ST. LOUIS (Dec. 3) - People who sent cruel Internet messages to a 13-year-old girl before she committed suicide won't face criminal charges, a suburban St. Louis prosecutor announced Monday.
St. Charles County prosecutor Jack Banas said that while he understands the public outrage over Megan Meier's death, he could not find statutes allowing him to charge anyone in the case.
"We were certainly hopeful that there was going to be some sort of prosecution, but I'm certainly not surprised," said Megan's mother, Tina Meier.
The Dardenne Prairie girl's parents say she hanged herself Oct. 16, 2006, minutes after she became distraught over mean messages received through the social networking site MySpace. She died the next day, and weeks later her family learned that a boy she had been communicating with online did not actually exist.
A police report said that a mother from the neighborhood and her then-18-year-old employee fabricated a profile for a teenage boy online who pretended to be interested in Megan before he began bullying her.
"I think people are upset that a parent got involved in something so childish, and that a young girl committed suicide," Banas said in a telephone interview.
The police report indicates others gained access to the profile, and there's a dispute over who specifically was involved in sending Meier messages just before her death. The 18-year-old, posing as Josh, sent one of the last messages telling Megan the world would be better off without her, Banas said.
Banas said he took a look at the case after federal authorities said no federal crime was committed. He said he reviewed laws related to stalking, harassment and child endangerment before making his announcement.
Banas said harassment and stalking laws both require proof that communication was made to frighten, disturb or harass someone. In this case, he said, the fictitious MySpace profile was created not to bully Megan, but to find out what she was saying about the neighborhood mother's then-13-year-old daughter, a former friend.
"There are a few statements at the end that are a heated argument," he said. "That's why you have a hard time making a harassment case."
Reaction to the case has been strong, with angry postings on the Internet identifying the family behind the fake profile. The household has reported vandalism, including a brick through a window, once word got out about the circumstances surrounding the death. Police have stepped up patrols in the area.
The family whose members created the site have previously declined to comment and did not answer phone calls Monday.
Banas said he was unable to speak directly with the 18-year-old employee, who he said has been hospitalized for psychiatric treatment. He said it's his understanding that the girl from the neighborhood is now being home-schooled.
Meier's family has been seeking legal changes since it became clear in recent weeks that it was unlikely anyone would be charged. Two Missouri communities, including Dardenne Prairie, have changed local laws to make Internet harassment a crime, and several others are considering measures. Changes are also being proposed to state law.
Banas issued two pages about the case, noting disagreements between the neighborhood mother and her employee over what happened.
For instance, the mother said her daughter and the employee came to her with the idea of creating the MySpace account. The employee said she created the account, but that it came from a brainstorming effort by all three.
The mother maintained communications were supposed to remain civil.
"She stated that she told the girls if they were going to do this, they were only to speak to Megan in polite terms and not say anything disrespectful," those documents say.
The 18-year-old employee told the FBI that any time the 13-year-old talked to Megan on MySpace, the child's mother was present.
The mother told the FBI she was not home when heated exchanges took place before the death. The 18-year-old employee first said the woman was, then said she was not, but that the woman's husband was.
Tina Meier said the bottom line for her was that the other mother knew about the fake profile, knew Megan was on medication, and let the hoax continue. She said the fake profile was deleted right after the death. Then, she said, the woman didn't come clean.
"Our daughter died, committed suicide, and she still didn't say a word," Meier said. "I still feel what she did is absolutely criminal."
Meier's family has talked to attorneys about the case but has not filed a lawsuit.
Meier has acknowledged that Megan was too young to have a MySpace account under the Web site's guidelines. But Tina Meier has explained that she was able to closely monitor the account.
Meier said she wished the 18-year-old involved had used better judgment.
"I really hope she gets the help she needs, and I don't think she meant for this to happen to Megan," she said, adding that perhaps one day that woman will be able to educate people against cyberbullying.
Of Megan's 13-year-old former friend, she said: "I certainly don't wish her any harm. Unfortunately, she doesn't get to pick her parents."
wow, how cruel. _________________ Peace is a lie. There is only passion.
Through Passion, I gain strength.
Through Strength, I gain power.
Through power, I gain victory.
Through victory my chains are broken.
yeah, I read this news story. It's definately harassment, but you have to look at it from all sides.
No one can force you to commit suicide. I realize being bullied and picked on is hard, it really is. I went through it as a kid, and show me someone who was NEVER made fun of? seriously, I don't think they exist. However, it is not worth killing yourself over, and no one forced her to do it.
She was 13. Myspace has a "14+" rule, and this girl's mother said "Yeah, okay, let's break that rule, you can have a myspace!" That rule is there for a reason, even though it obviously doesn't work.
While they were harassing her, yes, she legally should not have even been on the site to begin with, and her mother knowingly broke it's regulations. Should the people who were bullying her perhaps be hit with harasshment? Yes. But they had nothing to do with her killing herself.
It doesn't matter whether or not they caused her suicide. I mean, obviously she was already seeking for help for something, since the article states that she was on medication. Perhaps the bullying pushed her over the edge. That's not the point. The point was is that you should never bully someone ever. Whether or not they are 13 years old or 14 years old.
halfbloodprincess wrote:
any bullies we know here?
Yes, I've seen it a couple of times. PM me if you want details.
ThE_DaRk_MaRk wrote:
wow, how cruel.
Yeah, it is.
Wildwolf555 wrote:
it really is a shame for something like this to happen....
It definitely is a huge shame.
Online bullying is still a fairly new thing that most state laws do not address, yet. Hopefully the laws will soon catch up with today's technological advances.
For more information on this rising concern, please check out this site...
http://www.besafeonline.org/English/bullying_online.htm _________________ Blame it on a simple twist of fate. ~ Bob Dylan "To commemorate a past event, you kill and eat an animal. It's a ritual sacrifice. With pie." ~ Anya <3
yeah, I read this news story. It's definately harassment, but you have to look at it from all sides.
No one can force you to commit suicide. I realize being bullied and picked on is hard, it really is. I went through it as a kid, and show me someone who was NEVER made fun of? seriously, I don't think they exist. However, it is not worth killing yourself over, and no one forced her to do it.
She was 13. Myspace has a "14+" rule, and this girl's mother said "Yeah, okay, let's break that rule, you can have a myspace!" That rule is there for a reason, even though it obviously doesn't work.
While they were harassing her, yes, she legally should not have even been on the site to begin with, and her mother knowingly broke it's regulations. Should the people who were bullying her perhaps be hit with harasshment? Yes. But they had nothing to do with her killing herself.
It doesn't matter whether or not they caused her suicide. I mean, obviously she was already seeking for help for something, since the article states that she was on medication. Perhaps the bullying pushed her over the edge. That's not the point. The point was is that you should never bully someone ever. Whether or not they are 13 years old or 14 years old.
halfbloodprincess wrote:
any bullies we know here?
Yes, I've seen it a couple of times. PM me if you want details.
ThE_DaRk_MaRk wrote:
wow, how cruel.
Yeah, it is.
Wildwolf555 wrote:
it really is a shame for something like this to happen....
It definitely is a huge shame.
Online bullying is still a fairly new thing that most state laws do not address, yet. Hopefully the laws will soon catch up with today's technological advances.
Seeking help for something, since she was on medication? What the hell is that even supposed to mean? A lot of people are on medication, but aren't starting myspace accounts to fix their problems. I don't really even know what else to respond to that with, since that makes no sense whatsoever.
And nowhere did I say that bullying is okay. I believe I stated that harassment charges should have been filed. I may not sympathize, or think that the rule-breaking mother should get cash out of it, but don't twist around what I said. I stated that her mother knowingly broke the site's rules to create the account, and that if anything, these people should be slapped with a harassment suit.
yeah, I read this news story. It's definately harassment, but you have to look at it from all sides.
No one can force you to commit suicide. I realize being bullied and picked on is hard, it really is. I went through it as a kid, and show me someone who was NEVER made fun of? seriously, I don't think they exist. However, it is not worth killing yourself over, and no one forced her to do it.
She was 13. Myspace has a "14+" rule, and this girl's mother said "Yeah, okay, let's break that rule, you can have a myspace!" That rule is there for a reason, even though it obviously doesn't work.
While they were harassing her, yes, she legally should not have even been on the site to begin with, and her mother knowingly broke it's regulations. Should the people who were bullying her perhaps be hit with harasshment? Yes. But they had nothing to do with her killing herself.
It doesn't matter whether or not they caused her suicide. I mean, obviously she was already seeking for help for something, since the article states that she was on medication. Perhaps the bullying pushed her over the edge. That's not the point. The point was is that you should never bully someone ever. Whether or not they are 13 years old or 14 years old.
Seeking help for something, since she was on medication? What the hell is that even supposed to mean? A lot of people are on medication, but aren't starting myspace accounts to fix their problems. I don't really even know what else to respond to that with, since that makes no sense whatsoever.
And nowhere did I say that bullying is okay. I believe I stated that harassment charges should have been filed. I may not sympathize, or think that the rule-breaking mother should get cash out of it, but don't twist around what I said. I stated that her mother knowingly broke the site's rules to create the account, and that if anything, these people should be slapped with a harassment suit.
My point is, whether or not she was was supposed to have an acount, it doesn't mean that anyone should be bullying her. Bullying is never okay, no matter how old you are, where you are or who you are. Of course I know you don't think bullying is okay.
I didn't twist your words around. Or I didn't mean to, anyway.
I never said that I didn't agree with the way things turned out as far as the fact that charges won't be pressed. I only meant that the boy and his mother have shown little to no remorse for the way they treated the young girl. _________________ Blame it on a simple twist of fate. ~ Bob Dylan "To commemorate a past event, you kill and eat an animal. It's a ritual sacrifice. With pie." ~ Anya <3
well bullying is not okay definitely. but there is a limit to what constitutes bullying that can lead to legal charges and bullying that cannot. in the very first place, she shouldnt have had a myspace account. _________________
I just have a question, and I'm not saying that charges should be pressed, I'm just curious to what you guys think... what if the girl was 14, and not 13. Would that automatically change your mind about any of this as far as whether or not the boy and his mother should be held responsible? _________________ Blame it on a simple twist of fate. ~ Bob Dylan "To commemorate a past event, you kill and eat an animal. It's a ritual sacrifice. With pie." ~ Anya <3
there was no boy... it was just the mother, i thought
it wouldn't matter how old she was... what that woman did was wrong, that won't change _________________ An animal's eyes have the power to speak a great language.
there was no boy... it was just the mother, i thought
it wouldn't matter how old she was... what that woman did was wrong, that won't change
The article says:
"A police report said that a mother from the neighborhood and her then-18-year-old employee fabricated a profile for a teenage boy online who pretended to be interested in Megan before he began bullying her."
The two of them created a profile of a fake teenage boy (Megan's age). _________________ Blame it on a simple twist of fate. ~ Bob Dylan "To commemorate a past event, you kill and eat an animal. It's a ritual sacrifice. With pie." ~ Anya <3
no it will still stay the same. bullying, while it is mean, you cant really arrest people for being bullies. its the same with the kids in school. they bully. the teacher gets mad, calls their attention, but theyre not arrested, and i dont even think they should, not even if it causes suicide. bullying is really a part of life. a bad part, yes, but most people are at some point bullies, and most of the time the bullying is mild... not enough to merit an arrest. its just that the kid cannot take it. of course its the bully's fault, but you cant arrest people for bullying, unless there is physical bullying involved.
harassers, like stalkers, pedophiles, etc, should be arrested. _________________
I just have a question, and I'm not saying that charges should be pressed, I'm just curious to what you guys think... what if the girl was 14, and not 13. Would that automatically change your mind about any of this as far as whether or not the boy and his mother should be held responsible?
I think if she was 14, I would feel differently about her mother. Her mother stated her daughter was on medication...why would you put a troubled child who is not supposed to be on that site in the first place, on that site? If the child was 14, than the child's mother would have done nothing wrong. It most likely still would have happened, but the mother should have never made the account, and should have probably talked to her daughter more about this "Josh" fellow.
I think that this mother should have been more involved in her child's online activity. Parents don't need to stand over their children's shoulders, but they should definatelycheck up on their kids' activities. I think that this could have been prevented if the mother knew about this boy. _________________
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I just have a question, and I'm not saying that charges should be pressed, I'm just curious to what you guys think... what if the girl was 14, and not 13. Would that automatically change your mind about any of this as far as whether or not the boy and his mother should be held responsible?
I think if she was 14, I would feel differently about her mother. Her mother stated her daughter was on medication...why would you put a troubled child who is not supposed to be on that site in the first place, on that site? If the child was 14, than the child's mother would have done nothing wrong. It most likely still would have happened, but the mother should have never made the account, and should have probably talked to her daughter more about this "Josh" fellow.
She didn't "put" her own daughter on the site, her daughter created it on her own.
I agree with Zen, her mother (and parents in general) should have been more involved with her daughter's online (and offline) life. _________________ Blame it on a simple twist of fate. ~ Bob Dylan "To commemorate a past event, you kill and eat an animal. It's a ritual sacrifice. With pie." ~ Anya <3
yes. id put the blame on the mother and not the bullies. bullies cant be avoided. in one form or another they'll always be there. its the parents' duty to make sure that their kid can cope with bullies well. _________________
This is Outragious! Myspace should be closed down! Im Deleting my myspace right now, What a poor girl.... still in medication and got cyber bulled and commited Suicide. I get Cyber Bullies but im usually give them come back then they tease me LOL. I will tell my friend
i dont think its the fault of myspace. the purpose of that is to stay connected with your friends and have fun. not to bully people. but of course, people can choose to use it precisely to bully others. _________________
Yeah, I don't think Andrian was being completely serious.
But I have noticed that myspace does get blamed for a lot of stuff. Poor Tom. _________________ Blame it on a simple twist of fate. ~ Bob Dylan "To commemorate a past event, you kill and eat an animal. It's a ritual sacrifice. With pie." ~ Anya <3
that mother reminds me of a mother of this girl i used to be friends with... well for a while we weren't exactly friends...
anyway my point is if there is some problem between your daughter and her ex-friend you dont create a fake myspace account for you're daughter!!
gosh that story's so sad! this is why i don't like using myspace... it's just so stupid..... i don't see a point to it at all, i mean there are different and better ways to communicate with your friends.... _________________
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