DawgTalkers.net Forums DawgTalk Tailgate Forum Girl commits suicide over online hoax

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/21844203/page/2/

Wow, what a downer... That "family", if you can call them that, should be ashamed. And that is as lightly as I can put it.

I read the article and the mom says she created the account to see what Megan was saying about her daughter. What a bitch. That family is 100% respoonsible for this. My prayers go out to the family with the now divorced parents. Some people just disgust me.

People like this make me absolutely sick! There isn't enough wrong in the world besides a messed up mom creating a character to trick a girl and then posting vulgar lies about her... I hope that 'family' remembers the death of this girl for the rest of their lives.

what a sad state of affairs....truely sad

I like to think that at some point in time people generally get theres.

I definitely hope whoever this grown woman was who stooping to this level of playing online games with teenagers gets what's comign to her that's for sure.

And as for the fooseball table thing, there was many better ways to approach that. How about beating that woman down because that just seems much more appropriate

100% responsible? no...

It still takes this girl killing herself to have it come to this. I see a nice lawsuit at least coming from this and probably a 5 year sentence for something...

They deserve no punishment, they deserve scorn and shame but no punishment.

#1. The girl legally was not allowed to use the website, she violated the age contract.

#2 I've seen far more cruel tricks and the kids didn't kill themselves. I have seen pornographic tapes made of girls without their knowledge spread to the entire high school class, I have seen a boy seduced online (by a bunch of boys pretending to be a girl), and routinely humiliated.

#3 Its not the jerk family's fault the girl was suicidal, they probably didn't even know she had depression. How are they responsible for her actions again?

I can't imagine going to jail because of what I said to someone. Freedom of speech anyone? Bueller?

They can burn in hell, they can be shunned and despised by the community, you can go launch verbal assaults at them, but they should not go to prison.

On a side note, this event happened a year ago and hardly qualifies as news. I would be interested in hearing more about what protective clauses they intend to mandate due to this event.

http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/nation/5322141.html

Nov. 22, 2007, 2:10AM
After girl's suicide, Missouri town outlaws online harassment

By JOEL CURRIER
St. Louis Post-dispatch

DARDENNE PRAIRIE, Mo. — City officials declared online harassment a crime Wednesday, fewer than two weeks after they learned of a 13-year-old girl who killed herself after receiving hurtful messages on a popular social networking website.

The Board of Aldermen unanimously passed an ordinance making online harassment a misdemeanor in this city of about 5,500.

"It is our hope that by supporting one of our own in Dardenne Prairie, we can do our part to ensure this type of harassing behavior never happens again, anywhere," said Mayor Pam Fogarty. "After all, harassment is harassment regardless of the mechanism or tool."

The ordinance outlaws harassment using electronic communication, which includes the Internet, email, paging services and mobile phone text messaging.

Violators face a maximum $500 fine and up to 90 days in jail, the maximum penalty for the fourth-class city.

The goal of the ordinance, said Assistant City Attorney John Young, is to punish people who use threatening or obscene language or images through electronic communication to inflict emotional distress on another person. Young said he researched similar legislation in other cities and states in drafting the ordinance.

Megan Meier hanged herself with a cloth belt from a support beam in a closet in her Dardenne Prairie home Oct. 16, 2006, shortly after receiving cruel messages on MySpace, a popular social networking website. Megan had been exchanging messages with a 16-year-old named Josh Evans for about six weeks before her death.

Megan's parents, Ron and Tina Meier, discovered six weeks after Megan's death that Josh Evans never existed. The Meiers have accused neighbor Lori Drew, her 13-year-old daughter and Drew's employee, Ashley Grills, 18, of creating the fictitious Myspace profile to send messages to Megan using a photograph and the name Josh Evans.

No one has been charged with a crime in the incident. The Drews and Grills have declined to comment.

St. Charles County Prosecutor Jack Banas said Wednesday he is still reviewing the case and will not make any decision until next week.

Last fall, Megan and Drew's daughter were friends but had been quarreling. According to a police report, Lori Drew said she had "instigated and monitored" the fake MySpace account because wanted to know what Megan was saying online about her daughter.

The FBI and St. Charles County Sheriff's Department investigated the Meiers' allegations over the past year and could find no appropriate criminal charge. Prosecutors didn't see a crime either, and high-profile law firms did not pursue a civil suit.

The Meiers have sworn to fight for new laws that punish people for online misconduct. Tina Meier said Wednesday she was thrilled about the board's decision but there's more to be done to protect children online.

"This is not just a stopping point," Tina Meier said after the ordinance was passed. "We're not done. We're moving forward."

The board Wednesday also approved a resolution urging state and federal legislators to pass new laws regulating Internet harassment and stalking. After the measures were passed, Fogarty yelled, "Yes!" and the audience began applauding.

A candlelight vigil to honor Megan Meier is planned for Saturday in the Waterford Crossing subdivision in Dardenne Prairie.

what a freaking crock.