Lori Drew, What’s your opinion of this case?
Lori Drew, 49, was recently convicted of being a cyberbullying that lead to the suicide of a 13 year old girl.
Lori Drew and two others created a fictitious MySpace account for a 16 year old boy and started flirting with Megan Meier. The account was in the name of Josh Evans.
Apparently Lori Drew, her daughter and Ashley Gills, 19 an employee of a business Drew operated, was using the fictitious account to find out what Megan Meier was saying about her teenage daughter.
As the prank continued, I think it was Ashley Gills that said it had gone too far and she sent the final message saying the world would be a better place without her.
She claims that was an attempt to end the on line relationship and sadly it ended up being part of the reason a 13 year old girl took her own life. She wanted Megan to get mad and end the on line relationship.
Shortly thereafter that last message, Megan Meier was found hanging in her bedroom closest hanging by a belt.
Of course then we have wonderful defense attorneys that claim Lori Drew knew nothing about the account or any messages.
But when Gills appeared on Good Morning America, she admitted to sending the final message that lead to the suicide. Gills went on to say that Drew was actively involved in creating the MySpace account and even wrote some of the messages to Megan.
Of course, Drew and attorney deny these claims.
Gills also said they were combining ideas about how to figure out what Megan was saying about Lori Drew’s daughter. She claimed it was all three of them using the account.
Even with Lori Drew’s denials, Gills also said that Drew was the one responsible for the creation of the fake account. Gills and Lori Drew’s daughter both was telling Lori Drew this had gone too far and all Lori Drew would say is “it’s fine”, we can set her up.
Drew was the masterminds behind telling Megan go to the mall to meet Josh Evens, so they could laugh at her.
Then it was even reported that Lori Drew’s husband was also aware of the Josh Evans profile and after Megan committed suicide, he told them to delete the account.
Curt Drew was reported to have told Gills to keep quiet and admitted maybe we pushed her overboard.
Megan Meier parents, Tina and Rob was unaware Josh Evans was fictitious and they never found out about what Lori Drew done until 6 weeks after Megan’s death.
Tina Meier said our daughter died, committed suicide, and Lori Drew still didn't say a word.
Tina Meier said she will ask at sentencing that Drew serve the maximum penalty, which is 3 years in prison and a $300,000 fine.
Meier said the conviction did not bring any closure for her daughter’s 2006 death, but said she find some comfort in working to protect children against bullying and will continue to publicly speak around the nation.
Drew's lawyer, Dean Steward, said he is not yet planning an appeal because he had asked U.S. District Judge George Wu to dismiss the charges during the trial and Steward has said the matter is still under advisement. A hearing is scheduled for Dec. 29.
Steward said the jury had only determined that Drew had violated her terms of service with MySpace, not that cyberbullying had occurred. The terms prohibit the use of phony names and harassment of other MySpace members.
Which is a shame to say the least the trio was responsible for the death of a 13 year old girl. I find it rather sad that the courts only found her guilty of misdemeanors.
Tina Meier works with the WiredSafety.org group to tell Megan's story in an effort to protect children from cyberbullying. Parry Aftab, a lawyer and executive director of the group, said she believes Drew's conviction will change the environment related to cyberbullying and cyberstalking.
"The verdict has made it very clear if you use the Internet as a weapon to hurt others, especially young, vulnerable teens, you're going to have to answer to a jury. This is not acceptable."
Hopefully they are right and this conviction will assist in the reduction of cyber crimes.
What are your thoughts about this case? Do you think the convictions fit the crimes? Do you think the court done the right thing in dropping the felony charges?
I look forward to your comments on this case.
18 comments:
I support Lori Drew and our civil liberties on the web. I oppose this incredible interpretation of the law that has come because of the irresponsible actions of one teenager, Megan Meier, who had illegally (according to this newfangled interpretation) accessed MySpace.
I would like to charge both Mr. and Mrs. Meiers and MySpace. But for us regular people, we must take the ordinary route of using the legislature to construct laws. The federal prosecutor and the judge are guilty of bypassing our democratic processes.
FREE LORI DREW
Thanks for your comment.
By the way,
What is the new fangled interpretation?
Her convictions were over creating and using false information to create an account on MySpace.
As long as I have been using MySpace it has been in the policy that you cannot use false information.
What would the Meiers be charged with?
Better yet what would MySpace be charges with?
They did not tell Lori Drew to create and use a false account for the purpose of harassing of Megan Meier.
I personally think the only problem with the judge and prosecutor is they dropped the felony charges.
I also personally think it’s about time that there are laws in place or going to be in place to help ensure some personal responsibility for your actions on line.
People have become dependant on the fact they can remain anonymous on line and say or do whatever with no fear of prosecution.
How can you defend the actions of Lori Drew, an adult taking place in a scheme that cost a teenager her life? The actions of the entire Drew family were despicable.
Her husband telling Gills to keep quiet and maybe they went too far. Do you really think it went too far for a teenager to commit suicide?
All this was done to harass and to find out what Megan was saying about their daughter.
And we cannot forget about the trip to the mall, it was set up so the Drew’s could laugh at the teenage girl when she went to the mall to meet Josh Evans.
With the fact the Drew has done nothing but lie, it makes me want to see her sentenced to the most severe punishment allowed by law.
Of course, I don’t know why we would expect her to be truthful, I mean after all she still has the mind set of a premature teenager and still likes to play games that should have been done in grade school.
The system failed in this case because the felonies were dropped, her husband was not charged and Gills was allowed to take a plea to avoid prosecution.
But again, thanks for your comment even though we share different thoughts about this case, thanks for posting here..
AKA The Jakester
How can you be so sure that Megan Meier killed herself ? She's left no note and her action looks much more like a choking game that went wrong (teenagers do it very often as a relief from stress).
Let Lori Drew reflect all the rest of her life about her stupid idea of taking a revenge over Megan Meier's critics on her daughter. Blaming her for MM's death is really too much and would need a solid evidence beyond any doubt before even being formulated.
aacg
Thanks for the comment.
Sadly we will never know the real reason(s) she killed herself.
But for an adult to actually take place in some childish game is just beyond belief. I could understand the case more if it was only another teen or child making a false MySpace account and screwing with someone’s life or trying to get revenge or find out what someone was saying about them.
But that’s not the case here. We have parents that were involved in this. People that are suppose to be a little more responsible and have better standards or morals than a kid.
It reminds me of grade school love notes
Do you love me
check [ ] yes or [ ] no
Same mentality.
Are you talking about my daughter [ ] yes or [ ] no
I hope her entire family reflects the rest of their life on what they done.
Hang your self for stress relief? I have never heard of that. I have heard of strangulation for other purposes but not stress relief.
Personally I find this entire case pretty sickening and a 13 year old lost her life because of the games people want to play. It was a know fact that Megan had some issues before this all started and a parent thought they “could get her” with this prank...
The Drew’s won, they got her alright. Game Over.
1) Haven't you heard about the choking game ? It has nothing to do with suicide : kids who do it don't expect to die at all.
Once a week, on British newspapers sites you can read "Teenager hanged herself after row with parents" ; "13 yrs old hanged himself after he was bullied on Bebo for being a fan of Emo music" ; "Schoolboy found hanged after his father confiscated his new Wii"...
2) The mother may have accused herself to spare her daughter. I find it hard to believe an adult behaved like a child.
aacg
Nope, I have not heard of that choking game. I have heard of choking in sexual activities that have caused death and have even responded to calls for deaths as a result of choking during sex working as a paramedic.
I did look on line and found some cases of the choking game. I did not have time to read them before I came to work but will read them when I get home.
That is what amazes me as well about this case for adults to act they way they did in this case.
Granted I only know the reported details released by the media at this point, but with Drew lying about any involvement and then Gills telling the world on TV that it was Drew that dreamed up Josh Evans and even sent some messages to her.
It’s truly a sad state of affairs for adults to be involved in something like this.
You have to wonder about Mr. Drew as well with his comments he made to Gills to keep quiet and maybe we went too far. Wonder how long he was involved in this.
Aka,
Thanks for your answers !
http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/mm5706a1.htm
This is the CDC's official site. The "game" has been acknowledged at last in the US.In UK it kills about 5 children a month, the British still pretend it doesn't exist. In France (I'm French) prevention actions are done in schools with, now, some help of the authorities. After quite a few documentaries on TV almost everybody knows about the practice and the danger involved.
As tragic as this case is; I have to say that I cannot find the Drew's completely at fault. I have to say that some of the blame lies with the Meiers.
The problem with a lot of the kids in today's society is parental control. As the mother of a 10 year-old, I know how hard it is to monitor every little activity that they do. But as hard as it is, it is still our responsibility to watch over them. We also must communicate with our children. Nowadays, when in most homes both parents work it seems like it is sometimes easier to say "go to your room and leave me alone." And what are kids doing in their rooms? getting on the computer or sitting in front of a TV playing video games. I myself am guilty of such. However, our computer is in our living room and I am able to monitor what my son does on it.
MySpace is a huge outlet for teenagers, even my 10 year-old has his own page. Nevertheless it comes with rules. He is not allowed to add friends that use profanity, or have anything on their page that I deem offensive. I have personally have seen some Myspace pages of kids as young as mine with nothing, but nudity and profanity spread across their page. It is mindboggling to say the least. I have to approve who he adding as a friend.
Now can these kids set these pages up at their friends houses and it be unknown to you? Most definitely, but once again this is where the diligence of being a parent comes in......Talk to the parents of your child's friends, observe their surroundings, monitor their activities and if at any time your gut instinct tells you something isn't right, BELIEVE IT!
I am sure in this case, Megan also had some underlying issues such as depression, self-esteem issues etc. that contributed to her suicide it wasn't all due to cyber-bullying. The parents of the other teen without a doubt were contributors to Megan's untimely death, but they should not be soley liable.
Hopefully, this case will cause more parents to be pro-active in their children's lives.
Anonymous, I agree with a lot that you had to say.
You made reference to the parents being more involved and responsible in their children’s on line activity.
I could not agree more, but what do we do when the predator is a parent?
It was a known fact that Meiers had some psychological issues and a parent was the cause of a fake account to be established so they could find out what was being said by Meiers about their daughter and as it was quoted in the paper “we can get her”
From what I have read the Meiers were aware of “Josh Evans” and the on line activities involving their daughter. They were unaware that their neighbors were the people behind “Josh Evans”
I think it’s awesome that you have taken such a stance with your child and if every parent would take some better safety steps regarding their children on line, I think it would cut down on a lot of the cyber crimes we are dealing with now in society.
But even with your regulations regarding your child on line, do you actually know the people that he has added as friends on line?
People have this ability to remain anonymous on line these days, just like you posting here as anonymous and unless you personally know the people on your 10 year olds friend list, they could be anyone just like in this case.
Sadly you are 100% correct when you say some parents just don’t care. Even years ago working in Law Enforcement I ran into this issue on a daily basis. Some parents take the out of sight out of mind approach you spoke of. This problem is still very obvious today and even worse in today’s time than it was 10 years ago.
I also agree that Meiers had some issues before all of this started from what I have read. I don’t hold Lori Drew 100% responsible for the death, but there is no reasonable person that could say she is 100 % innocent in this case either.
At what point and time do we hold people responsible for their actions?
Sadly this case ended in the death of a 13 year old girl that had her entire life ahead of her.
The actions of the Drew family in this case were appalling at best.
This case is just sad to think that so called “responsible” parents were involved in something like this.
You said “Hopefully, this case will cause more parents to be pro-active in their children's lives.”
What do we do when the person(s) we need to fear is a parent?
I am happy to learn that Lori Drew Files New Bid for Dismissal on Grounds that MySpace Authorized Access
Jakester,
I have been contemplating my reply to your questions. In the meantime, I have posted a Response to Benjamin Wright which hints at my position.
****
Thanks for the comment. I did read your response to Ben Wright.
Interesting.
I personally think we do need to allow companies and or government access to a lot of matters on line. There has never been a time that anyone was told the internet was safe and secure and never has anyone advertised that no one could be traced on line. No one has the ability to remain anonymous on line. Yet people still think “just because” they can do whatever and remain anonymous.
Don’t believe me? Call your internet provider and ask them what is traced and when can they allow that information to be turned over to the police and see what they tell you.
Part of the problems today is people want that anonymous status, helps them hide from any personal responsibility for their own actions. The lack of personal responsibility is a major contributor to the problems in the world today. Some people think they can do anything they want and then when they get caught they are fast to place blame on anyone they can and at the same time deny any personal responsibility for their own actions.
Just like this case, a false account was created for the purpose of harassment.
Is that right?
Should a responsible adult be a part of such activities?
Should a person be allowed to harass another person?
I guess in the same token with what you are saying the people recently arrested in Polk County, FL for child porn on the computer should be set free as well.
I mean after all it was there home computer with anonymous accounts set up to send and receive child porn. There is no difference in the basic circumstances in this case and the child porn case.
False accounts created to violate law.
Should it matter if the false account was set up for the purpose of harassment or child porn? Obviously, there are some major differences in the two crimes, but when you look at the mere circumstances people think they can lie and hide on line behind a screen name.
Lori Drew just happened to get caught. And I say more power to MySpace, the Government and anyone else that can help the world be a safer place.
Just my thoughts…
Thanks for your comment
AKA The Jakester
OK Jakester,
Put this in your crackpipe and smoke it! Response to Jakester
MySpace has ZERO rights on the Internet. :)
Support Lori Drew
Thanks for your comment. I left this on your support Lori Drew Blog that doesn’t seem to be getting that much traffic or responses.
Seems to me you are grasping at straws to have an on-line argument.
You certainly posted nothing that could be smoked, not that I smoke anyway, but your response lacked a lot.
You want to charge My Space? Again I must ask what for?
My Space is a service available to people, last time I checked I never got an email from my space to join. I just signed up and got a confirmation email.
Maybe if Lori Drew and family could show some personal responsibility I would have a different opinion of this case.
But since she has lied and denied everything why should I have any sympathies for her?
She got caught. Sorry about her luck.
AKA The Jakester
And even with you posting on my blog you are doing this as an anonymous person.
Your screen name is *****
For all I know you are Lori Drew herself.
This is exactly the anonymous status people need and want on line.
Lori Drew was acquited by the judge. Jakester is a poll rigger.
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