fiero (A fool who'll waste his life, God rest his guts.)
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To: GovernmentShrinker

Found this elsewhere: Lori Drew, 49, of O’Fallon, Mo., faces three counts of accessing protected computers without authorization to obtain information to inflict emotional distress and one count of conspiracy.


32 posted on 05/15/2008 2:06:30 PM PDT by kaboom
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To: Bloody Sam Roberts

Lori Drew

33 posted on 05/15/2008 2:06:57 PM PDT by kcvl
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To: Fractal Trader
There are tons of spiteful comments which are continuously spewed through the Internet, so I’m not sure why her case is special.

Because she demonstrated malice aforethought and went to great lengths to ensure that her subterfuge would be undetected and would have maximum effect on her intended victim.
Because she is a waste of skin, basically.

34 posted on 05/15/2008 2:07:50 PM PDT by Bloody Sam Roberts (The secret of Life is letting go. The secret of Love is letting it show.)
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To: L98Fiero
The girl had tried before.

And it has been established that Lori Drew knew this.

35 posted on 05/15/2008 2:09:00 PM PDT by Bloody Sam Roberts (The secret of Life is letting go. The secret of Love is letting it show.)
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To: netmilsmom
You are mistaken. They didn't commit suicide. They attempted to commit suicide and blew half their brain away. In fact, that's L98Fiero who tried it and you can tell that they are functioning reasonably well...mostly.
36 posted on 05/15/2008 2:09:49 PM PDT by doggieboy
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To: L98Fiero

Your oversimplification of the issue notwithstanding, I believe a reasonable person can see the conspiracy here. The only difference between this and other crimes of conspiracy is in the medium used to commit the crime.

The adult sought to harm the 13 year old publically. She apparently did quite well in her objective.

Lori Drew’s comments early on how the suicide was “not her problem” gave enough insight into her mindset for me. I personally hope the scumbag is financially ruined trying to defend herself.


37 posted on 05/15/2008 2:18:04 PM PDT by BraveMan
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To: doggieboy

LOL!


38 posted on 05/15/2008 2:18:05 PM PDT by netmilsmom (I am Ironmom. (but really made from Gold plated titanium))
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To: L98Fiero
>>That mother did not drive anybody to suicide.<<

No, wrong. She was compulsory in it.

I worked Psych. I see what you are saying, no one makes a person suicide, however, knowingly inventing a love interest, gaining the confidence of the girl and knowing that she has mental problems is compulsory. She had a hand in driving the child off the deep end and it was premeditated.

39 posted on 05/15/2008 2:22:46 PM PDT by netmilsmom (I am Ironmom. (but really made from Gold plated titanium))
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To: Ptarmigan

A couple years ago. Really nice guy, grew tomatoes and was on the gardening threads. It was well known that he was depressed and when we got the word, I remember sitting on a thread and crying.

Sometimes our cyberfriends mean so much. It was a time in my life where I had very young kids and had moved to a city hundreds of miles away from my family. FR was like a lifeline.

And the thing is, this girl was 13. Anyone who has been a 13 year old girl knows how easily the world can look horribly bleak. Her mother had yelled at her for language she used responding to the “boy”. Imagine what that mother is going through.


40 posted on 05/15/2008 2:27:17 PM PDT by netmilsmom (I am Ironmom. (but really made from Gold plated titanium))
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