Suicide girl neighbors' revenge

[TerryJ2]

I'm sure you all heard about the tragic suicide of this ADHD girl ... how she got in a fight with-her friend, and then some guy showed up online and befriended her, and then suddenly turned against her, and it turned out he was a fabrication.
The story has taken a bizarre twist. I understand the need for revenge, but the whole thing is a sad commentary on the worst in human nature.

http://news.aol.com/story/_a/town-shuns-...S00010000000001

 

[flutterbee]

I hadn't heard about this at all. Guess I'm living under a rock.

 

[hearts and roses]

yes I heard about this = it is so sad and disturbing on so many levels.

 

[Big Bad Kitty]

Make that 2 rocks, Heather. I never heard about it either.

 

[Star*]

I'm a troll - I live under a bridge. I wanted to be a rock, but I like goats.

Never heard of it.

 

[meowbunny]

Wished I loved under that rock. I've heard of this mess. It is ugly. Originally, the story went the mom set up the MySpace account as Josh because the girl had been saying "mean things" about her daughter and she wanted to confirm it. As time progressed, Mom supposedly started being mean, ending with the girl committing suicide. Ms. Drew is pretty much reviled by all at this point.

This article makes her a tad more sympathetic. I don't believe the denials by her attorney. At one point, Ms. Drew admitted making the comment that the world would be better off without the girl. Now, she denies it?

I don't believe that the entire family should be shunned. I certainly don't believe that any of them should have death threats made against them or bricks thrown their windows or the like. I do believe Ms. Drew deserves shunning. It is an apt punishment for something as vile as an adult picking on a 13-year-old girl the way this woman did.

 

[HereWeGoAgain]

I had heard about this. I think you're exactly right, MB. The woman apparently thought that she was helping her daughter get back at the girl who ended up killing herself, which is wrong but at least comprehensible, but the level of sheer nastiness in this scheme is mind-boggling. I certainly would not want to have anything to do with people capable of such viciousness, so shunning is entirely appropriate. However, physical attacks on the Drews are just as bad as what they did.

 

[donna723]

Sadly, I've heard about this on the news too. If anything, it points out once again what can happen when parents get into a squabble between two kids! EXTREMELY cruel and irresponsible of the mother to inflict additional pain on a child who already had her share of problems! At this age, kids can very well feel that their life is over if they are made to feel like a social outcast. She sounds very much like my own daughter. When she was that age, it wouldn't have taken much to push her over that edge either. Why does this remind me so much of the "Texas Cheerleader" stories?

The way I understood it, the reason the mother couldn't be prosecuted was that there just wasn't any applicable laws on the books that covered this situation! Certainly, this should haunt her for the rest of her life, and I hope that it does. BUT ... these self-styled vigilantes with their death threats and brick-throwing - they're just as bad!

 

[flutterbee]

Wow.

From a police report:

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Quote:</div><div class="ubbcode-body"> Drew felt this incident contributed to Megan's suicide, but she did not feel "as guilty" because at the funeral she found out "Megan had tried to commit suicide before".</div></div>

:surprise:

http://www.thesmokinggun.com/archive/years/2007/1120072megan2.html

Yeah, they should be shunned. But the death threats and threats of physical violence make those doing them no better than the Drews.

This woman preyed on a child difficult child. It doesn't get much worse than that.

 

[TerryJ2]

I know.
Ditto.
Shunning is good. Death threats ... make no sense. They make the neighbors no better than the original neighbor. Anger and helplessness will make people do things like that.

 

[donna723]

"Drew felt this incident contributed to Megan's suicide, but she did not feel "as guilty" because at the funeral she found out "Megan had tried to commit suicide before".

You mean that this woman actually went to the girls' funeral? Obviously, that must have been before they were aware of her part in causing the girls suicide! And HOW NICE for her that she's not feeling quite as guilty now as she did before! She didn't actually hurl the girl over the cliff, she just gave her that last little nudge that sent her over the edge! No matter how she spins it, a young girl is dead now as a direct result of HER actions!

Sounds to me like she will end up rationalizing her guilt right away and will probably end up deciding that she's the victim here! Poor thing, hounded and persecuted by her neighbors and the media! Isn't that the way it usually goes? Makes me sick!

 

[Star*]

Donna-

I think if the woman (Drew) was mentally ill enough to sit and (media word) brainstorm with 2 teenagers - then she is also sick enough to convince only herself that her actions only MAY have been a tiny part in the death of the young girl.

She can lie to herself - but she can't fool the rest of the world.
Much like difficult child rationalizations - he lies when confronted so much that eventually HE begins to believe his own lies.

I don't think she'll move either - she doesn't believe she's done anything wrong, why should she move - it's the rest of the neighborhood that is picking on her. The only reason I think she would move is because the news article said she's ultra social and eventually she's going to have to glob onto someone to make herself look good again, but it doesn't sound like the town will forgive her any time soon.

People really can be sheep.

 

[guest3]

Satan's handwritting is all over this one!

 

[VLong]

Well, I used to live no more than 5 minutes from where this happened. Justin and Ashley live about 10 minutes from there. So, it's been ALL over our news and all I can say is that it has been horrible. After everything that has happened around me in the last 2 months, to read this story and have it plastered all over our local news is just, well, not how I wanted to end the year.

Yes, the Drew's went to Megan's funeral and they invited Megan's parents to their daughters birthday party (after Megan died and they went, before knowing that the mother set the whole thing up). I haven't a clue what is going on in Lori Drew's mind, nor do I care to.

The local authorities are trying to find something to charge her with, but so far there has been nothing related to Internet harrassment on the books. The town and others in the area are passing laws now, sadly too little, too late for Megan's family and Megan, but her family says that is what they want for now...just laws to maybe see to it that this doesn't happen to another family.

Please just add the Meiers family to your prayers.

 

[Fran]

I hadn't heard of it but when I read the article I am again hit with the obvious. People can say anything when they think they are anonymous or won't be caught. It is why I am so wary of internet type relationships. You never really know who you are talking to or with. Many people register multiple times with different names. Even go so far as to trigger arguments to make trouble. The same person fighting with themselves just to get attention and to trigger controversy. It happens all the time.

The internet is a lot like the wild,wild west. It's every man for himself and the rules of conduct and the consequences haven't been written. I hope that at some point there will be some regulation and some consequences for those who do things that I consider fraud and slander and just ugly.

It's unfortunate there is no way to police e mail nastiness. If you ever get an unsolicitated e mail that is hurtful from a member you should forward it to a mod/adm/ or Cheryl so that it can be dealt with. I know it happens but I never could understand why.

Sorry to get on a soap box but the internet is very powerful and the power is given to everyone. Not everyone has reasonable ability to act humane if they think they can't be caught.