20 Years for Drew

Here's a news story off of CNN. I originally learned about Megan Meier's death via CBS' 60 Minutes. Their segment was poignant and after watching it I was struck by how much Lori Drew deserved criminal prosecution--and how unlikely it was that she'd ever be penalized for her evil behavior.

I'm happy to be proved wrong in that assumption. Even if she never serves time--and she could face as much as 20 years of prison--at least this case being prosecuted. Most of the cyber crime being investigated is financial, porn or sexual predators. It's good to know that being hounded to your death is also considered to be a crime.

A Missouri mom was indicted Thursday for her alleged role in the death of a teen who killed herself over a failed Internet romance that turned out to be a hoax.

Megan Meier, 13, hanged herself in her bedroom after being targeted in a MySpace hoax.

A federal indictment accuses Lori Drew, 49, of O'Fallon, Missouri, of using the social networking Web site MySpace.com to pose as a 16-year-old boy and feign romantic interest in the girl.

The girl, Megan Meier, committed suicide after her online love interest spurned her, according to prosecutors, telling her the world would be a better place without her.

Drew faces up to 20 years in prison on charges of conspiracy and accessing protected computers to obtain information to inflict emotional distress.


If you're not familiar with the situation. Lori Drew faked biographical data on MySpace so as to appear to be a teenage boy. She did this to gain the confidence of Megan Meier because Drew thought that Megan had spread rumors about her daughter. The fake profile allowed Drew to approach Megan with the goal of gaining information. Instead Drew engaged in a systematic campaign to have Megan fall in love with the faked boy--and then callously manipulate Megan's emotions. Pretty nasty work. I hope she enjoys prison.

Comments

Unknown said…
I hope she get's lots of prison time , too - what she did was cruel and she did it for some time, which makes it even worse. I wonder if she feels any remorse - kinda doubt it.
10:44 AM
Anonymous said…
At the very least, this woman was a child predator in that she targeted this girl and did specific things to achieve that end. It's horrible and certainly says something about the state of human nature.

However, I think it's a bad precedence to hold someone accountable for something someone else does to him- or her- self. I think most people have been mean and hurtful to someone else at some time. You don't know when that person might snap. It gets complicated.

So, for that reason, I suspect she won't be punished to the degree that outwardly it appears she should be. Culpability in this one is all over the place... and it's totally sad.
11:36 AM
utenzi said…
You make a good point, Teresa, and no doubt that is why the prosecuters are not using Megan's suicide as the basis for their case.

The horrible aspect of this is that an adult would target a minor--her own daughter's classmate--and deliberately lie and deceive that kid over the course of many weeks in a blatent attempt to hurt her. That's something a person has to be accountable for. It's the planning and long term implementation that is so morally reprehensible. It's unfortunate that the others that helped Drew in this enterprise will escape punishment.
11:56 AM
Sara said…
Hello, Michele sent me to say I think she deserves worse! How horrendous - and to do that to a child!!!
3:42 PM
kenju said…
That woman is evil personified and I hope she gets sent away for a long, long time!
4:23 PM
Anonymous said…
This is terrible, manipulating a child like that. I hope she is severly punished for this. Got here from Michele.
10:29 PM
Pat said…
If she has a shred of decency - and it's doubtful after such a cruel and deliberate campaign - she will suffer guilt for the rest of her life.
Unfortunately a few twisted people do find their way into cyberspace and make life miserable for others.
Michele says hi and I hope you have a great week-end.
1:37 AM
Sue said…
Karma is the eternal freedom. Our thoughts, words, and deeds are the threads of the neet we throw around our selves. This will come home to roost.
5:55 AM
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