Adults dupe teen into MySpace-assisted suicide

[TheBlueMonster]

[ QUOTE ]
In Maryland, at least, appellate courts have ruled that school systems can be held liable for wrongful death for failing to prevent a student's suicide, as well as committing actions that create an "irresistible impulse" to commit suicide, so it would appear you could almost certainly sue someone (possibly successfully) for actively contributing to a suicide in this manner.

[/ QUOTE ]
God damn, I love our state.

[Pyromaniac]

[ QUOTE ]
The most interesting thing about that New York Times article is that the only reason the story got out into the public according to the Times article is because of the douche bag parents. They had told the parents of the dead girl to hide a ping pong table they had bought for their own children for christmas in their home and when the parents of the dead girl found out who was behind the boy's myspace account they destroyed the table in anger. The douche bag parents filed a complain and then the story hit the national media. Wow talk about shooting themselves in the foot. Good article.

[/ QUOTE ]

Actually I think this would have hit the national media no matter what - I think it took so long to go public because of this (from the article, which I hadn't heard before):

[ QUOTE ]
On the advice of F.B.I. agents who did not want the Drews to learn of their investigation of the hoax, Ms. Meier said, her family said nothing publicly about the case for a year.

[/ QUOTE ]

I agree, though, they were stupid to file that complaint, in which they essentially confess to doing these things (I guess? I haven't actually seen the report myself). I wonder if that police report will ever come around to biting them in the ass.

...went looking and just found the police reports here:

http://www.thesmokinggun.com/archive...072megan1.html

thanks for the post of the NYT article - hadn't seen that. had new info and was written pretty concisely. the original article was a bit hard to follow for someone just wanting to know the barebones of WTF happened.

[Pyromaniac]

wow. this from the police report:
[ QUOTE ]

Drew [the mother who created the fake myspace account] explained the neighborhood has recently found out her involvement in Megan's suicide and her neighbors have become hostile toward her and her family. Despite the recency of the suicide and several neighbors recommending she not confront the Meier family (especially on Thanksgiving), Meier [this is a typo, it should read Drew] stated she and her husband attempted to contact the Meier family three times, "banging on the door" although Mr. Meier had already told them to leave.
<font color="white"> . </font>
Drew wished the current tension in the neighborhood be documented in case any of her property is damaged. Further, Drew insisted on contacting the Meier family to "inform them of what she knows." Drew stated she "just needed" to tell them to relieve herself of the "responsibility" and apparent guilt.

[/ QUOTE ]

wow. I can understand the parents (the dead girl's parents) being told to wait and let the legal system handle it (by the FBI?). But if they came banging on the door on Thanksgiving Day in order to relieve themselves of their guilt...I'm kind of surprised they didn't get shot on the doorstep by the father right there. and take his chances with a jury of his peers.