Is Jury Close to Verdict in case of Internet-Cyber Bullying Trial of Lori Drew?

 

In the end, no justice for Megan and a foolish LA jury has now created legal precedent for cyber bullying …

The internet-cyber bullying case of 49 year old Missouri mom Lori Drew could be coming to a final verdict soon. Lori Drew was accused of one count of conspiracy and three counts of accessing computers without authorization. She could be sentenced to as many as 20 years in prison if convicted of all counts. Jurors stated that they have reached a partial verdict. Please tell me these jurors are not going to act like cowards and let Lori Drew off the hook.

Meier_megan_teen

(13 year old Megan Meier)

Lori Drew, an adult purposely and willfully bullied 13-year-old neighbor Megan Meier in to hanging herself. As Drew wrote, that the world would be better off without her. Prosecutors allege that Drew created the false identity of Josh Evans in a cruel MySpace hoax to communicate on line with Megan Meire. A hoax that ended in the death of a 13 year old minor, Megan Meier

Lori Drew, 49, is accused of conspiracy and accessing computers without authorization for her alleged role in a scheme to create a phony profile of a teenage boy on the MySpace social networking Web site to harass 13-year-old neighbor Megan Meier. Drew has pleaded not guilty to one count of conspiracy and three counts of accessing computers without authorization. She could be sentenced to as many as 20 years in prison if convicted of all counts. Megan, who was being treated for depression, hanged herself in 2006 after receiving a message that the world would be better off without her. Prosecutors charged Drew under the Computer Use and Fraud Act, which in the past has been used in hacking and trademark theft cases. The terms prohibit the use of phony names and harassment of other MySpace members.

UPDATE I: JURY OF COWARDS … Convict Lori Drew of 3 Lesser Charges What is up with Los Angeles juries in that they are incapable of actually finding some one guilty of murder? The LA jury in the Lori Drew Internet-Cyber bullying case of Megan Meier were unable to convict Drew on the main conspiracy charge that lead to Meier’s death. Were the jurors COWARDS or STUPID? How could anyone following this case not think that “Lori Drew did not access a computer  without authorization to inflict emotional distress on young Megan Meier”.

Lori_Drew_Killer

AP – Lori Drew, right, and her daughter Sarah Drew arrive at federal court Wednesday, Nov. 26, 2008, in Los Angeles …

The Los Angeles federal court jury rejected felony charges of accessing a computer without authorization to inflict emotional distress on young Megan Meier. However, the jury found defendant Lori Drew guilty of three counts of the lesser offense of accessing a computer without authorization. Each count is punishable by up to one year in prison and a $100,000 fine. The jurors could not reach a verdict on a conspiracy count, and U.S. District Court Judge George Wu declared a mistrial on the charge. It was not known if she would be retried. She could have been sentenced to a total of 20 years in prison if convicted of the four original counts. Prosecutors said Drew violated the MySpace terms of service by conspiring with her young daughter and a business assistant to create a fictitious profile of a teen boy on the MySpace social networking site to harass Megan.

UPDATE II: Lori Drew Found Guilty of Misdemeanor Charges, but Not Felony Charges

What message did this clueless and guttless jury just send the rest on the internet world? Some how the jury thought it a compromise to convict on 3 misdemeanors, but not the felony charge? What were these jurors thinking, other than the fact that they were not. This was a ground breaking internet legal case and the jurors blew it. They have just effectively created precedent to say its okay for cyber bullying on the internet where already too many things have gotten out of control.

Lori Drew was charged with violating the the MySpace terms of service in order to perpetrate a hoax. That hoax ultimately cost Megan Meier her life. However, Drew’s defense attorney used the following as some type of reasoning … that because a set of rules is not usually read, it therefore cannot be violated. Really? How many people have ever read their auto insurance policy from cover to cover? Do you think if you violate the exclusions of your policy, you will be covered? The answer is no. Ignorance to the rules are not a defense. Except if one has an LA jury.

Legally, as Drew’s lawyer Dean Steward repeatedly reminded the jury, the case was not about whether Drew caused Megan to commit suicide. Instead, Drew was accused of violating MySpace’s terms of service by obtaining personal information to inflict emotional distress on the teen.

But the emotional pull, and much of the testimony in the trial in federal court in Los Angeles, centered on the suicide. “The tragedy in this case is not just Megan Meier’s suicide. It’s the fact that it was so preventable,” U.S.attorney Thomas O’Brien said in his closing statement.

Drew’s lawyers and outside legal experts have argued that the unusual prosecution could broaden the scope of what’s considered criminal conduct on the Internet. Drew was charged for violating the MySpace terms of service, a set of rules that many users probably do not read. “How can you violate something when you haven’t even read it?” Steward asked, according to the Associated Press. “End of case.”



If you liked this post, you may also like these:

  • Megan Meier : Priceless … Defense Attorney for Lori Drew Say Prosecutors are Real Bullies
  • Daily Commentary – Friday, May 15th, 2009 – Is Cyberbullying is Free Speech? The Megan Meier Cyberbullying Act
  • Grand Jury Reviews Case of Lori Drew and Internet Suicide of 13-year-old Megan Meier
  • Lori Drew (aka Josh Evans) Pleads Not Guilty to MySpace Hoax Charges in Death of Megan Meier
  • Welcome to the On-Line Internet Generation: 4 in 10 Children Are Addicted to the Internet




  • Comments

    17 Responses to “Is Jury Close to Verdict in case of Internet-Cyber Bullying Trial of Lori Drew?”

    1. Mike on November 26th, 2008 3:10 pm

      What a sad specimen of the human race.

      I hope she get her butt sued off.

      Most likely the defence found their one idiot to put on the jury panel and that hung them on the major count.

    2. Michelle on November 26th, 2008 3:50 pm

      How sick. This is a grown woman acting like a teenage girl. What a role model for her daughter. A grown woman bullying a teenage girl who she obviously knew had some issues. Nice parenting there Ms. Drew. You must be so proud.

    3. Lizzie on November 26th, 2008 4:04 pm

      I hope that the girls family takes her sorry a** to court after that bs trial is over. And gets justice for her daughter. This is just craziness!!

    4. Susan on November 26th, 2008 4:19 pm

      Unbelieveable!!

      Let’s hope the jurors never fall victim of the same thing this sicko, pathetic, selfish, jealous, piece of sh*t of a so called woman is guilty of!! Karma’s a b*tch…

      Mrs. Cyber Bully needs to spend life in prison for what she did to this innocent 13 year old!!

      Once again, justice has not been served :-(

    5. Mary UK on November 26th, 2008 4:46 pm

      The world would be a much better place without this sorry specimen of a woman !!!!!

    6. Fox Fire on November 26th, 2008 6:17 pm

      She looks like the type, her and her daughter…

      Jealousy!

      .

      Knock out punch!!!

      .

    7. Fox Fire on November 26th, 2008 6:31 pm

      It’s hard being pretty….

      Especially, if you’re innocent.

      .

      … and as you get older…

      They take advantage.

      .

      Who would ever think that the lady next door

      is a stalker, a predator with an evil heart?

      .

      But, they’re out there.

      .

      Just like Natalee…

      SNATCH!

      … you’re gone!

      .

      Evil men are. even, more sneaky

      and much more aggressive.

      Maybe… that’s why she did what she did.

      She hates men.

      .

      Maybe the reason we are together

      is because we’ve witnessed it.

      .

      Trafficking, I mean.

      .

      Or…

      Maybe, just a near miss.

    8. Fox Fire on November 26th, 2008 6:43 pm

      Anyway, that’s why I’m here.

      I want the man that bought Natalee.

      And the one that sold her.

      and continues to pay

      for her.

      .

      Guck…

      Pluck…

      FlunCk…

      Aruba!

      .

      There is no other solution.

      .

      and… you know I’m right…

      SHE’s OUTta THERE!

      .

      Besides, her attorney says so!

      .

    9. nurturer on November 26th, 2008 8:39 pm

      These two look like they’ve had extra cheese on their Whopper.

    10. Fox Fire on November 26th, 2008 9:22 pm

      CNN is looking for a hero

      and we have heros everywhere…

      .

      Nurturer is one of them!

      :)

    11. Julie Novak on November 26th, 2008 10:05 pm

      She is scum. When you coax some innocent into committing suicide – really what are you? We need a vigilante group to take her out. What a sick piece of garbage is this large ass. If anyone wants to start a vigilante group -please let me know….

    12. buster on November 26th, 2008 11:07 pm

      Is that Lori Drew daughter in the background ??? If so no wonder they teased Megan Meier, Megan Meier was a total Princess and the drew daughter was gealous

    13. Wendy on November 27th, 2008 12:00 am

      Thanks to FOXNEWS for bringing this to the forefront.
      Wish this lack of a lady could be hanged as well.

    14. Kay Zee Es on November 27th, 2008 7:26 am

      Julie Novak rants…

      “If anyone wants to start a vigilante group -please let me know….”

      From my time on this board, regardless of the 180 degree difference in political views, the members here have all subscribed to the legal process. We in America, and those overseas expect justice, however slow, to take foot.

      Vigilantes, however well meaning, are a destructive element of a nations laws and order. It is not justice they seek but revenge, which is contrary to the social order of civilization.

      So, Julie, the best way to be a crusader here is to advance the system of laws to catch up with technology and the 21st century, and find more and better avenues of legal redress, and not “take it to the streets”, as it were.

      As for the Drews, the only thing that made them ugly was what their hearts held inside and the actions they perpetrated to their victim.
      _________
      SM: No one should support vigilantism ever.

      However, it is a sad state of affairs that our law makers cannot keep up with the times the govern in. Yet another reason to boot out do nothing politicians.

      As for jurors … maybe they should have to pass literacy and comprehension tests before being allowed to make decisions on verdicts.
      R

    15. Susan on November 27th, 2008 9:07 am

      Kay Zee – If you were Megan’s parents, friends or relatives, you might be tempted “to take matters into your own hands”…especially when these dumbass jurors had the nerve to find the monster (Lori Drew) guilty of 3 misdeanors.

    16. Paul Breiveld on November 27th, 2008 11:26 am

      How many people do have a fake account on MySpace?

    17. Kay Zee Es on November 27th, 2008 1:11 pm

      SM opines…
      “As for jurors … maybe they should have to pass literacy and comprehension tests before being allowed to make decisions on verdicts.”

      Well put, sir.

      Susan feels…
      “If you were Megan’s parents, friends or relatives, you might be tempted “to take matters into your own hands”…”

      That is not to say that the temptation and feelings of anguish would not exist. “Vengence is mine sayeth the Lord” is in reality a test of one’s faith and endurance of belief. Nobody said it was easy.

      That is why it is imperative to have our laws up to speed with the technology of this 21st century.

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