Jump to content

Suicide of Megan Meier: Difference between revisions

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Browse history interactively
← Previous editNext edit →
Content deleted Content added
VisualWikitext
Qworty (talk | contribs)
13,129 edits
→‎See also: this was not a "financial" "fraud"
Qworty (talk | contribs)
13,129 edits
→‎Aftermath: no need to capitalize "national"
Line 25: Line 25:
At a press conference on Monday, [[December 3]], [[2007]], Jack Banas, the prosecuting attorney of St. Charles County, said that an 18 year-old temporary employee wrote most of the messages addressed to Meier and that she wrote the final "Josh Evans" message addressed to Meier. Banas stated that he did not interview the employee because, at the time, the employee was under psychiatric treatment for the involvement in the Meier case, and does not plan to interview her at a later date. The Meiers criticized the prosecutor's statements, saying that Banas did not interview any party other than the Drews and that Banas is solely relying on the testimony of the Drews.<ref name="update"/>
At a press conference on Monday, [[December 3]], [[2007]], Jack Banas, the prosecuting attorney of St. Charles County, said that an 18 year-old temporary employee wrote most of the messages addressed to Meier and that she wrote the final "Josh Evans" message addressed to Meier. Banas stated that he did not interview the employee because, at the time, the employee was under psychiatric treatment for the involvement in the Meier case, and does not plan to interview her at a later date. The Meiers criticized the prosecutor's statements, saying that Banas did not interview any party other than the Drews and that Banas is solely relying on the testimony of the Drews.<ref name="update"/>


Banas said he was aware of the National outrage against the Drews, which originated on the Internet.<ref name="update"/> The Drews have had their home and work addresses, phone and cell numbers, and aerial photos of their home posted on the Internet. The Drews property had also been vandalized. Banas said some of these actions against the Drews could constitute as Internet stalking.<ref name="update"/> "Because we can’t prosecute somebody it certainly does not justify violating the law," Banas said. "We live in this country by the rule of the law." He described Lori Drew as "upset, cautious and guarded" when he interviewed her. Banas said that Mrs. Drew felt "terrible" about Megan’s death.<ref name="update"/>
Banas said he was aware of the national outrage against the Drews, which originated on the Internet.<ref name="update"/> The Drews have had their home and work addresses, phone and cell numbers, and aerial photos of their home posted on the Internet. The Drews property had also been vandalized. Banas said some of these actions against the Drews could constitute as Internet stalking.<ref name="update"/> "Because we can’t prosecute somebody it certainly does not justify violating the law," Banas said. "We live in this country by the rule of the law." He described Lori Drew as "upset, cautious and guarded" when he interviewed her. Banas said that Mrs. Drew felt "terrible" about Megan’s death.<ref name="update"/>


Banas said the Drews’ daughter, now 15, is attending a different school and is not currently living in Dardenne Prairie. He said Mrs. Drew was fearful of telling him where her daughter lives.<ref name="update"/>
Banas said the Drews’ daughter, now 15, is attending a different school and is not currently living in Dardenne Prairie. He said Mrs. Drew was fearful of telling him where her daughter lives.<ref name="update"/>

Revision as of 17:36, 5 December 2007

File:M Meier.jpg
Family photograph of Megan Meier, taken by her mother Christina "Tina" Meier.

The Megan Meier suicide controversy concerns the suicide of Megan Taylor Meier [1][2] (6 November 1992 – 17 October 2006), who was an American teenager from Dardenne Prairie, Missouri.

Meier's suicide has been attributed to cyber-bullying through an account on the social networking website Myspace. The account, purportedly belonging to a 16-year old boy named "Josh Evans", was created and monitored by the mother of a friend of Meier's,[3] whom a police report identified as Lori Janine Drew.[4] The case has caused several jurisdictions to consider legislation prohibiting harassment over the internet.[5]

Background

Meier participated in several activities, including swimming, boating, and fishing. She had been diagnosed with attention deficit disorder and depression, and considered herself overweight.[3] She was described as being a "bubbly, goofy" girl who enjoyed spending time with her friends and parents.[6]

Meier had attended Fort Zumwalt West Middle School,[7] in O'Fallon [8], for grade seven, and Immaculate Conception School,[7] in Dardenne Prairie, for grade eight.

The Drew and former Meier residences are located in the City of Dardenne Prairie.[9]

Death

Soon after opening an account on Myspace, Meier received a message from a boy named "Josh Evans". They became online friends, but never met in person or spoke. "Evans" said he was 16 years old and Meier thought he was attractive.[10] Meier began to exchange messages with Evans, and was described by family as having had her "spirits lifted".[3] He said that he had just moved to the nearby city of O'Fallon, was home schooled, and did not yet have a phone number.[6]

On October 15, 2006, the tone of his messages changed, with Evans saying "I don't know if I want to be friends with you anymore because I've heard that you are not very nice to your friends." [3] The next day, after telling her mother about the increasing number of hurtful messages, the two got into an argument over the vulgar language Meier herself used in response to the messages and that she didn't log off when her mother told her to.[3] After the argument, Meier ran upstairs to her room. She was found twenty minutes later, hanging by the neck in a closet. Despite attempts to revive her,[11] she was pronounced dead the following day.[3] According to Ronald "Ron" Meier (Meier's father) and a neighbor who had discussed the hoax with Lori Drew, the last message sent by Evans read: "The world would be a better place without you." No record of this message was found by investigators. [3][12] [13]

Aftermath

Six weeks after her death, Megan Meier's parents were informed that the mother of one of their daughter's friends - with whom Megan had had a falling out - had created the "Josh Evans" account.[3] The parent, Lori Drew, who created the fake account, Drew admitted that she and her daughter had the password to the account, and characterized the hoax to a reporter as a "joke." She told the police that the account was aimed at "gaining Megan's confidence and finding out what Megan felt about her daughter and other people".[3] The neighborhood mother who had informed the Meiers' that Drew had been responsible for the hoax account said "Lori laughed about it", and that Drew said she had intended to "mess with Megan".[14] Drew's name was excluded from most early news stories; her name was disclosed on many blogs and by CNN through the inclusion of the police report during their broadcast of the story.[14]

At a press conference on Monday, December 3, 2007, Jack Banas, the prosecuting attorney of St. Charles County, said that an 18 year-old temporary employee wrote most of the messages addressed to Meier and that she wrote the final "Josh Evans" message addressed to Meier. Banas stated that he did not interview the employee because, at the time, the employee was under psychiatric treatment for the involvement in the Meier case, and does not plan to interview her at a later date. The Meiers criticized the prosecutor's statements, saying that Banas did not interview any party other than the Drews and that Banas is solely relying on the testimony of the Drews.[13]

Banas said he was aware of the national outrage against the Drews, which originated on the Internet.[13] The Drews have had their home and work addresses, phone and cell numbers, and aerial photos of their home posted on the Internet. The Drews property had also been vandalized. Banas said some of these actions against the Drews could constitute as Internet stalking.[13] "Because we can’t prosecute somebody it certainly does not justify violating the law," Banas said. "We live in this country by the rule of the law." He described Lori Drew as "upset, cautious and guarded" when he interviewed her. Banas said that Mrs. Drew felt "terrible" about Megan’s death.[13]

Banas said the Drews’ daughter, now 15, is attending a different school and is not currently living in Dardenne Prairie. He said Mrs. Drew was fearful of telling him where her daughter lives.[13]

After reviewing the case, prosecutors decided not to file any criminal charges in relation to the hoax.[15] [10]

Reaction to news story

Megan's story was first reported in the St. Louis Suburban Journal.[3] When the story first appeared, reader comments focused on Lori and Curt Drew. Later, the focus was on the St. Louis Suburban Journal's decision not to print the name of the Drews who were responsible for the hoax. The reporter stated in an interview that the names were withheld out of concern for the minor child of the hoaxer.[16] The identity of the perpetrator, Lori Drew, was revealed by angry webloggers, who reported finding the names of the parents within minutes from the information given in the article,[17][18] with the media eventually revealing Lori Drew's name and photograph.[12] The Drews' property was targeted with vandalism, paintball attacks and prank phone calls, including one to the local police which led to "as many as 15 deputies [drawing] weapons and [charging] the home of Lori and Curt Drew," the people identified as the hoaxers.[4] Due to the vehement public reaction, police added additional patrols to the neighborhood, and the Drews have installed security cameras and recording devices on their roof.[19][20] Angry neighbors complained that "there's never been any sense of remorse or public apology from the Drews, no 'maybe we made a mistake.'" [20]

The Board of Aldermen for the City of Dardenne Prairie, passed an ordinance on 22 November, 2007, in response to the incident. [21] The ordinance prohibits any harassment that utilizes an electronic medium, including the Internet, text messaging services, pagers, and similar devices. Violations of the ordinance are treated as misdemeanors, with fines of up to $500 and up to 90 days imprisonment.[22] The city of Florissant, Missouri, has also passed a 'Cyber Harassment' law,[23] with other municipalities, counties, and states considering following suit.[24]

See also

References

  1. ^ Home page," MeganTaylorMeier.com
  2. ^ "Cyber vigilantes on attack," CNN, December 4, 2007
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Steve Pokin (2007-11-11). "'My Space' hoax ends with suicide of Dardenne Prairie teen". St. Louis Post-Dispatch. Retrieved 2007-11-16.
  4. ^ a b David Hunn and Joel Currier (2007-11-19). "Law lags as taunts ruin lives". St. Louis Post-Dispatch. Retrieved 2007-11-19.
  5. ^ Steve Pokin (2007-11-15). "FOLLOW UP: Dardenne Prairie officials plan to make cyberspace harassment a crime". St. Louis Post-Dispatch. Retrieved 2007-11-16.
  6. ^ a b "Parents say fake online 'friend' led to girl's suicide". CNN. 2007-11-17. Retrieved 2007-11-17.
  7. ^ a b "A Hoax Turned Fatal Draws Anger but No Charges," The New York Times
  8. ^ Map, City of O'Fallon
  9. ^ "Frail egos caught in killer net," The Sydney Morning Herald 3.
  10. ^ a b Teresa Woodard. "Prosecutor to Review MySpace Suicide". Fox 2 News, St. Louis. Retrieved 2007-11-16.
  11. ^ Teresa Woodard. "Desperate Fight To Save Internet Suicide Victim". Fox 2 News, St. Louis. Retrieved 2007-11-17.
  12. ^ a b "Parents Want Jail Time for MySpace Hoax Mom". ABC News. Retrieved 2007-12-02.
  13. ^ a b c d e f "UPDATE: No charges to be filed over Meier suicide," Suburban Journals
  14. ^ a b "How Lori Drew became America's most reviled mother". The Age. 2007-12-01. Retrieved 2007-12-03.
  15. ^ "No Charges in MySpace Suicide Case". AP. 2007-12-03. Retrieved 2007-12-03.
  16. ^ "Who Deserves Anonymity?". Gelf Magazine. 2007-11-16. Retrieved 2007-11-17.
  17. ^ Andrew Ramadge (2007-11-19). "Woman linked to teen girl's suicide 'outed'". news.com.au. Retrieved 2007-11-19.
  18. ^ Kim Zetter (2007-11-21). "Cyberbullying Suicide Stokes the Internet Fury Machine". Wired News. Retrieved 2007-11-24.
  19. ^ Tim Jones. "Net hoax turns deadly, turns town against neighbors". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved 2007-11-24.
  20. ^ a b P.J. Huffstutter (2007-11-22). "In MySpace suicide case, community fights back". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2007-11-24. {{cite news}}: Unknown parameter |subtitle= ignored (help)
  21. ^ Bonnie Goldstein (2007-11-29). "The Sock Puppet Who Loved Me". Slate. Retrieved 2007-12-02.
  22. ^ Joel Currier (2007-11-22). "Net harassment now a crime". St. Louis Post-Dispatch. Retrieved 2007-11-24.
  23. ^ Teresa Woodard. "Text: Florissant, MO Passes Cyber Harassment Legislation". MyFox St. Louis. Retrieved 2007-12-02.
  24. ^ Elizabeth Perry. "More officials cracking down on Internet harassment". St. Charles Journal. Retrieved 2007-12-02.
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Suicide_of_Megan_Meier&oldid=175959443"