Friday, November 28, 2008
Case# 41 Still No Justice for the Death Of Megan Meier
I feel strongly about the things I believe in. Sometimes I feel so strong and emotional about how I feel it gets me in trouble, as others that believe in differently make a point of telling me that. Trying to forcefully put me down, especially on the Internet, about how wrong my feelings are. That is fine. I am an adult and can take it. I was brought up to stand up for what I believed in and to fight for it.When I was young, doing that was very hard to do;, basically due to conflicting opinions of my peers, how they felt and how they tried to convince me to feel as they did. Basically, it was peer pressure and much of it was simply trying to fit in with my peers.
Sound familiar? I think the majority of all adults are faced this when they were teenagers or younger. Make sure they wore the right clothes regardless if they liked them or not. Or listened to a certain type of music so that they could talk to the "clique" of those kids they hoped would be friends, even if the music grated on their nerves. To do drugs or not to do drugs. The majority of people addicted to drugs started in teenage years, just so they would or could fit in with the popular crowd. This sadly, is part of growing up, and what kids must face so many times, to feel the need of being accepted.
Growing up, these kids did not discuss these problems or feelings with their parents, as they thought (or their friends told them) their parents would never understand. Therefore, a great deal of the population of teens dealt with crucial emotional problems, even when their parents tried to help or understand.
I remember this as a child growing up, and now that my kids are grown and gone, they many times tell me of the problems they had that I had no idea about. They now realize that I would have tried to help and understand. But when they were teenagers, they felt (or were convinced) that would not be the case.
I know I am being a long winded here, something I am always guilty of, but the reason I am deals with the Megan Meier case, that she committed suicide and the final results of it. This site (see link) has always done an exceptional job of keeping myself and many readers informed on the Megan Meier MySpace case and the court trials concerning this. See: MySpace Suicide "Murderer" Convicted on 3 Counts
Megan Meier, a typical teenager in so many ways, yet with more overwhelming problems facing her as a young teenager of 13. (such as: concern she was overweight and how she wasteased about this; extra emotional problems such as ADHD; lack of self esteem; depression; the list goes on and on.)
Yet, low and behold, her life was suddenly lifted up by a young 16-year old named Josh Evans via MySpace. He took her to a new high concerning her life and how wonderful she was. Only to shatter it (which was the entire intention of the INVENTION of his face, name, photos of him, his 'caring words' which, and as far as I am concerned, was a "conspiracy") by saying to Megan "The world would be a better placewithout you."
Megan was devastated, and hung herself. The world now knows, there was never such a kid as Josh. Josh was a made-up character, and the one who made it up was a 49 year old woman who created a page for him on MySpace; after her own daughter told her of problems she and Megan were having (typical problems of young teen girls). So, instead of working these things out with her daughter as a mother should do, she decided to destroy Megan. Well, she did a good job. Megan is dead.
This decision of the Court to finally convict her with only 3 misdemeanors is outrageous to me. With the Internet being so vast and growing at lightening speed daily, this type of outcome will be sending messages to others that this is O.K. to behave like this. Especially when it comes to our protecting our children.
If we cannot depend on any Laws governing the Internet or Online Communication to protect us form this type of abuse -- such as cyberstalking or trolling -- then what the hell is going to happen if there is no recourse against this type of behavior concerning children.
If there are not laws to govern this, how long will it take to make and pass protective laws up and put them in place? A petition needs to be started on changing or implementing these laws Federally -- addressed to our lawmakers in Washington, D.C. If it was I would be the first to sign it.
What the outcome of this trial said to me, is in a roundabout way: "it is OK to harass others online." In short: what difference does it matter who gets hurt or dies for that matter? It's a free-for-all online.
How many more LORI DREW'S are there on the Internet that come into our and our children's lives via their keyboards and onto the screens of places like MySpace, chat rooms and forums? (One need only to read THIS SITE to find out)
Things have to change and fast concerning the Internet. Laws need to be tougher and strictly regulated. What happened to Megan Meier could happen to others. And as far as I am concerned, Lori Drew knew exactly what she was doing to Megan. She used a gun and pulled the trigger was transformed by the Internet. Not only that, she knew exactly how to aim the gun and had her target in full view. Excellent sharp shooting from 4 doors down I would say.
I wonder how many could be based next on the pitiful outcome of this trial!
Katie
Labels: conviction, cyberstalkers, harassment, harm, internet abuse, lori drew, megan meier, murder, myspace, suicide
Friday, November 21, 2008
Case# 38 Lori Drew/ MySpace Suicide Case Hears Testimony
A Missouri woman knew her 13-year-old neighbor was depressed and suicidal when she sent cruel Internet messages to the teenager, her former assistant testified. The girl killed herself after being told the world would be better off without her.Ashley Grills, 20, told jurors Thursday she helped Lori Drew set up a fake MySpace profile of a 16-year-old boy to lure Megan Meier into an online relationship. Testifying for the prosecution under a grant of immunity, Grills also said she sent the last message from the fictitious "Josh Evans" to Megan in October 2006 on the day the girl hanged herself.
Megan Meier (left)/ Ashley Grills (right)
When she learned of Megan's death, Grills said Drew told her, "`We could have pushed her overboard because she was suicidal and depressed.'"
Testimony was to resume Friday in the case against Drew, who has pleaded not guilty to one count of conspiracy and three counts of accessing computers without authorization. Each count carries a potential sentence of five years in prison.
Prosecutors say Drew, 49, her then-13-year-old daughter, Sarah, and Grills created the MySpace alias in September 2006 to befriend Megan to find out if she was spreading rumors about Sarah.
The case is believed to be the nation's first cyberbullying trial. Its results could set a legal precedent for dealing with the issue of online harassment.
Defense attorney Dean Steward told jurors that Drew did not violate the Computer Use and Fraud Act — used in the past to address computer hacking — and reminded them that she was not facing charges dealing with the suicide. Steward has repeatedly asked U.S. District Judge George Wu to exclude testimony about Megan's suicide and twice sought a mistrial.
Grills, who helped Drew with her coupon magazine business, testified that she told Drew they might get in trouble for the scheme, but that Drew replied, "It was fine and people do it all the time."
Grills said Drew thought the MySpace account was a funny idea and was present about half of the time when Grills and Sarah sent messages to Megan.
Grills said she remembered at least one time when Drew sat down and typed messages on the computer. She also testified that Drew wanted to print the conversations between "Josh" and Megan, lure the teen to a mall and reveal who the fake boy really was.
To finally end the hoax, Grills said she devised a scenario in which "Josh" would move away so Megan would lose interest in him. When Megan persisted, the tactics changed.
"We decided to be mean to her so she would leave him alone," Grills said.
Grills said that a short time after finding out that Megan committed suicide, Drew and her husband ordered her to close the MySpace account.
The case is being prosecuted in Los Angeles because MySpace computer servers are based in the area.
ORIGINAL
THE MEGAN MEIER FOUNDATION
CLICK HERE TO DISCUSS THE MEGAN MEIER CASE
RELATED POSTS:
WEB HOAX LED GIRL TO KILL HERSELF
MYSPACE HOAX VICTIMS' FAMILY SEEKS JUSTICE
PUBLIC OUTCRY ON THE MEGAN MEIER CASE
A PERFECT EXAMPLE OF WHY EOPC RUNS THIS SITE
EOPC ATTACKED ON TV OVER MEGAN MEIER CASE
JUSTICE FOR MEGAN MEIER
SUPPORT FOR OUR STAND ON THE MEGAN MEIER CASE
MEDIA PEES ON MEGAN AND TELLS BLOGGERS ITS RAIN
THE MEGAN MEIER CASE
NO APOLOGY, EVEN IN DEATH, FROM MEGAN'S 'MURDERER'
LORI DREW: PREDATOR OR INTERNET MARTYR?
LORI DREW: HAPPY; MEGAN MEIER: DEAD
MYSPACE SUICIDE CASE: NOT OVER
MYSPACE SUICIDE CASE - SOME TRUTH AT LAST
LORI DREW - FINALLY INDICTED
Labels: ashley grills, cyberbully, harassment, harm, lori drew, megan meier, myspace, suicide
Thursday, May 15, 2008
Case# 27 Lori Drew - Finally Indicted in MySpace Suicide Case
CROSS-POSTED FROM EOPCAs EOPC said back when this case came to public light, Lori Drew broke a lot of laws. We will never understand why the prosecutor in her area gave her a pass. He should be investigated too.
Megan Meier (left)/ Ashley Grills (right)
But now, Mrs. Drew's chickens have come home to roost. Ashley Grills, the girl Drew tried to blame Megan Meier's suicide on -- came clean about Drew's involvement and now the U.S. District Attorney, Thomas O'Brien has filed an indictment against Drew.
We can only pray that Drew gets the jail time for her immature & malicious intentions towards poor Megan Meier.
This case will set a precedent for those who wish to pursue charges against their predators for INTENTIONAL INFLICTION OF EMOTIONAL DISTRESS. Predator often do the same things Mrs. Drew did - use false identities, lure vulnerable persons into online relationships, smear them, bully them and discard them - leaving adult victims with serious PTSD and other problems. In our opinion, Megan Meier was a young girl who deserved a lot better than being set up and yes -- pushed to suicide by a remorseless person like Lori Drew.
REMEMBER: The Courts & Prosecutors INITIALLY said "THERE WAS NO CASE." But Tina Meier (Megan's mother) and people like us - the bloggers, who the press tried to smear as a "cybermob," kept after this case.
Victims - NEVER NEVER NEVER GIVE UP PURSUING JUSTICE!!!!!!!
United States Attorney Thomas P. O'Brien
Central District of California
________________________________________________________________________
MISSOURI WOMAN INDICTED ON CHARGES OF USING MYSPACE TO 'CYBER-BULLY' 13-YEAR-OLD WHO LATER COMMITTED SUICIDE
Central District of California
________________________________________________________________________
MISSOURI WOMAN INDICTED ON CHARGES OF USING MYSPACE TO 'CYBER-BULLY' 13-YEAR-OLD WHO LATER COMMITTED SUICIDE
LOS ANGELES – A Missouri woman was indicted today on federal charges for fraudulently using an account on the social networking Web site MySpace, U.S. Attorney for the Central District of California Thomas P. O'Brien announced today. The woman posed as a teenage boy who feigned romantic interest in a 13 year-old girl, who later committed suicide after the "boy" spurned her and told her, among other things, that the world would be a better place without her.
Lori Drew, 49, of O'Fallon, Mo., was named in a four-count indictment returned this morning by a federal grand jury. The indictment charges one count of conspiracy and three counts of accessing protected computers without authorization to obtain information to inflict emotional distress on the girl who, because of juvenile privacy rules, is referred to in the indictment only as M.T.M.
The indictment alleges that Drew, along with others, registered as a member of MySpace under the name "Josh Evans." Drew and her co-conspirators then used the Josh Evans account to contact M.T.M. and began what the girl believed was an on-line romance with a 16-year-old boy. In taking those actions, the indictment alleges, Drew and her co-conspirators violated MySpace's terms of service that prohibit users from, among other things, using fraudulent registration information, using accounts to obtain personal information about juvenile members, and using the MySpace communication services to harass, abuse or harm other members.
After approximately four weeks of flirtatious communications between "Josh Evans" and M.T.M., Drew and her co-conspirators broke off the relationship. Within an hour, M.T.M. had hanged herself in her room. She died the next day.
"This adult woman allegedly used the Internet to target a young teenage girl, with horrendous ramifications," said U.S. Attorney Thomas P. O'Brien. "After a thorough investigation, we have charged Ms. Drew with criminally accessing MySpace and violating rules established to protect young, vulnerable people.
Any adult who uses the Internet or a social gathering Web site to bully or harass another person, particularly a young teenage girl, needs to realize that their actions can have serious consequences."To become a member of MySpace, individuals are required to submit registration information – including name and date of birth – and have to agree to certain terms of service that regulate their use of the Web site. Among other things, MySpace terms of service require prospective members to provide truthful and accurate registration information; to refrain from using any information obtained from MySpace services to harass, abuse or harm other people; to refrain from soliciting personal information from anyone under 18; to refrain from promoting information that they know is false or misleading; and to refrain from posting photographs of other people without their consent. The indictment alleges that Drew and her co-conspirators violated all of those provisions.
"Whether we characterize this tragic case as 'cyber-bullying,' cyber abuse or illegal computer access, it should serve as a reminder that our children use the Internet for social interaction and that technology has altered the way they conduct their daily activities," said Salvador Hernandez, Assistant Director in Charge of the FBI in Los Angeles. "As adults, we must be sensitive to the potential dangers posed by the use of the Internet by our children."
The conspiracy count carries a maximum statutory penalty of five years in federal prison. Each count of accessing protected computers, each of which alleges that the access was for the purpose of intentionally inflicting emotional distress on M.T.M., carries a maximum possible penalty of five years in prison.
An indictment contains allegations that a defendant has committed a crime. Every defendant is presumed to be innocent unless and until proven guilty.
Drew will be summoned to appear for an arraignment in U.S. District Court in Los Angeles in June.
This case was investigated by special agents with the FBI in St. Louis and Los Angeles.
Deep thanks to Denise Marhoefer of the Defense Foundation for Children USA for her help and sending us this information.
CLICK HERE TO DISCUSS THE MEGAN MEIER CASE
RELATED EOPC POSTS:
WEB HOAX LED GIRL TO KILL HERSELF
MYSPACE HOAX VICTIMS' FAMILY SEEKS JUSTICE
PUBLIC OUTCRY ON THE MEGAN MEIER CASE
A PERFECT EXAMPLE OF WHY EOPC RUNS THIS SITE
EOPC ATTACKED ON TV OVER MEGAN MEIER CASE
JUSTICE FOR MEGAN MEIER
SUPPORT FOR OUR STAND ON THE MEGAN MEIER CASE
MEDIA PEES ON MEGAN AND TELLS BLOGGERS ITS RAIN
THE MEGAN MEIER CASE
NO APOLOGY, EVEN IN DEATH, FROM MEGAN'S 'MURDERER'
LORI DREW: PREDATOR OR INTERNET MARTYR?
LORI DREW: HAPPY; MEGAN MEIER: DEAD
MYSPACE SUICIDE CASE: NOT OVER
MYSPACE SUICIDE CASE - SOME TRUTH AT LAST
Labels: cyberbully, harassment, illegal, indictment, lori drew, malicious, media, megan meier, murder, trolls
