MySpace Hoax Mother May Walk Free

L.A judge disregards charges against mother citing "dangerous precedent"

By LAURA RIPARBELLI
Updated 6:00 PM PST, Thu, Jul 2, 2009

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It looks as if the Missouri mother who played a role in the MySpace hoax set against 13-year-old Megan Meier, who later committed suicide, will be acquitted of all charges.

A federal judge in Los Angeles Thursday threw out charges against Lori Drew, saying that a guilty verdict would have made it possible to prosecute virtually anyone who violates the MySpace terms of service.

 

However, according to reports, the judge stressed that the ruling is tentative until he issues the verdict in writing. Prosecutors were charging Drew with a $300,000 fine and the maximum prison sentence of three years.

Drew is accused of creating the fake MySpace account of a teen boy, and then sending flirtatious messages to Meier’s account. Meier hung herself in 2006, not long after the fictitious boy dumped her over MySapce, saying the world would be better off without her.

First Published: Jul 2, 2009 5:24 PM PST

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