Adults dupe teen into MySpace-assisted suicide

[Thug Bubbles]

I hate people that cut me off, but even worse are the people that get angry at ME when they do it. This is why I'm so furious about this situation, as the parents don't even seem to believe they were at much fault, morally.

Who the hell does this to a 13 year old?! Trash. The lot of them.

[gumpzilla]

Alobar,

- What evidence is there that the other parents knew of the dead girl's emotional problems? They could obviously tell she was fat and were no doubt [censored] with her, but did they know about her problems? Why would they? It doesn't sound like the daughters were particularly good friends.

- Let's say that instead of adults it had been other 14 year old girls who put together the MySpace page. Would they be culpable? I have to think [censored] like that happens all the time in this age group; I'd imagine that most of us here endured some [censored] for a while. Obviously there's a difference between adults doing it and other kids doing it, but stupid [censored] like this seems like it's par for the course for many kids, and people only talk about it when Columbine happens.

EDIT: Bork,

[ QUOTE ]
What they did was not close to child molestation, because with child molesters they aren't scarring the kid through myspace, they are scarring the kid by physically raping them. Physical rape is much worse than mere cruel social humiliation.

[/ QUOTE ]

Says who? The main problems statutory rape are likely to lead to are all mental anyway, so I don't think it's clear that you can separate them so easily. The law is certainly more developed to handle that.

[Alobar]

[ QUOTE ]
This is a different case because they probably didn't realize their actions would have such extreme results. Yes, the girl was emotional and prone to depression. Yes, they wanted her to feel like crap. No, they didn't want her to die. No, they didn't kill her.

[/ QUOTE ]

so what if they didnt want her to die. When I drive home drunk and slam into a tree and the passenger in the front seat of my car dies, do you think I wanted him to die? Yet Im responsible because I made a bad decision that I should have known not to make and it directly related to someones death.

Saying they didnt realize their actions would have such extreme results is retarded IMO. How can an ADULT(!!!!!) not think that [censored] with the mind of an emotionally troubled 13 year old girl, could never end up having an extreme reaction?

Good god this story tilts me so [censored] hard, that if I had easy access to the location of the parents who did this, id make it my personal mission to burn their [censored] house to the ground. (and id fully accept whatever consequence came from that action....because im a [censored] adult and I realize when things I do might have tragic negative reactions)

[mbillie1]

[ QUOTE ]
Saying they didnt realize their actions would have such extreme results is retarded IMO. How can an ADULT(!!!!!) not think that [censored] with the mind of an emotionally troubled 13 year old girl, could never end up having an extreme reaction?


[/ QUOTE ]

yeah I agree but anytime you're mean to anyone there is some % that your action will be the straw that breaks that person and pushes him/her to suicide. By the same token it doesn't lead to suicide 99%+ of the time, so I don't think it's entirely fair to punish them reactively..

[kyleb]

mbillie1,

Maybe they shouldn't be punished in a criminal sense, but they would almost assuredly lose a civil suit for being liable for the kid's death. Do you understand the difference?

[Alobar]

[ QUOTE ]
Alobar,

- What evidence is there that the other parents knew of the dead girl's emotional problems? They could obviously tell she was fat and were no doubt [censored] with her, but did they know about her problems? Why would they?

[/ QUOTE ]

directly from that article "According to Tina, Megan had gone on vacations with this family. They knew how she struggled with depression, that she took medication."



[ QUOTE ]
Let's say that instead of adults it had been other 14 year old girls who put together the MySpace page. Would they be culpable? I have to think [censored] like that happens all the time in this age group; I'd imagine that most of us here endured some [censored] for a while. Obviously there's a difference between adults doing it and other kids doing it, but stupid [censored] like this seems like it's par for the course for many kids, and people only talk about it when Columbine happens.

[/ QUOTE ]

There is a HUUUUUUUUGE difference between another kid doing it and an adult doing it. A child doesnt understand actions and consequences like an adult does. Adults are supposed to understand those things. Which is why lots of crimes children arent punished the same as adults.

[ QUOTE ]


[ QUOTE ]
What they did was not close to child molestation, because with child molesters they aren't scarring the kid through myspace, they are scarring the kid by physically raping them. Physical rape is much worse than mere cruel social humiliation.

[/ QUOTE ]

Says who? The main problems statutory rape are likely to lead to are all mental anyway, so I don't think it's clear that you can separate them so easily. The law is certainly more developed to handle that.

[/ QUOTE ]

agree. Who [censored] cares if one was physical and one wasnt. They both have the potential for the same trauma and damage. So if I go rape some 11 year old girl, and she turns out ok after the incident then I shouldnt be held accountable?

[mbillie1]

[ QUOTE ]
mbillie1,

Maybe they shouldn't be punished in a criminal sense, but they would almost assuredly lose a civil suit for being liable for the kid's death. Do you understand the difference?

[/ QUOTE ]

I do, I guess my argument against the civil suit is that I don't think monetary settlements should be used as an "easier conviction" substitute than the criminal courts. I can see how you would find them liable and not guilty of murder/etc, but I would also have some issue with that, because every time someone commits suicide (or a lot of other crimes - a husband killing an adulterous wife or whatever) there are other factors weighing into the decision... is someone automatically liable?

Eg if a husband kills his wife for cheating and goes to jail, can he still win a civil suit against the man she was cheating with since he participated in something he knows is going to horrendously upset someone? What if the husband killed himself instead?

edit: I realize that as things are, they could be found liable in fined. I guess I just don't agree with the way that occurs in society today, for the above reasons; I think it's very subjective.

[gumpzilla]

[ QUOTE ]
mbillie1,

Maybe they shouldn't be punished in a criminal sense, but they would almost assuredly lose a civil suit for being liable for the kid's death. Do you understand the difference?

[/ QUOTE ]

If this guy had killed himself, would you be liable?

[swingdoc]

Points we seem to be missing somehow:

1. [ QUOTE ]
According to Tina (Megan's mom), Megan had gone on vacations with this family. They knew how she struggled with depression, that she took medication.


[/ QUOTE ]

2. There is obvious malice in what these adults did. If some random guy simply rejected a girl's advances, there is no malice. If he seduced her for the sole reason of taking naked pictures of her and humiliating her in front of everyone, that would be analogous to what we see in this story.

3. I think the legal question is whether or not a "reasonable person" could have forseen the outcome. If so, then the psycho parents are responsible for the death. I would argue that a reasonable person would forsee that serious harm would come to this child.

4. Obviousl laws and rules differ when dealing with children or adults. If kids had done this all on their own, it would be just as "wrong" but the legal ramifications would have been vastly different.

[Bork]

[ QUOTE ]
mbillie1,

Maybe they shouldn't be punished in a criminal sense, but they would almost assuredly lose a civil suit for being liable for the kid's death. Do you understand the difference?

[/ QUOTE ]

Nah, there is no way they would 'almost assuredly' win. She tried to kill herself before this. It's not clear that this event was the main cause of her suicide even if it was the last straw. They would also have to establish that it was forseeable to offending parents that she would kill herself. The defense lawyer would probably also drag out all the nasty things from her own family's history which could have contributed to her depression and decision to off herself. You can't just assign the bulk of the blame to this other family because they are horrible worthless human beings. Suicides are complicated.