Allegations Leading To Indictment and Trial
In 2006, Lori Drew lived in St. Charles County, Missouri, with her teenaged daughter. Megan Meier, who at one time had been friends with Drew's daughter, lived down the street from Drew.
During the summer of 2006, Drew reportedly became concerned that Meier was spreading false statements about her daughter. Drew, her daughter, and Drew's employee, Ashley Grills, allegedly decided to create a MySpace account for a non-existent 16-year-old boy under the alias "Josh Evans" and to use that account to discover whether Meier was spreading false statements about Drew's daughter.
A MySpace account in the name of "Josh Evans" was created in September 2006. Drew allegedly used the MySpace account to contact Meier, who apparently believed that "Josh Evans" was a 16-year-old boy. "Josh Evans" communicated with Meier through October 16, 2006, via the MySpace account in a manner described by the prosecution as flirtatious.
On or about October 16, 2006, "Josh Evans" reportedly sent Meier a message to the effect that the world would be a better place without her. Additional MySpace members whose profiles reflected links with the "Josh Evans" profile also began to send Meier negative messages. Subsequently, Meier's mother discovered that her daughter had hanged herself in her bedroom closet.
After Meier's death, the "Josh Evans" account was deleted, and Drew reportedly directed another minor who knew about Drew's activities to "keep her mouth shut".
Read more about this topic: United States V. Lori Drew
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