Virtual relationships can be deadly - Woman indicted after Myspace break-up costs 13 year-old her life

By Jayant Mishra @ Friday, May 16, 2008 12:12 PM

Section - PCs/Unusual

Megan Meier, 13, was so upset by the break- up with her virtual boyfriend that she hanged herself to death. What she didn't know was that her boyfriend was actually a 49 year-old Missouri woman, Lori Drew, who has now been indicted by Federal Grand Jury.

It is alleged that Lori Drew posed as a 16 year-old boy by using a fake Myspace profile to befriend Megan. They got involved in to a virtual relationship and then they broke up. It is alleged that Ms Meier killed herself in October 2006 after receiving several cruel messages, including one purporting to be from the fictitious 16-year-old boy - named Josh Evans - saying the world would be better off without her.

Drew faces charges of conspiracy and accessing protected computers without authorisation to inflict emotional distress. She faces four charges, each carrying a maximum 5-year prison term.

'Any adult who uses the Internet or a social gathering website to bully or harass another person, particularly a young teenage girl, needs to realise that their actions can have serious consequences,' said Los Angeles federal prosecutor Thomas O'Brien, who brought the charges.

Myspace, the social networking site involved, issued a statement saying it 'does not tolerate cyberbullying' and was cooperating fully with the US attorney. X

Check out
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/24652422