Drew charged in MySpace case
California authorities: Deadly Megan Meier hoax was a crime
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| File photo -- Tina and Ron Meier back in November, at their daughter's mausoleum grave site. |
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A federal grand jury in Los Angeles on Thursday indicted Drew, a 49-year-old mother of two and a former businesswoman who had sold advertising for years in St. Charles County. She faces charges stemming from her role in a MySpace hoax that led to the 2006 suicide of 13-year-old Megan Meier of Dardenne Prairie.
Drew faces one count of conspiracy and three counts of accessing protected computers without authorization to obtain information to inflict emotional distress.Each of the four charges carries a maximum sentence of five years in prison. The U.S. Attorney for the Central District of California has claimed jurisdiction because MySpace is based near Los Angeles.
Whether Drew will ever spend a day in prison, or even be convicted, remains to be seen.
On Friday Missouri prosecutors Jack Banas and Catherine Hanaway stood by their original decisions not to bring criminal charges against Drew, who still lives only a few doors from Ron Meier, Megan's father, on Waterford Crystal Drive in Dardenne Prairie.
Banas, the St. Charles County prosecuting attorney, said that in his review of the case he relied on the initial investigation by the FBI here in the St. Louis area.
Banas said he considered existing state laws regarding stalking, endangerment and harassment and concluded that they did not cover the circumstances of Drew's involvement in the events leading to Megan's death.
"The state laws didn't fit, and I still say that's the problem," Banas said. "In light of that I think our Legislature has stepped up and amended some of those statutes."
In a brief, prepared statement, U.S. Attorney Hanaway, who heads the office for the Eastern District of Missouri, responded to the question: If federal law provided an opportunity for charges in Los Angeles, why didn't federal law apply to what happened here in Missouri?
"This office reviewed the Drew case for cyber threats, and found that none were made," Hanaway said. "Because the MySpace servers are in the State of California, the U.S. Attorney for the Central District has jurisdiction in this case. We have worked closely with the U.S. Attorney in the Central District of California and fully support their prosecution."
The story of Megan's death first appeared in the Suburban Journals of St. Charles County in November. Since then, some criminal experts have argued that as reprehensible as Lori Drew's conduct may have been, if what she did constitutes a crime then there are countless other criminals across the nation who also do mean things online while pretending to be someone they aren't.
Thom Mrozek, the spokesman for the Los Angeles prosecutor, said via e-mail that, to the best of his knowledge, there is no other similar case in which an adult has been charged with misidentifying herself on a social networking site for the purpose of inflicting emotional distress on a juvenile.
Drew and her husband, Curt, were contacted Thursday at their home for comment.
"Not right now," Curt Drew said.
They have hired attorney H. Dean Steward, of San Clemente, Calif., who could not be reached for comment.
Megan hanged herself Oct. 16, 2006, after receiving hurtful e-mails from someone she thought to be Josh Evans, a handsome boy of 16. She died the next day.
Six weeks later, her parents learned that Josh Evans never existed. Instead, he was the creation of Lori Drew and Ashley Grills, who was then 18, a temporary employee who worked in the Drew home. Lori Drew had an at-home advertising business. In addition, the Drews' daughter, then 13, was involved.
Lori Drew has told police that the hoax was started in order to see if Megan was saying anything cruel about the Drews' daughter. The two girls had had a recent falling out.
Tina Meier, Megan's mother, said she was thrilled with the news of Lori Drew's indictment.
"This is what we have wanted all along," she said. "We wanted her to be held accountable for the ridiculous game that she played with my daughter's life.
"I hope she gets the maximum penalty," Tina Meier said. "I hope she gets the full 20 years. It is still not enough. Our family has been serving a life sentence without Megan."
Both Tina and Ron Meier, who are going through a divorce, have said they hold Lori Drew, rather than Grills, responsible for the hoax. Tina Meier now lives in WingHaven, in O'Fallon. The Meiers have a younger daughter.
In recent months, Grills and Lori Drew have offered slightly different versions of who was responsible for setting up the fake account.
Grills appeared on ABC's "Good Morning America" on April 1. She said Lori Drew was more involved than she has acknowledged. But Grills also admitted that she was the person who wrote - as Josh Evans - what is believed to be, according to Ron Meier, the final message Megan saw before taking her life:
"Everybody in O'Fallon knows who you are. You are a bad person and everybody hates you. Have a (expletive) rest of your life. The world would be a better place without you."
Mrozek declined comment when asked via e-mail why charges weren't brought against Grills. The indictment refers to "co-conspirators."
During Grills' appearance on "Good Morning America," a TV news reporter stated that Grills had been given immunity from prosecution in exchange for her cooperation.
In a prepared statement, O'Brien commented on the case against Lori Drew.
"This adult woman allegedly used the Internet to target a young teenage girl, with horrendous ramifications," O'Brien said. "After a thorough investigation, we have charged Ms. Drew with criminally accessing MySpace and violating rules established to protect young, vulnerable people.
"Any adult who uses the Internet or a social gathering website to bully or harass another person, particularly a young teenage girl, needs to realize that their actions can have serious consequences."
The statement says that Lori Drew will be summoned to appear for an arraignment in Los Angeles federal court in June. In an arraignment the defendant is called to court, where charges are read.
The indictment covers the same basic set of facts reviewed in Missouri by Hanaway and Banas. But O'Brien's office looked at the case in a different light. It focused on how Lori Drew misused MySpace's Web servers and violated MySpace Terms of Service.
MySpace, is owned by Fox Interactive Media, and based in Beverly Hills.
The indictment details several Terms of Service that Lori Drew allegedly violated, such as using information obtained from MySpace to harass, abuse or harm other people.
The indictment specifically charges Drew with obtaining information from the computer for the purpose of inflicting emotional distress.
According to the indictment, soon after Megan hanged herself, Lori Drew told another teenage girl on the block - one who also had access to the Josh Evans account - to "keep her mouth shut" about the account.
Ron Meier said he was appreciative of the efforts of O'Brien and his office, especially in light of the lack of criminal charges here in Missouri.
Ron Meier said O'Brien called him earlier Thursday, prior to the public announcement of the indictment. (O'Brien also called Tina Meier.)
"He told me that he wanted to bring justice for Megan," Ron Meier said. "I think it's great. I'm overcome with emotion. It's been a long-time coming.
"And hopefully it will get them out of my neighborhood," he said.
