The woman, who almost certainly hounded the teenager until the kid snapped, was indicted today in the case. It won't bring Megan back, but some good may come from a trial.
The indictment accuses Lori Drew of ""Conspiracy: ... Accessing Protected Computers to Obtain Information; ...Aiding and Abetting and Causing an Act to Be Done".
"Missouri Woman Indicted in MySpace Cyber-Bullying Case That Ended in Teen's Suicide"
FoxNEWS (May 15, 2008)
"A federal grand jury in Los Angeles indicted a Missouri woman Thursday for her alleged role in a MySpace hoax on a teen neighbor who committed suicide after being spurned by the 'boy' in the fake profile.
"Lori Drew, of Dardenne Prairie near 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."
None of this will bring Megan Meier, the 13-year-old who hung herself, back to life. But, the legal action may help establish that there are legal consequences, even if you use computers and the Web to attack others.
It is remotely possible that all the publicly-available evidence points in the wrong direction, and that Lori Drew did not act, with some help, to
- Masquerade online as a rather hunky teenage boy
- Worm her way into the confidence and affection of a 13-year-old girl
- Top of 'hurtful' statements by writing that the world would be better off without Megan Meier
I have little sympathy for an adult who would abuse a fragile young teen like that. Even if the adult suffered a loss of status and esteem in the community as a result of the abuse.
Other posts about the online predation of Megan Meier:
- "How to Read the News: Or, Missouri Teen Suicide, Lori Drew, and Victims"
(December 7, 2007) - "Megan Meier's Tormentor: Knowledge is Power"
(December 6, 2007) - "Megan Meier's Online Predator Has New Problems"
(December 6, 2007) - " 'Murder?' Not Legally, but Megan's Still Dead"
(December 4, 2007) - "Ersatz Boyfriend Kills With MySpace"
(November 13, 2007)
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