Cyberbullying Trial Witness Tells Of Torturing Young Girl On MySpace

LOS ANGELES — The daughter of a woman accused of orchestrating a cruel Internet hoax against a 13-year-old girl who committed suicide took the witness stand Friday to defend her mother.

Sarah Drew, 16, said her mother, Lori Drew, initially thought it was a good idea to create a fictitious boy on a MySpace account to find out if Megan Meier was spreading rumors about Sarah.

But Sarah said her mother told a business assistant to shut down the MySpace account two weeks after it was created _ well before the final message was sent saying the world would be better off if Megan was dead.

Megan, who had been treated for attention deficit disorder and depression, hanged herself in October 2006 after receiving the message.

Lori Drew has pleaded not guilty to conspiracy and accessing computers without authorization. If convicted of all counts, Drew faces up to 20 years in prison.

Sarah's testimony capped a week of emotional and sometimes touchy proceedings in what is believed to be the nation's first cyber-bullying trial.

Sarah broke down under cross-examination by U.S. Attorney Thomas O'Brien as she described how Megan had confided in her about her suicidal thoughts, but Sarah didn't tell anyone.

The trial also took another twist when U.S. District Judge George Wu said he will rule Monday on a defense motion calling for the dismissal of charges against the 49-year-old Drew.

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Prosecutors say Drew, her business assistant Ashley Grills and Sarah created the MySpace alias of a teen boy called "Josh Evans" in September 2006 to befriend Megan.

Sarah told jurors her mother thought inventing "Josh" was a good idea but changed her mind two weeks later and told Grills to shut it down. Sarah also said she tried to stop Grills from sending the final message.

"I was like, Ashley, no, don't send it," Sarah said. "She said she sent it and laughed about it."

Sarah testified she never saw her mother use the MySpace account. Her statement contradicted testimony by Grills that she had seen Drew type at least one message and court documents alleging Drew told authorities she typed, read and monitored the chat between "Josh" and Megan.

Sarah said it was her father, not her mother, who told her and Grills to delete the MySpace account after they learned Megan had hanged herself. Grills testified Thursday it was both Sarah's parents who made the request.

On cross-examination by the prosecution, Sarah said she often forgave Megan, who she considered her best friend, for saying mean things about her. She also denied having a role in her friend's death.

Sarah said Megan confided in her on two occasions that she wanted to kill herself.

"She was like, I don't know if I could live anymore," she said of one instance. "I told her not to do it."

Sarah cried on the witness stand and nodded when O'Brien questioned her about why she didn't tell any adults about the suicide conversations.

Defense attorney Dean Steward stood up and lashed out at the region's top federal prosecutor for badgering the teenage girl.

"Come on, 'yes or no,' not a head nod. Be a professional!" Steward bellowed. Drew shot icy stares at O'Brien but showed no other reaction.

Sarah was visibly shaken as she left the courtroom and wept as she passed Megan's parents Ron and Tina Meier. Outside court, Drew tried to calm her daughter.

Steward said his client would not testify at the trial.

Judge Wu said he intends to review testimony and issue a ruling on the dismissal motion by the defense claiming Drew cannot be held responsible for violating the service rules of the MySpace social networking site because she never read them.

While making the dismissal motion, Steward argued that neither Drew nor Sarah or Grills had read the rules.

"The best view of the government's evidence is ambiguous at best," Steward said.

That prompted Wu to question Assistant U.S. Attorney Mark Krause about the charges in the ongoing trial.

"How would they know if they didn't read the terms of service?" Wu asked.

Krause said Grills had testified that she knew they could get in trouble for the hoax, and that a computer forensics analysis showed a MySpace account had been deleted from Drew's computer after the suicide of Megan.

Steward called his own expert who testified Friday she could not find any evidence that the account had been deleted from Drew's computer.

Jae Sung, a vice president of customer care at MySpace, testified that MySpace requires users to check a box agreeing to the rules prohibiting such things as online harassment.

Sung's testimony addressed a central aspect of the prosecution case alleging that Drew violated MySpace service terms by harassing Megan and setting up a fake account. Sung said "impostor profiles" such as the "Josh" account in this case are not allowed under MySpace guidelines.

"What happens when they are found?" Krause asked.

"We generally delete those profiles," Sung said.

Sung said MySpace now has 400 million profiles for users, which makes it difficult to enforce the service rules.

Comments

[research]

How awful.

A nasty prank gone horribly wrong.

She should dedicate the rest of her life to preventing suicides.

[Zofomofo]

This was worse than a prank.

[commonsense2]

I remember hearing about this last year and I thought it was so creepy and vile.

[AfroLatina21]

This sorry excuse for a human being makes me sick. She is a grown woman and she knew this girl was sucidal and depressed and she and her assistant still continued to taunt and harass this poor girl. From my understanding the parents had the young girl in therapy and she was on depression medication.

This is so sad. If it were up to me she along with her assistant and her daughter would be doing 20 years to life in prison.

[roshni]

This is sick on so many levels. Why is a parent encouraging her daughter to get vendetta on another child instead of making new friends? Why is an adult getting actively involved in emotionally abusing a 13 year old? Why is there no supervision of what a 13 year old child is watching or doing on the internet?
Parents need to learn a lesson from this and not get so emotionally entangled in their childrens' lives. Children can often sort out their own problems.
In my daughter's soccer games, it's the parents who behave badly, not the children.

[javaz]

This case bothers me for some reason.
I believe the woman is despicable for playing the hoax that led to a young girl's death, but I do wonder about the girl's parents.
Were the girl's parents aware that she was suffering from depression?
And with everything we read and hear about the Internet, shouldn't parents monitor their children's activity for their safety?

Our beautiful daughter was killed in an accident, and it is so easy for us to blame the young man who was driving, and also, the other young woman who was the cause of the accident.
My husband and I have our moments whereby we do resent those involved, but deep down, we understand that it was our daughter's decision to climb on the back of a motorcycle without a helmet.
It was an unwise decision and ultimately, a tragic accident.
Whenever anyone dies tragically and unexpectedly, it's easier to blame someone else than deal with the grief and sadness.

The woman in this story used horrible judgment, but it's hard for me to accept that the young girl's parents do not share in part of the blame for not protecting a child who was clearly depressed and troubled.
It's all so sad and I suppose the jury and judge will decide.

[hellifiknow]

I agree. And the witchhunt against the woman was crazy...people published the Drew's home address, her husband's work address and drove past their home threatening them and calling for the woman's death. I guess you could call it karma since it was done via the web. At the end of the day the tragedy is horrible and Drew deserves the scorn, but I'm not sure the legal precedent that could be set in this case makes sense. Kids get bullied all the time, I certainly did. I think it behooves parents to equip their children with the tools to get past it, as it behooves parents to know whether their child is the bully and handle that as well.

[mercury613]

I disagree. This was not an accident that happened simply because of an unfortunate set of circumstances; Drew and her accomplices deliberately harassed a *child* they knew was depressed.

I agree with you that parents need to teach children how to deal with bullies, but the bottom line here is that Meier was a child, and she was depressed, a fact which, in itself, put her at a disadvantage in dealing with bullies. Drew is an adult; as such, she had all the power, and she should have known better. She took advantage of a child's unfortunate circumstances, and that is awful.

I'm as liberal as it gets when it comes to free speech, but this -- like yelling "fire" in a crowded theater -- crosses the line.

[Zofomofo]

Witch hunt?! She is guilty of child abuse and it is patently clear. That is irrelevant of the other peoples part in this.
Bullied by kids and bullied by adults is very different. Not all kids will grow thick skin.

[Camm s]

You were bullied by a 47 year old woman when you were a child?

[thegirlnextdoor]

I appreciate your comments regarding this. They are well thought out and wise. I am always impressed with people who experience a loss and who manage to think through it and gain philosophical insight. I am sorry for your loss. I appreciate your words.

[keepemhonest]

Javaz,

Your logic is similar to those who condone a street woman getting r a p e d as opposed to the person who COMMITTED THE CRIME.

Does a woman who wears tight clothing deserve to get r a p e d?
Does a woman who wears seductive clothing deserve for her r a p i s t to get away?

Does a 13 year old child deserve to be pushed over the edge by a 47 year old lady who is WILLFULLY and INTENTIONALLY torturing the 13 year old with cyberlies?

Does a 13 year old child deserve for cyber-m urder to get away with crimes?

WHO is responsible for pushing the child over the edge? The 47 year old women, who with malice intentionally inflicted emotional harm on the CHILD ... her name is Lori Drew.

[javaz]

I'm very sorry you feel that way about my opinion regarding this case.
I do not understand your correlation to what I have written here, but I do respect your opinion.

[YankeeCanuck]

Have a little compassion for Javaz. The issue is not about blame or whether the victim "deserved" the tragedy. All tragedy is undeserved.

Parents, no matter how involved they are, cannot protect their children from everything the world has to offer.

But an adult, even under cover of internet anonymity, should have enough personal responsibility and compassion to know that preying on a child is wrong.

[Zofomofo]

bad examples

[DrEight]

Wow. You have some serious built up rage. Obviously this story touches you personally in some way and whatever demons you are facing are yours to deal with but don't take it out on Javaz. Sheesh.

[Zofomofo]

This is not a question of share the blame. As in your sad case (I really feel for you) just because your daughter didn't wear a helmet doesn't change the errors of the others. It may mitigate the person(s) who caused the accident sentencing, but if they broke laws then they broke laws.
This woman is guilty of child abuse, no doubt. How the state manages to convict her is the only problem.

[cocodee]

Sorry, this is very close to "blame the victim"

I am very sorry for your loss of your beautiful daughter. I lost a dear friend who was wearing a motorcycle helmet and was in the right according to police reports.

Yes, a girl's parents are responsible for her protection. I am sure that they are replaying every conversation trying to figure out the one where they missed signs.
BUT, as we all know, parents are not omnipresent nor omniprescient. No matter how much we try to protect our children, a thoughtless moment or a tragic accident can reverse the course of our vigilance.
What is being discussed here is whether or not the unfortunate moment on the part of this child was instigated and sustained by malice of forethought.

Malicious behaviour is different from an accident. Malicious behaviour creates situations that would not have been present otherwise.

You are correct: blaming someone else for a flash of a poor decision is not helpful to you, the person accompanying your daughter, or the memory of your daughter.
But it is a very different story if you thought that someone had maliciously and over time created a situation that made her decisions impossible to understand.

[javaz]

Of course I am not blaming the child, and in fact I'm not really blaming anyone because I do not know all the facts regarding this very sad case.
I regret posting now, because I have obviously not made my opinion clear and at this point, I really do not know what to think.
Please do not judge me too harshly for trying to understand this case.
Like I posted earlier, it will be up to the judge and jury to decide.
I do thank everyone who replied as I have gained another perspective.

[DrEight]

I agree with everyone else that this woman is despicable and highly immature, but I do not see where she violated any laws. Furthermore, i think it is a dangerous path to install cyber-bullying laws as they can quickly cascade to unjust prosecution and impingement on freedom of speech. If they can charge this woman with unlawful computer access, fine, but to set a precedent for cyber-bullying laws would be a very dangerous course.

[keepemhonest]

Lies, emotional torture through LIES and bullying are NOT protected Speech. So much for your 1st. Amendment argument.

[DrEight]

I understand the malicious nature of this case but lies ARE protected by the First Amendment so long as slander or libel are not committed. Furthermore, arguing that this was a case of torture is a far stretch, emotional or otherwise. When you start regulating what can be said online because of emotional damage done, you are opening a very dangerous Pandora's box. What constitutes emotional damage? I could claim that your simple disagreement with my view caused me emotional duress...and look, you posted it twice so you are also harassing me. I think this is a disgusting case, but creating new laws to handle this has to be treated with the utmost caution. The defendant did not harass the victim, as I see it. She communicated through her own volition. She did not directly cause the girl's suicide although she may have contributed to it. If a kid at school told her that the world was better off without and and she consequently committed suicide, should that kid be charged with anything? I am just urging not to allow vengeance over one isolated incident create a series of laws which will strip freedoms and bring about unjust charges against the innocent.

[DrEight]

The 1st amendment does guarantee the right to tell a lie so long as slander or libel are not being committed. Who is going to be the judge of whether or not emotional damage was done? Who is going to judge whether the emotional damage was the direct result of what someone said online? These are a very dangerous set of laws people are asking for.

[keepemhonest]

Dr. 8,

Lies, emotional torture through LIES and bullying are NOT protected by the First Amendment - Freedom of Speech.

[Zofomofo]

Whatever the law, she is guilty of child abuse.

[DrEight]

I have to disagree on child abuse charges. she did not abuse the child, emotionally or physically. As far as the article states, she only sent one mean email to the girl and that was with the intention of ending communications with her. One mean phrase does not equal child abuse. Don't forget, she is only being charged with terms of service violations.

[Camm s]

You wouldn't inact a law that could save a child? Even if it's just 1? That's sad.

[DrEight]

That is a silly statement. Children die from random causes everyday. We cannot and should not enact laws that prohibit everything that kills a child. I can't believe no one seems to see the inherent danger of imposing laws that can prosecute a person because of something they said online. This was an unfortunate case and the defendant behaved in a reprehensible manner but putting laws in place that essentially censors what one can say because of emotional harm to another is insanity!

[CD-Host]

I think she is guilty of manslaughter. If I intend to harm someone and accidentally kill them that's manslaughter. And frankly in my opinion that or possibly conspiracy is what she should be tried for.

There is also a sexual abuse component. The law realizes that 13 year olds are sexually vulnerable and there are strict laws about adults utilizing teenage sexual inexperience for personal gain.

Why Missouri didn't prosecute I'd love to know. The federal case here is odd but it relies on statements Drew herself made. Her intent was to trick someone into giving her information via. misrepresentation. The federal courts have prosecuted tons of computer fraud cases based on people engaged in acquiring information based on "outsmarting" other people: espionage, fraud, corporate espionage....

I think it is a stretch but there are lots of laws that were violated.

[sdsell08]

I beleive this woman should receive all charges brought against her and should should receive the maximum penalty. We need to set a precendence. Of course our forefathers never wrote this in the constitution, they were driving around in horse drawn carriages they had no idea we would be able to hurt someone physically or mentally via the internet. This is a perfect case of an adult being abusive to a young person. I hope that everyone of those jurors are parents or have friends that are parents so that they can decide this womans fate. Its like the very first drunk driving case. We had to start somewhere and this is where it should all begin. I wish we can take her kids away, just like they take driver licenses away and incarcerate you for years.

[Zofomofo]

Lori, you are dispecable. Your lack of maturity let alone you complete lack of morality make me feel so little sympathy for you no matter what they throw at you.

[Forester]

"Some day a real rain will come and wash all this scum off the streets."

[mandycat]

I'd like to think that when this woman returns to her home town she'd be shunned as a pariah, with no decent person willing to look at her much less speak. But based on the description of St. Peters from an ex-resident, it sounds as though very few of her neighbors are capable of understanding the horror of what this woman has done. They're probably as surprised as she is herself at all the fuss.

[roshni]

Would you let your 13 year old daughter socialize with her family?

[Zofomofo]

Trying to understand how an adult drove a kid to commit suicide is a "fuss?" That is sad.

[mrschief93]

As the parent of a 13 year old girl, this is one of the reasons why she is only allowed to use the computer in the living room where we can see what she is doing. We haven't given in to the cell phone revolution yet either and our daughter hates this, but doesn't complain too much.

We are a military family who moves frequently and it becomes more and more difficult for our kids each year, especially my 13 year old daughter. Some girls are just plain mean, not matter what kind of person you are. We already experienced cyber bullying from one girl who we had welcomed into our house and treated with kindness. Luckily, the school is very involved and any instances can be reported on and acted on immediately.

As parents, you need to stay on top of your kids and yourselves. I would have loved to tell off the girl myself for bullying my daughter, but I spoke with her mom and the school administrators. So far, so good.

Kids learn this behavior from their parents. Let's hope someone helps this woman's kids so they understand this is unacceptable behavior, especially for an "adult". I hope the jury gives this woman the maximum penalty and this serves as a wakeup call to people. Kids are fragile. We all need to watch out for their well being.

[lungfish]

Compassion for the victim, accountability for the criminal..... Lori Drew is an out of control nightmare. Children deserve our protection, they need our protection and these monsters need to be held accountable.
I don't understand the reason that Drew isn't being held directly accountable for encouraging this girl to kill herself rather than a "cyberbullying" charge.... but I hope she gets everything that can be applied to her.
I am sure that she will change her name and carry on with business as usual, another predator....

[bobncar]

I would bet this woman has no friends. And if she does who would want them as friends. Think of the example that she has left her own kids, and what kind of adults they'll turn out to be.

I remember being thirteen. Gawky, no self confidence, happy when my friends accepted me, and devastated when they didn't, always wanting to be cool.

This poor damned girl must have gone thru hell after thinking that this 'boy' was a 'friend'.

Shame on you Mrs. Drew. Pity on you too, as you obviously, from the looks of you, have issues of your own. If you manage to stay out of of prison, you will have made a prison of your own, because no decent person will want to know you or associate with you.

[smltnks]

This woman will get her justice through God's hands if not in a court of law. How horrible can one person be?

[Mainer36]

Thats letting her off the hook. It is our duty as citizens to hold her accountable for her actions.

[Uniqua]

All I can say is that I grew up in that town. I moved 2000 miles away as soon as I was able. I wanted to find a community of tolerance and compassion, and I did and started my family. However, I can say that growing up around people like this woman, while hindering my growth as a youth, only inspired me to seek and find myself elsewhere, knowing I would never fit in there. There is no diversity, and people who are different really shut up about it because there is no chance of productive conversation with a woman like this, and they leave. She is hideous, and she ultimately lacks compassion, knows nothing of the concept or emotion. I only wish the child had been able to know there are other places than the hell hole of St. Peters (ironic, the name) where she lived. Looking back, I don't know how I survived.

[ranch111]

Let's see, you just described a place where people could be described as Wal-Mart shopping, Middle America white trash. Probably a Republican. Goes to church every Sunday. Wears sequined sweaters and puffy paint jeans jackets. Thinks tuna casserole is really good. Half the people are overweight, smoke and drink Bud. Am I close?

[Uniqua]

Its always been the CHURCH-GOING part that was the most confusing for me. People were so NOT Jesus, you know? Not even remotely close!