"Suicide evidence likely out of MySpace hoax trial"

[GreenPartyVoter]

Source: AP

LOS ANGELES – Prosecutors in the trial of a woman accused of a MySpace hoax that allegedly led a 13-year-old girl to kill herself will likely be prohibited from presenting evidence of the suicide, a federal judge said Monday.

U.S. District Judge George H. Wu told attorneys he was leaning toward excluding the evidence from the trial of Lori Drew, who is accused of using a fictitious profile on the social networking site to drive Megan Meier, her daughter's former friend, to hang herself.

Drew has pleaded not guilty to one count of conspiracy and three counts of accessing computers without authorization.

"I don't necessarily think the suicide is relevant to the crime charged," Wu said, adding he thought details of Meier's death would unfairly prejudice the jury. He said he planned to announce his final decision Friday.

Read more: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20081110/ap_on_re_us/internet_suicide

[WriteDown]

1. Huh?

This sounds like a joke.

[CoffeeCat]

2. That's revolting...

...and makes no sense whatsoever.

I feel so sorry for the family who lost the daughter. As if they haven't been through enough.

Is the defendant, a close relative of the judge???

:wtf:

[Eric J in MN]

3. If she's convicted, then anyone who...

...uses Bugmenot to read newspapers online could be prosecuted for accessing information online without permission.

The case against her is based on a loose interpretation of a law meant to criminalize hacking.

[LisaL]

4. I agree. I think the whole case needs to be thrown out.

Because if giving false information on sites like my space is a crime, lots of people are criminals.
For instance, if you are fifty but you say you are 45-well you could end up a felon.

[Democat]

5. This entire case is based on emotion, not logic!

It's like there is a mob running wild with pitchforks and torches, but none of them are thinking about the legal implications.

It's a tragedy that someone died, but the reality is that freedom of speech is far more important than getting revenge for the suicide of one person.

[clspector]

6. Uhm...

>>It's a tragedy that someone died, but the reality is that freedom of speech is far more important than getting revenge for the suicide of one person.<<

I'm sorry, but what this woman did was hateful, vindictive, and manipulative in the extreme. And the consequences of her actions drove a young girl to commit suicide. While you might say there's no legal basis for this case -- and you may very well be correct in that -- I say she's a sociopath and should be shunned by her entire community. And I would argue that she operated in as predatory a manner as any pedophile does. As an adult, she used the weaknesses of a child in order exploit that child. The only difference between them. The child ended up dead.

[curse of greyface]

7. She is a horrible person... she didn't break the law....

She shouldn't be on trial...

[Lance_Boyle]

10. hateful, vindictive, manipulative, but NOT A CRIME

it's important that emotions take a backseat to the legal process in this one. Lori Drew is a bad person, but what she did does not violate any law in existence at the time of her non-crime. The attempt to manipulate this case into some sort of "unauthorized access" "hacking" trial is terrible for the US Justice system. The case needs to be thrown out.

[LisaL]

8. Well it sure looks that way to me.

If the woman is convicted, then who is safe on the net?
Are we all supposed to tell the truth and nothing but the truth when we communicate on these message boards?
We aren't under oath.
What's next? Having to only post using your actual name? Not being able to post using a handle like we all do here? Should I be a felon if my actual name is not lizzy?
I believe the charges should be dropped.

[clspector]

9. I didn't say she committed a crime...

I don't know the law well-enough to make a judgment on that. But I stand by the fact that her actions were reprehensible, willfully vindictive, hateful, and that she behaved in manner of a predator. She's a sociopath. This was an adult preying on a child in order to do that child mental harm. She succeeded.

The issue for me isn't her using a handle. The issue is that she used deception to do deliberate harm to a child. It was heinous act. Just because it isn't illegal doesn't make it right.

[teknomanzer]

11. This can still be taken to a civil court...

The case against this woman is strong enough to win in civil court. She may not get the punishment she truly deserves... but at least she will be paying for it the rest of her life.