A federal grand jury in Los Angeles has begun issuing subpoenas in the case of a Missouri teenager who hanged herself after being rejected by the person she thought was a 16-year-old boy she met on MySpace, sources told The Times. The case set off a national furor when it was revealed that the “boyfriend” was really a neighbor who was the mother of one of the girl’s former friends.
Local and federal authorities in Missouri looked into the circumstances surrounding 13-year-old Megan Meier’s 2006 death in the town of Dardenne Prairie, an upper-middle-class enclave of about 7,400 people, located northwest of St. Louis.
But after months of investigation, no charges were filed against Lori Drew for her alleged role in the hoax. Prosecutors in Missouri said they were unable to find a statute under which to pursue a criminal case.
Prosecutors in the U.S. attorney’s office in Los Angeles, however, are exploring the possibility of charging Drew with defrauding the MySpace social networking website by allegedly creating the false account, according to the sources, who insisted on anonymity because they are not authorized to speak publicly about the case.
The sources said prosecutors are looking at federal wire fraud and cyber fraud statutes as they consider the case. Prosecutors believe they have jurisdiction because MySpace is headquartered in Beverly Hills, the sources said.
I’m agin it. I wish they’d find better grounds on which to make this woman legally liable, if they’re going to. I think she’s a sick, twisted bitch, yes. I don’t think that internet fraud is the issue, though.
That’s just wrong. That could be anyone right there getting caught in the wheels of Los Angeles justice and that’s not a good thing.
This is such an obvious case of bad cases making for bad law, even though the bad laws haven’t been made yet. There’s a simple legal way for this victimizer to get what she deserves: a civil lawsuit that takes her for everything she has. Really, being a humungous bag of pus isn’t itself enough of a punishment, but there isn’t going to be any good federal or state statute that can adequately address this kind of crime.
Of course, having misfit children forever egging and TPing her home would be appropriate, too. Superglue in the locks, burning bags of cowpatties on the doorstep, and dead animals in the backyard would also suffice. But that would be going down to her level.
Being a middle-class suburbanite thoroughly ostracized by one’s neighbors has gotta be life-wrenching. Not as much as losing a daughter, true, but…
I haven’t seen the statute, but since fraud is an element of what Drew did wrong, perhaps there’s some sticky there.
Meier’s parents have a year left to file suit, I wonder if they are even considering it.
If new law comes out of this, I hope it’s legislation that makes it illegal for an *adult* to misrepresent themselves via internet communication as a *minor* to a minor child ;or to aid or solicit/ permit other adults, or children under their authority to do so, unless the adult is parent or guardian, acting with permission of or on behalf of the parent/guardian, or in furtherance of legitimate law enforcement purposes.
Because I thought it was just creepy when Alice the housekeeper wrote those pen-pal letters to Jan Brady, ‘ya know.
And you’re right about that. Only, compared to Mrs. Brady, Alice was normal.
Sarah though what do you think about the Los Angeles prosecution? You’ve given this more thought from more angles than most of us.
Didn’t Alice like move to Colorado and join a cult?
Yeah, the thing about the L.A. prosecution . . . wasn’t that what Brussels was supposed to be about?
“Didn’t Alice like move to Colorado and join a cult?”
Are Episcopalians considered a cult?
Ok maybe it was a commune, which is different you’re right.
Only by other Episcopalians.
And I guess maybe it wasn’t Colorado but Bishop William Frey is from there and she has this connection with him so it could have been at some point she lived there. Wikipedia is not real clear. But nevermind on the Alice joined a cult thing. I just worry is all.
Remember a couple years ago when they changed the wording of the telephone harassment law to include voice-over-internet, and all the Libs cried, “Aarrggh, the fascist Bush administration is going to start jailing people for mean-spirited flame wars etc and blah blah blah,” and of course it never has happened that way, but maybe this could be a good first time for everything.
As to taking an end run in order to charge someone with something, ask Al Capone for his opinion about it.
I don’t think that law is appropriate here. This was obviously a case where two people intersected in life that clearly shouldn’t have. Yes, the adult who pretended to be a boy is a clearly stupid human being, but why do I have to feel sorry for a girl that apparently killed herself over a boy she had NEVER met? I mean I feel as sorry for her as I do anyone that dies young, but I have to be honest and say that if she killed herself over that, she was bound to kill herself sooner or later anyway.
Sorry if that seems callous, but that’s the way I think of this particular issue.
Capone actually didn’t pay his taxes on his illegally gained money though. Not as sexy as locking him up for all the mayhem but certainly legitimate charges. This is yet another attempt to federalize being a jerk. Yeah, this lady has something coming to her, but a civil suit would be the way to go. How is this the federal governments business?
With all due respect, what other behaviors can’t we tolerate to the point we’d criminalize them?
Don’t you have some Ron Paul signs to put up?
That’s kind of an open ended question, JHoward. Restricting deceitful correspondence of adults with children, seems the narrowest option for new laws, if there are to be any enacted, in response to the Drew punking of a particularly vulnerable child.
Given the low likelihood that such communication is a benign attempt to make a benighted middle child feel important ( as if it is, it should be done with knowlege and permission of the child’s parents or guardian.)
Happyfeet – What do I think about the LA deal-ly?
Despite the reservations Dan and others’s feel about the nature of the charges and their applicability ( which I don’t really have enough to judge, myself, at this point) I do see some plusses, some of which seem so to me because I am cynical and looking at what the LA grand jury might lead to besides a guilty verdict.
A grand jury investigation means continued legal pressures on Drew.
There is potential for her previous statements and those of others to be made public, the potential for sworn testimony, perhaps compelled testimony, for others involved.
Such testimony could aid the Meiers in a civil suit. and even with regard to the charges pending against Ronald Meier, in that as long as Drew is under serious pressure not to live up to her reputation for being a jerk, and do what she can to make sure Ron Meier doesn’t face criminal penalties based on her complaints. She also gets the message that the law is after her, not just her neighbors and that meddling internet.
As long as the charge is not mere pretext, even if its a stretch, but a stretch that fits, its worth it for the additional stress, worry, and mortification and inconvenience she would face.
I don’t mean that to be an exhaustive reply, that’s just off the top of my head.
That’s a good point about the civil suit. Personally I think on balance maybe, and I mean just that it’s possible, that the Drew people are in a position now where they are in a bad enough place that they have been de facto punished and will be facing the consequences of their actions in a big way for long long time. I say this because I think the girl was really possible just not long for this world given that the MySpace thing is just not in the realm of a reasonable trigger for doing what she did. Suicide is so fucking evil, what it does to those left behind.
I keep hearing that “not long for this world” stuff, but can’t really agree it means she would have killed herself without this particular triggering event. You take your victim as you find him, and if she had an eggshell skull, absent hammer attacks for the present, she was young enough to grow some bone or learn to wear a helmet.
I can’t really defend my position. It’s very feelingsy.
A ADHD thirteen year comitting suicide in reaction to sudden perceived withdrawal of peer approval (which has more value to a 13 yo than an older teen or adult) , sinking her back into painful and nearly unendurable “untouchable” status she thought she had escaped, is a different case from an older teen or adult doing the same thing. Thirteen year old girls are so foolish.
Her parents had removed her from a school situation where peer groups and cliques were the be-all and end-all of existence, and she was set to get past the most trying age. She probably would have improved, even if she remained highly reactive to slights; absent the stress of what occurred, she might well have developed enough sense to deal with painful crises of many sorts.
I agree. I’m just not sure the Drew people really have to own all that.
Lori Drew does need to own all that, because what she did set in motion what followed she should have or even did know better. And her actions following the event were appalling as well…and probably served as much to inflame neighborhood (and later, public) opinon of her actions as what she allowed and probably encouraged.
The myspace deally was malicious, and at minimum self-serving, and she was aware of the target’s peculiar vulnerabilities, vanities, foolishness, and highly reactive nature. It was forseeable that the inevitable result of the creation of the false friend, certainly once it became clear that Megan was forming an (albeit imaginary) attachment, would result in feelings of loss and pain at some point, even if things had not ended in the horrible way they did. She should have known that causing feelings of pain and distress to a vulnerable 13 year old on medication for depression and a cognitive processing disorder associated with impulsivity and poor judgment, could exacerbate her those problems.
And Drew gave the “keys to the kingdom” to keys ” of the Megan punking to minors,and a barely adult *employee* with a history of emotional problems, and knew these children aand near-children were angry with Megan and bore her ill-will. (She’s admitted without reservation, her negligence with regard to allowing creation of the account) She also failed to close down the account the night before Megans death, when she was made aware of development of “arguments” between Megan and the other participants, when she knew matters were getting out of hand.
Her actions afterward….well maybe I had better just not get started on that, except to say, she knew what she had done, or at least that it would damage her reputation.
.
Maybe I should look into using a text editor before I start off on a virtual table-pound.
Getting back to the question of the LA prosecution efforts, I can point to at least one thing that bothers me right off the bat.
(I am actually pretty much in agreement with Dan in the general idea that s Civil remedy exists and should be sought; I’m not in favor of new laws to restrict online communication or content unless they are very narrow and apply specifically to communications of adults with minors.)
If prosecutors are putting forward that creation of a false ID on myspace, per se…is defrauding the operators of Myspace, that’s going too far. Shouldn’t adults be able to create any identity that isn’t stealing someone elses ID for gain, so long as they are to their knowlege, dealing with other adults?
IF I call myself Dragor the great and say I am 55 with back hair and like to key cars in between my imaginary gig as an oatmeal and diabeetus salesman, or want a day off from pronouncing things that can be read on the floor of the senate and write as a smooth-cheeked feckless cabana boy or vice versa, it seems as though that’s a right we all have, buyer beware.