MySpace suicide teen: neighbour could be charged

[flashl]

Source: TheAge

A federal grand jury has issued a subpoena to MySpace.com in a probe stemming from the suicide of a American teenager who received cruel messages on the networking site that turned out to be a hoax, a newspaper reported.

Federal prosecutors are considering charging a mother in the girl's neighbourhood with defrauding MySpace by creating a false account that she, her daughter and a teenage employee used to fool 13-year-old Megan Meier into believing she was communicating with a 16-year-old boy, the Los Angeles Times said on its website, citing unidentified sources.

...

A Missouri state panel formed by Governor Matt Blunt after the suicide met for the final time earlier this week and said it would recommend making certain types of harassment a felony, such as if anyone 21 or older harasses people 17 and younger.

Several grand jury subpoenas issued last week included one to MySpace and others to witnesses, the Times reported.


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Read more: http://www.theage.com.au/news/web/myspace-suicide-neighbour-could-be-charged/2008/01/11/1199988547653.html

[qanda]

1. If anybody ever deserves to go to jail, it's this sorry excuse for a human being

[Virginia Dare]

2. I wasted about 30 minutes yesterday reading the whole sordid story..

this is suburban narcissism and Internet vigilantism at it's absolute extreme.

Don't get me wrong, I have no sympathy for the mother that instigated this, but the whole crowd of them seemed completely self-involved to me. That girl should have been getting psychiatric help, I think the parents were in denial about how disturbed she was before this whole thing happened.

I guess now they're paying the price. Sad, tragic story.

[no_hypocrisy]

4. "I think the parents were in denial about how disturbed she was before this whole thing happened."

Conceded, yet this poor girl would not have likely killed herself BUT FOR the interference and deception and fraud perpetrated against her in the most malicious way by someone she actually trusted (both in the sense of the facade of the teenage boy and the mother of a former close friend). I don't hold her parents responsible for this tragedy whatsoever.

[roguevalley]

7. according to other articles, this girl had changed schools, had

begun to lose weight and had friends. then this sow came at her. She was doing great and then this. That woman needs jail. She instigated a death.

[Virginia Dare]

8. No, I don't think they were directly responsible either..

obviously the people who taunted her were, I hope they can bring charges against the mother who instigated it.

[orleans]

3. well....i hope something changes....i wish that woman wouldn't just

be able to walk away from destroying this young girl

[kimmylavin]

5. What the hell is wrong with that woman?

Way to teach your child how to be a good person...

I feel so sorry for that poor girl and her parents.

[iconoclastic cat]

6. Well, they got Al Capone for tax evasion. nt

[Ecumenist]

9. Good.... I could not believe that this broad was getting off

without paying in any way for what she did to that poor girl. I cannot imagine what would drive a a GROWN ASSED WOMAN to do what she did to that little girl. Bless that little one's heart.

[LiberalEsto]

10. That Drew woman

is a sick freak. Why on earth was she spending time harassing a 13-year-old girl? Doesn't she have a job? A life?

Why was she so concerned that poor Megan might be spreading rumors about her daughter? That's the excuse she gave. Kids that age are constantly having little spats, and parents should stay out of them unless there is something serious going on.

Honestly, I hope Megan's family sues the daylights out of this bitch.

[msanthrope]

11. You know--Not one person here would doubt the pursuit

of charges if the predator were male.....

I accuse No One--NO ONE of sexism....merely, I ask you DUfriends and community....think about this case as if the Drew woman were a male.....

Would you question his motives????

Would you think him predatory for pursuing a child much younger than himself???

Would you blame the parents????

Would you question this girl's sanity????

Would you want him prosecuted so he could not repeat himself????

I'm asking for Equal Protection--a Predator is a Predator---male or female....