No Charges in Cyberbullying Suicide Case

Prosecutor pressing for internet harassment laws
By Rob Quinn,  Newser Staff
Posted Dec 4, 2007 4:00 AM CST
No Charges in Cyberbullying Suicide Case
The MySpace suicide case has highlighted the growing problem of cyberbullying. The prosecutor found not enough evidence of criminal intent to charge the people involved, but there are concerns that the law lags behind the growth of social sites like MySpace and Facebook.   (Flickr)

No charges will be filed in the cyberbullying case that led a young girl to commit suicide, Wired reports. A Missouri prosecutor found there was not enough evidence to prove criminal intent on the part of mother Lori Drew and others who launched an online bullying campaign against 13-year-old Megan Meier through a hoax MySpace persona called "Josh."

"Josh" first befriended Megan, then turned on her. She hung herself after "Josh" told her the world would be better off without her. The teenager believed to have written the message that pushed Meier over the edge remains under psychiatric care. She posted several messages to Meier while working in Lori Drew's home, according to the prosecutor. (More MySpace stories.)

Get the news faster.
Tap to install our app.
X
Install the Newser News app
in two easy steps:
1. Tap in your navigation bar.
2. Tap to Add to Home Screen.

X