Cops: Woman posted girl’s info on Craigslist after argument
A 40-year-old Missouri woman allegedly settled an argument she had with a teen and her mother by resorting to Craigslist. Elizabeth A. Thrasher is accused of posting a photo of the girl, 17, her email address and cell phone number in the “Casual Encounters” section of the Web site. Craigslist sure is more effective than bathroom graffiti — the teen became inundated with text messages and porn photos on her phone.
Thrasher has been charged with cyberbullying, the Associated Press reported. It’s the first felony cyberbullying charge in Missouri since the state passed a law after the suicide of 13-year-old Megan Meier. She hanged herself in 2006 after she was the victim of a hoax on MySpace.
The teen is the daughter of Thrasher’s ex-husband’s girlfriend. Authorities said it wasn’t clear what started the argument.
Lori Drew convicted of misdemeanors in MySpace hoax case
A jury was unable to reach a verdict in the felony conspiracy charges against Lori Drew on Wednesday, but convicted the Missouri mother of three lesser charges in the MySpace cyberbullying case that led to a 13-year-old’s suicide.
As Minor Troubles readers know, Megan Meiers hanged herself in 2006 after she received nasty messages from someone she thought was a teenage boy she liked, but instead was a fake person created by Drew. The woman had created the “Josh Evans” character on MySpace apparently to learn about what the girl was saying about Drew’s daughter. The two girls had once been friends.
On Wednesday, a jury in Los Angeles rejected felony charges against Drew of accessing a computer without authorization to inflict emotional distress, according to the Associated Press.
The jury found Drew guilty of three counts of accessing a computer without authorization, a lesser charge. Each count is punishable by up to one year in prison and a $100,000 fine. However, the jurors could not reach a verdict on a conspiracy count, and the judge declared a mistrial on that charge.
Lori Drew goes on trial in MySpace hoax case
Megan
Lori Drew, who notoriously created a fake account on MySpace allegedly as revenge on Megan Meiers, knew about the teenager’s history of depression and attention deficit disorder, according to federal investigators.
A prosecutor today outlined the case against Drew, who is now on trial in Los Angeles on charges of conspiracy and accessing a computer without authorization to obtain info to inflict emotional distress. She could face up to 20 years in prison.
Drew had “hatched a plan in order to prey on the psyche of a vulnerable 13-year-old,” prosecutor Tom O’Brien told jurors, the New York Times reported. He said that Drew knew of Megan’s disorders because she had given her medicine when she vacationed with the Drew family.
Megan Meiers hanged herself in 2006 after she received nasty messages from someone she thought was a teenage boy she liked, but instead was a fake person created by Drew. The woman had created the “Josh Evans” character on MySpace apparently to learn about Megan and what she was saying about Drew’s daughter. The two girls had once been friends.
The Drew and Meiers families lived four doors down from each other in a small town near St. Louis, Missouri. But Drew’s trial is in Los Angeles because MySpace servers and headquarters are in the county, and she is being prsecuted under a federal statute that is usually used for fraud that occurs across state lines.
Dean Steward, Drew’s lawyer, said in his opening statement that Drew was not at home when the last message was sent to Megan. In it, the “Josh Evans” character said that “the world would be a better place without you.”
Steward said although Drew knew about the MySpace account, she did not actively send messages from it. He said they were sent by an employee of her magazine-coupon business and other young girls. But one of the first court witnesses disputed that claim. Susan Prouty, who did business with Drew, testified that Drew said that she had created the account and sent messages.
Woman in MySpace suicide case goes into hiding
What took her so long?
Lori Drew, shunned by neighbors and held in contempt worldwide, is moving to an undisclosed location, according to a St. Louis Post-Dispatch story. She and her husband are closing on the sale of their house on Waterford Crystal Drive in Dardenne Prairie, Mo., just four doors down from the family home of Megan Meiers.
Drew, 49, as most people well know, was involved in a MySpace hoax that lead to the suicide of 13-year-old Megan in 2006. A federal judge is expected to decide soon whether to dismiss criminal charges against Drew or force her to stand trial on Oct. 7.
Not surprisingly, Ron Meiers, Megan’s father, is thrilled that the Drews are moving. “Hopefully, the next time I ever see them again is Oct. 7 and no more from then on,” he told the St. Charles Journal.
Drew is charged with one count of conspiracy and three counts of illegally accessing MySpace’s computers to obtain information to inflict emotional distress on Megan. She faces up to 20 years in prison.
