LOS ANGELES - A FEDERAL jury delivered a mixed verdict on Wednesday convicting a Missouri mother of misdemeanour charges in a nationally watched cyber-bullying case in which the woman was accused of using a fake MySpace account to torment a teenage girl who later committed suicide.
The jurors rejected more serious felony charges against Lori Drew, 49, who was involved in a hoax on 13-year-old Megan Meier. The panel deadlocked on a conspiracy count.
Drew's attorney, Mr H. Dean Steward, called it a 'compromise verdict' in which jurors found his client guilty of relatively minor offences of unauthorised access of a computer.
'The US attorney's office never should have brought this case, and I think that was the message from the jury,' Mr Steward said.
Prosecutors scheduled a news conference for later Wednesday.
During the five-day trial, prosecutors alleged that Drew helped create the MySpace account in the name of a fictitious 16-year-old boy and used it to engage in an online relationship with Megan.
Megan, of Dardenne Prairie, hanged herself Oct 16, 2006, after the fictitious boy, 'Josh Evans,' told her the world would be a better place without her.
Prosecutors sought to portray Drew as a callous and reckless woman who gleefully took part in the hoax on Megan, despite knowing the girl had struggled with depression for years and had a vulnerable psyche.
Among the government's witnesses were a close friend of Drew's, a business associate and her hairdresser, each of whom testified that Drew had admitted playing a role in the hoax.
Steward accused the government of engaging in a misguided prosecution that was meant to exact revenge for the tragic death of a pretty young girl, even though Drew was not charged with her killing.
He also sought to cast Megan as a deeply troubled teen who already had considered suicide and who was taking an anti-depressant medication, which warned of suicidal tendencies as a potential side effect.
Authorities in Missouri investigated the circumstances surrounding Megan's death in the months after it occurred but concluded there was no statute under which Drew could be charged.
Mr Thomas P. O'Brien, US attorney in Los Angeles, claimed jurisdiction over the case because MySpace is based in Beverly Hills.
Drew's sentence could involve probation or up to three years in prison, a spokesman for the US attorney's office said. -- AP
The jurors rejected more serious felony charges against Lori Drew, 49, who was involved in a hoax on 13-year-old Megan Meier. The panel deadlocked on a conspiracy count.
Drew's attorney, Mr H. Dean Steward, called it a 'compromise verdict' in which jurors found his client guilty of relatively minor offences of unauthorised access of a computer.
'The US attorney's office never should have brought this case, and I think that was the message from the jury,' Mr Steward said.
Prosecutors scheduled a news conference for later Wednesday.
During the five-day trial, prosecutors alleged that Drew helped create the MySpace account in the name of a fictitious 16-year-old boy and used it to engage in an online relationship with Megan.
Megan, of Dardenne Prairie, hanged herself Oct 16, 2006, after the fictitious boy, 'Josh Evans,' told her the world would be a better place without her.
Prosecutors sought to portray Drew as a callous and reckless woman who gleefully took part in the hoax on Megan, despite knowing the girl had struggled with depression for years and had a vulnerable psyche.
Among the government's witnesses were a close friend of Drew's, a business associate and her hairdresser, each of whom testified that Drew had admitted playing a role in the hoax.
Steward accused the government of engaging in a misguided prosecution that was meant to exact revenge for the tragic death of a pretty young girl, even though Drew was not charged with her killing.
He also sought to cast Megan as a deeply troubled teen who already had considered suicide and who was taking an anti-depressant medication, which warned of suicidal tendencies as a potential side effect.
Authorities in Missouri investigated the circumstances surrounding Megan's death in the months after it occurred but concluded there was no statute under which Drew could be charged.
Mr Thomas P. O'Brien, US attorney in Los Angeles, claimed jurisdiction over the case because MySpace is based in Beverly Hills.
Drew's sentence could involve probation or up to three years in prison, a spokesman for the US attorney's office said. -- AP
