Adults bully teen girl on Myspace - girl kills herself

[Harlowe]

Disgusting behavior....I'm hoping for some vigilante justice actually.

http://stcharlesjournal.stltoday.com/ne ... _1.ii1.txt

[Ddrak]

I'm mixed on this one.

First, yes, the adults are fucking amoral assholes.
Second, 13 year olds on MySpace when they are already depressive and have ADD is just asking for trouble. Parents need to realize that letting their 13 year old on MySpace is about the same as letting them walk around in Central Park at 3am.
Third, no there shouldn't be a law because it would be impossible to enforce properly.

Lastly, the internet information machine is well into overdrive:

Curt D. & Lori J. Drew
269 Waterford Crystal Drive
Dardenne Prairie, MO 63368
(636) 272-2670

It’s the only house in that neighborhood that Tina Meier sold (she’s an agent). That sale was April 6, of 2005 (2.5 years ago). It’s the only house on that street that has sold since 2004. And it’s right down the street from the Meier’s (251 Waterford Crystal). It’s a firm match.

All the info one would need to find them is in the article, why not just name them?

No clue if it's real or not but the name shows in dozens of blogs now so they're gonna catch hell - especially with the phone number there.

Dd

[Harlowe]

I think the girl's parents are idiots, but what those other parents did was absolutely amoral. You can't really "make a law" to protect kid from this (though I would think it's a form of harassment or even abuse).

To maliciously go after a child like that, their name should be out there so they can deal with the consequences of their actions. They don't deserve anonymity.

[Garrdor]

[Klast Brell]

I'm glad the article did not try and create some moral panic about My Space.

[Ddrak]

I think the girl's parents are idiots, but what those other parents did was absolutely amoral. You can't really "make a law" to protect kid from this (though I would think it's a form of harassment or even abuse).

I am very wary of people that try to insist that new laws need to be made for something that happens on the internet. There's usually no good reason that existing law isn't sufficient. In this specific case, I see no difference between using MySpace and perhaps starting up a pen-pal or telephone friendship where you had to trust the other party was who they said they were. If that other party lies and tells you to go kill yourself - there's nothing strictly illegal about being an ass.

To maliciously go after a child like that, their name should be out there so they can deal with the consequences of their actions. They don't deserve anonymity.

Sure, but I do think the dead girl's parents are doing the right thing in giving out enough information so their names can be discovered, but not naming them directly. It's a pretty good "moral high ground".

What I'm not clear on is exactly who was telling the girl that she had no friends etc. at the end. That bit doesn't add up. From what I understand of the opposite side, the parents created this MySpace account to try to see what Megan was saying about their daughter online (zomg!). They acted like this guy to get her to sign them up as a friend and honestly they probably figured out they overplayed their hand when she fell for the fictional guy - seemed like they were trying to back off without too much damage. At some point, the password got out and it appears a whole bunch of people had access to the account. At that point, I'm not sure who was telling her to go kill herself etc. It really doesn't sound like something adults would do - far more something like a bunch of kids would do.

Dd

[Harlowe]

The end of the story is just a clusterfuck. I expect kids to be mean to each other and pick on/tease ect, that's the life of a middle-schooler, what makes this particular one so disturbing to me is the manner in which parents became involved and basically behaved like ....13 year olds.

Why does it seem in general parents are getting weaker and more mentally unstable. Looking back, the adults around us growing-up were far from meddlers and namby-pamby freaks. We were always pushed to fight our own battles.

[Ddrak]

The end of the story is just a clusterfuck. I expect kids to be mean to each other and pick on/tease ect, that's the life of a middle-schooler, what makes this particular one so disturbing to me is the manner in which parents became involved and basically behaved like ....13 year olds.

My reading on it is the parents created the MySpace account and on the whole were fairly nice to Megan. At some point the password for the MySpace account got out to the general population, who took it and ran. Re-reading the article, I'm guessing the parents really had nothing to do with that last night's effort and it was more than likely a group of kids who were attacking Megan using the account (and their own accounts to create the bulletins). Hell - it could have been the 4chan crew for all I know - they love MySpace drama.

At least that's the sense I get from it. It just doesn't seem plausible that it was the parents that send that sort of 13-year old drama message: "Everybody in O'Fallon knows how you are. You are a bad person and everybody hates you. Have a shitty rest of your life. The world would be a better place without you."

And what's with the FBI not being able to retrieve the message? That's just messed. MySpace would have it...

Dd

[Partha]

HORSESHIT they don't have a crime to charge them with.

Offenses Against the Person
Section 565.225

3) "Harasses", to engage in a course of conduct directed at a specific person that serves no legitimate purpose, that would cause a reasonable person to suffer substantial emotional distress, and that actually causes substantial emotional distress to that person.

2. Any person who purposely and repeatedly harasses or follows with the intent of harassing another person commits the crime of stalking.

4. The crime of stalking shall be a class A misdemeanor for the first offense. A second or subsequent offense within five years of a previous finding or plea of guilt against any victim shall be a class D felony.

Sonsabitches don't wanna do their job - after all, I bet in the meeting room, they all see the dead girl as a flake and not worth protecting.

[Ddrak]

HORSESHIT they don't have a crime to charge them with.

Who are they going to charge? There's already an independent third party that has verified the account information was known by multiple people. If they go after the parents then any smart lawyer will see the case dismissed in about 2 seconds.

The more I think about it, the less I think the "anonymous" parents were involved in the harassment at the end.

Dd

[superwalrus]

Ddrak... I'm not sure how you got confused by the article... the parents of the "friend" created a bogus myspace account to fuck with Megan.

Sonsabitches don't wanna do their job - after all, I bet in the meeting room, they all see the dead girl as a flake and not worth protecting.

You're not using the word flake correctly.

Walrus

[Ddrak]

Ddrak... I'm not sure how you got confused by the article... the parents of the "friend" created a bogus myspace account to fuck with Megan.

How did you get that from the article (which is entirely a one sided affair)?

They created the account to see what Megan was posting on MySpace about their own daughter. Now, while that's kinda messed up (should have just talked to Megan's parents about it), it's hardly harassment. Beyond that, it's hard to make any sort of criminal case against anyone.

Dd

[Partha]

"(She) stated in the months leading up Meier's daughter's suicide, she instigated and monitored a 'my space' account which was created for the sole purpose of communicating with Meier's daughter.

"(She) said she, with the help of temporary employee named ------ constructed a profile of 'good looking' male on 'my space' in order to 'find out what Megan (Meier's daughter) was saying on-line' about her daughter. (She) explained the communication between the fake male profile and Megan was aimed at gaining Megan's confidence and finding out what Megan felt about her daughter and other people.

"(She) stated she, her daughter and (the temporary employee) all typed, read and monitored the communication between the fake male profile and Megan …..

Serves no good purpose? Check.

Purposeful and repeated? Check.

Causes emotional distress? Check.

[Ddrak]

Wrong, Partha. The course of conduct that can be linked in any sort of evidence to the parents could NOT be said to cause "substantial emotional distress".

Dd

[Partha]

How did the kid get the password, if mommy and daddy didn't give it to them? How did the neighbors?

[Ddrak]

How did the kid get the password, if mommy and daddy didn't give it to them? How did the neighbors?

How is that relevant?

Dd

[Harlowe]

I hate to keep using the expression parents at this point, when it appears there has been nothing linking the dad to this. It's the mother, daughter and an 18 year old who helped - either the 18 yr old or the daughter are probably the ones that truly got the password out.

I think Ddrak made some really good points from that awful reporting. It change in tone and intent was so drastic it really wouldn't be logical for the mom to have done it. Though she should have culpability for A. setting the damn thing up and sharing the password. People should have to take responsibility for their actions. My money would be on the girl and some of her buddies doing the last mean messages.

Then again, remember long ago the mother of the cheerleader-wannabe - some of these suburban moms are insane.

[Rsak]

some?

[Partha]

Here, we had a pair of juiced up moms who encouraged their two kids (boy and a girl) to attack the boy's ex-girlfriend after luring her to a remote site. The ex-girlfriend got the hell knocked out of her. Both kids went to juvie and both moms went to jail - and that's what needs to happen here.

[Embar Angylwrath]

Here, we had a pair of juiced up moms who encouraged their two kids (boy and a girl) to attack the boy's ex-girlfriend after luring her to a remote site. The ex-girlfriend got the hell knocked out of her. Both kids went to juvie and both moms went to jail - and that's what needs to happen here.

Whaaa?

Those cases don't even compare. There was no physical attack in the suicide case, there was no adult pushing for a physical aassault, the suicide victim obviously had other mental issues, and the parent of the suicide victim was aware of the interet activity and could have prevented this by making the daughter log off.