MySpace Cyberbullying Case Begins

The trial of a woman accused of using a fake MySpace profile to bully a girl who later killed herself has begun in Missouri.

Lori Drew lived with her daughter in St. Louis. Next door was Megan Meier, who was 13. Meier and Drew’s daughter were reportedly friends, but fell out. And with that began a strange and tragic tale that’s ended in a courtroom.

Prosecutors claim that after the girls argued Drew and others created the fake profile of a 16-year-old boy named Josh Evans on social networking site MySpace. Allegedly, after starting an online relationship with Meier, “Josh Evans” left her several cruel messages to end the relationship, including one saying that the world would be better off without her. Meier later hung herself.

In a landmark case, Drew has been charged with conspiracy and accessing protected computers without authorization under the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act, and jury selection is now underway in the trial. There were no existing laws in Missouri under which she could be tried, the BBC reports. Each of the four counts of which she’s accused carries a five year jail term. She has not been charged in Meier’s death.

However, evidence of Meier’s suicide will be presented, although Drew’s lawyer, Dean Steward, has objected.

"The jury is going to end up thinking that Lori Drew is being tried for the death of Megan Meier," he said.