MySpace Suicide

[gaia227]

<a href="http://suburbanjournals.stltoday.com/artic...pokin_1.ii1.txt" target="_blank">http://suburbanjournals.stltoday.com/artic...pokin_1.ii1.txt</a>

Here is the link to the article that appeared in the St. Louis publication of Suburban Journal. It is rather long but well-written and keeps your interest. If you don't want to take the time to read the whole thing I'm writing a shorter summary followed by my personal opinion about these pathetic losers.....but I suggest you read the article and get the full story.

I'm sure a lot of you heard about the 13 yr old girl who killed herself after she met a boy, Josh, on MySpace who made her believe he really liked her and then out of nowhere started calling her names, saying awful things to her, telling her she was a fat ****, etc. The girl, Meghan, had a history of depression and had self esteem issues(what 13yr old doesn't?)but hers ran a little deeper. This boy told her her friends were telling him what 'she did' and how the world would be a better place without her in it and then started posting bulletins for everyone to see calling her fat. It was more than she could take and she hung herself. It turns out this boy was actually her former best friend PARENTS(who also lived next door) who created this profile, made her believe he liked her and then turned on her. It had become an afterschool activity with the mother pretending to be Josh while her daughters friends hung out and laughed about it. These people had known Meghan for years, she had gone on vacations with them and they knew about her previous issues and they exploited them by doing this. There is a lot more to the story if you want to read the - goes into more detail about Meghan, the relationship these two families had(they were good friends) and what exactly the MySpace messages said.

The maddening thing about all of this is apparently they did not break any laws and they are not going to be charged with anything. The mother who pretended to be Josh actually said in an interview that she didn't feel guilty about Meghan's death because she had issues already. They have also had the balls to press charges against Meghan's parents for property damage they caused when they found out what had provoked their daughters death - they were actually storing a foosball table for the other family when they found out they smashed it and dumped in it their driveway and are now being charged. But the most frustrating part is the media is withholding the family's name for their protection so not only are they not being charged they don't even have to deal with their peers and society's reaction to their actions. They can just keep on lving normally and by all accounts they are without much remorse.

Personally I believe they should be charged with involuntary manslaughter or something similar. I understand it is a tricky issue but Meghan killed herself because of their words and actions. These are PARENTS of a 13 yr old daughter - what kind of morals, ethics and respect are they teaching her? How can they be so immature and selfish? They are so braindead and immature that instead of acting like adults they choose to become so involved in their 13 yr old's life they seem to have lost touch with reality. As adults this is what they do to entertain themselves? They are pathetic.

I think they need to face some kind of consequences for their actions - at the very least release their names and force them to deal with the public's wrath.

I am curious about how other people feel about this issue.

Edited November 30, 2007 by gaia227

[Killer Moth]

Thats terrible what kind of a grownups would do that to a kid

but nothing against the law about being mean to people though, I don't think they can go to jail

[twpdyp]

No crime no time. My question on this issue is where were her perents. Why did they not see the signs of depression? I would be alomost willing to bet it is a 2 income household. With both parents to preoccupied with their careers to notice......I hold the 2 income household accountable for a lot of todays youths problems.

[Godofcats]

i only read about half the artical not because i have a.d.d but because i have about 100 brats running around me bothering the hell out of me right now. anyway i read the short version. that's bull crap they can't be charged. the parents should be charged. they are directly responsible for the girls death. they caused it to happen knowing that the girl might have been suicidle. what's up with these immature parents? F@#$ them all. seriously a mother doing this? that's not shocking to me because i've seen parents get drunk and high with their kids....looks like they miss being a little b@st@rd in their school days so they have to do with with their punk kids.

[tipsy_munchkin]

No crime no time. My question on this issue is where were her perents. Why did they not see the signs of depression? I would be alomost willing to bet it is a 2 income household. With both parents to preoccupied with their careers to notice......I hold the 2 income household accountable for a lot of todays youths problems.

Erm. i grew up in a two income household and was certainly well raised. Most of the time my parents were working I was at school anyway. I think it's a little harsh to first assume she is from a two income household and then blame the suicide on that.

Depression can occur in a mulltitude of situations and isn't always easy to spot (or easy to discern from normal teen angst)

This is horrendous behaviour from adults and to me a far more detrimental effect on todays youth than wether mum and dad work. I can see though that they didn't comit a crime as such. Many suicide victims (many people in fact) have been victims of bulllying and we can't convict every bully for these deaths. I'm not sure the family should be protected though. No adult should abuse a childs emotions in this way it shows immaturity lack of ethics and sets a very poor example.

[Godofcats]

No crime no time. My question on this issue is where were her perents. Why did they not see the signs of depression? I would be alomost willing to bet it is a 2 income household. With both parents to preoccupied with their careers to notice......I hold the 2 income household accountable for a lot of todays youths problems.

yeah that's a wierd comment right there usually people blame it on a single parent home.

[atom286]

Thats terrible what kind of a grownups would do that to a kid

but nothing against the law about being mean to people though, I don't think they can go to jail

We need a moral exception to our legal system.

If they do something morally corrupt regardless of wether the law makers had thought about it and made it illegal they get hung.

[twpdyp]

yeah that's a wierd comment right there usually people blame it on a single parent home.

Yes I know I am a man ahead of my time. Single parent homes are by in large not a product of choice but a product of divorce, death etc....

2 income households are a matter of choice, the adults choice to put their needs ahead of their children's

[Atheist God]

There is already a thread on this in the current events section....

No crime was committed here and the parents of the girl who killed herself should have done a better job at monitoring their kids internet activity.

[Carcharoth]

What they did was obviously pathetic and terrible, but as they apparently haven't broken any laws, they should not be charged. And, as someone else also mentioned, didn't the parents notice any change in mood or behavior?

[Godofcats]

What they did was obviously pathetic and terrible, but as they apparently haven't broken any laws, they should not be charged. And, as someone else also mentioned, didn't the parents notice any change in mood or behavior?

if you read the artical you'll see her mom mention that for years she battled depression. all her family and friends knew she was depressed because of wieght issues and other things. and these people especially knew because they once were her friends and knew she would be an easy target for them knowing how she might take it, they are directly the cause of her death and should be punished especailly the mother.

[~ MacDDT ~]

There is already a thread on this in the current events section....

No crime was committed here and the parents of the girl who killed herself should have done a better job at monitoring their kids internet activity.

I think your fat and you should kill yourself AtheistGod

[Carcharoth]

if you read the artical you'll see her mom mention that for years she battled depression. all her family and friends knew she was depressed because of wieght issues and other things. and these people especially knew because they once were her friends and knew she would be an easy target for them knowing how she might take it, they are directly the cause of her death and should be punished especailly the mother.

Well, as long as they haven't broken any laws, they cannot, and should not, be punished, however gruesome what they did was. Unless you want some sort of totalitarian state where the government can throw people in jail without any trial or without the arrestee having broken any laws, just because they feel like doing so.

[Belle.]

If it was a 52yr old man next door who did this (excluding the end bit of calling her a fat pig!) they would say he was 'grooming' the girl and I bet he would be charged with something.

Edited December 1, 2007 by Betsy

[Bill Hill]

If it was a 52yr old man next door who did this (excluding the end bit of calling her a fat pig!) they would say he was 'grooming' the girl and I bet he would be charged with something.

True. I'm sure there's a case in English...if I remember correctly, where a man was charged with murder, for telling his depressed wife to jump off a cliff, and she did!

Although, he drove her to the cliff.. not sure if that made a difference or not.

As for this case, it's sickening that 'adults' have acted like this.

[bLu3 de 3n3rgy]

If it was a 52yr old man next door who did this (excluding the end bit of calling her a fat pig!) they would say he was 'grooming' the girl and I bet he would be charged with something.

I was thinking the same. The fact remains that she was using a false identity in order to exploit and lure a minor. Maybe this case would have been completely different if the girl was still alive and able to press charges.

[Atheist God]

I think your fat and you should kill yourself AtheistGod

If that's what you think I won't hold it against you but I can assure you I am quite healthy and I have no intention to kill myself either. If someone kills themselves over a few insults regardless of age then they had mental health issues to begin with.

Everyone acts so shocked and appalled when they hear of such an act immediately blaming those who had no idea that the person in question was going to kill themselves.

The real question is where were the parents? Were they so out of touch with their own offspring that they could not notice a change in her mood and personality? It is quite clear that the parents should place the blame on themselves for neglecting their own daughters needs and not paying attention to the child when they should have. The other parents were cruel but the only people who could have prevented the suicide were the girls parents.

We need a moral exception to our legal system.

If they do something morally corrupt regardless of wether the law makers had thought about it and made it illegal they get hung.

By who's moral compass should we all live?

Charging people for not sharing the same moral compass that you and others have would be the same as charging them with a thought crime. You can't charge someone because someone who had issues killed themselves.

I was thinking the same. The fact remains that she was using a false identity in order to exploit and lure a minor. Maybe this case would have been completely different if the girl was still alive and able to press charges.

Press charges for what? Because someone made fun of her online?

If I called you fat and ugly and said you were a waste of that over stretched skin you wearing would you kill yourself?

If I were to guess I would say no as most people would not, how were they supposed to know that the girl would take what they said to such an extreme. The girl in question had more issues them simply her self esteem if she was willing to commit suicide over a few insults.

[bLu3 de 3n3rgy]

If I called you fat and ugly and said you were a waste of that over stretched skin you wearing would you kill yourself?

No of course not, but the adults in this situation knew intimately of the girls problems, they knew what her issues were.

The girl in question had more issues them simply her self esteem if she was willing to commit suicide over a few insults.

I think there is more to it than that

This story was also posted in world of the bizarre

Quoted from there - http://www.unexplained-mysteries.com/forum...howtopic=111700

Megan, a 13-year-old who suffered from depression and attention deficit disorder, corresponded with Josh for more than a month before he abruptly ended their friendship, telling her he had heard she was cruel.

The next day Megan committed suicide. Her family learned later that Josh never actually existed; he was created by members of a neighborhood family that included a former friend of Megan's.

and

The woman who created the fake profile has not been charged with a crime. She allegedly told the St. Charles County Sheriff's Department she created Josh's profile because she wanted to gain Megan's confidence to know what Megan was saying about her own child online

It strongly suggests there was on going issues between the children and that the Josh profile was a planned effort.

The adults doing this should have known better, it's wrong full-stop for adults to mess with children like this!! regardless of any mental issues the girl may have had.

The woman admits in trying to gain the girls confidence... posing as a young teen boy and carring on a relationship for more than a month! before turning nasty. I'm betting if it was a guy who did this, he would have been slap charged with something.

[Atheist God]

No of course not, but the adults in this situation knew intimately of the girls problems, they knew what her issues were.

They obviously didn't think she would kill herself. While they may have loosely know about the girls issues perhaps the ADD I highly doubt they knew about other said issues.

I think there is more to it than that hmm.gif

This story was also posted in world of the bizarre

Megan, a 13-year-old who suffered from depression and attention deficit disorder, corresponded with Josh for more than a month before he abruptly ended their friendship, telling her he had heard she was cruel.

The next day Megan committed suicide. Her family learned later that Josh never actually existed; he was created by members of a neighborhood family that included a former friend of Megan's.

Anyone who gets made fun of at school will get depressed.....

The question is why did Megan's parents let the girl start on online relationship. If I was the father of a 13 year old I can assure you that their internet access would be heavily restricted.

I still stand by my statement that the girl had more issues then merely self esteem issues if she killed her self after someone said she was cruel that she only knew for a month. If she was on medications for the depression they may have in fact contributed to the suicide. These mind altering drugs are well known to increase suicidal tendencies and psychotic outbursts...

It strongly suggests there was on going issues between the children and that the Josh profile was a planned effort.

The adults doing this should have known better, it's wrong full-stop for adults to mess with children like this!! regardless of any mental issues the girl may have had.

Even still it's not a crime.

I think the girls parents should still blame themselves, what parent allows their 13 year old to have online relationships very well knowing that there are predators on the internet. None of this would have happened if the girl was not allowed to access sites like Myspace among others. Whether it's children getting molested to being duped like Megan was prevention is the key. Megan would still be alive if her parents paid closer attention to her.

The woman admits in trying to gain the girls confidence... posing as a young teen boy and carring on a relationship for more than a month! before turning nasty. I'm betting if it was a guy who did this, he would have been slap charged with something.

Charged on what basis? No crime has been committed here.

The girl made the conscious decision to kill herself after little more then a month of correspondence with someone she never met. Blame depression and ADD if you coupled with the disasterous 1 month relationship but it's clear that her parents were to blame for not paying attention to their child which is neglect.

There should be age retriction on social networking websites like Myspace and Facebook to avoid such incidents from happening. Under no circumstances should children be allowed to have online relationships with people they don't know.

[~ MacDDT ~]

Under no circumstances should children be allowed to have online relationships with people they don't know.

I think everyone would agree to that! (or at least they should)

[MadMachine]

The woman admits in trying to gain the girls confidence... posing as a young teen boy and carring on a relationship for more than a month! before turning nasty.

It's possible that the woman posing as "Josh" believed that the girl was getting too close to the made-up personality, and decided to end the "relationship" in a very surefire way. I don't think she necessarily intended for the girl to kill herself over it.

[Bunny Munro]

True. I'm sure there's a case in English...if I remember correctly, where a man was charged with murder, for telling his depressed wife to jump off a cliff, and she did!

Although, he drove her to the cliff.. not sure if that made a difference or not.

I certainly don't think they should be held responsible, if a person decides to end their own life it is their decision and action to carry out alone.

[soundchaser]

It's possible that the woman posing as "Josh" believed that the girl was getting too close to the made-up personality, and decided to end the "relationship" in a very surefire way. I don't think she necessarily intended for the girl to kill herself over it.

In the UK, when people drive a car carelessly, they may well not intend to cause someone's death. But if their careless driving DOES cause a death they are charged with it. A few insults traded by complete strangers over a forum may not show intend to provoke a suicide. But it seems these adults had ample information about the poor girl's problems.

If they wanted to pretend to be someone in order to finish the relationship, there were countless gentler ways to do it without resorting to pretty hefty insults to someone they KNEW was already vulnerable.

There may not be a law at present covering what they did. But I think there should be. Something on a parallel with the "causing death by reckless/careless driving" law.

I don't pretend it isn't complicated. It would be far better if people could police their own behaviour and in fact most of us can. Sadly though, we still need laws to deal with those who can't.

[MadMachine]

In the UK, when people drive a car carelessly, they may well not intend to cause someone's death. But if their careless driving DOES cause a death they are charged with it. A few insults traded by complete strangers over a forum may not show intend to provoke a suicide. But it seems these adults had ample information about the poor girl's problems.

A difference is that the driver has control over the car, so of course a passenger's death due to the driver's reckless driving is the driver's fault. Solely the driver's fault.

In the case of the suicide, the woman ("Josh") simply triggered a bomb the girl had already made.

[glorybebe]

They obviously didn't think she would kill herself. While they may have loosely know about the girls issues perhaps the ADD I highly doubt they knew about other said issues.

Wrong, the woman said that the girl should kill herself because she was fat and no one liked her. Read the article on the other thread, it explains how the woman who did this set out to hurt this girl, she wanted to know what this girl was saying about her own daughter since they had been friends. This woman was malicious and knew all the mental problems this girl had and still went out of her way to manipulate this young girl. Consider a mother of a 13 year old doing this to a 13 year old CHILD. This was a little girl, not an adult who has the maturity to deal with stressful situations.

It's possible that the woman posing as "Josh" believed that the girl was getting too close to the made-up personality, and decided to end the "relationship" in a very surefire way. I don't think she necessarily intended for the girl to kill herself over it.

No, she did not think that, she went out of her way to get the girl to like the guy and be attached, just so that she could pull the rug from under her feet. this done by a mature mother? She systematically got this girl excited that there was a guy interested in her, then told her that she was fat, no one liked her and she should kill herself!?!? What the hell is that?! Of course this woman should be charge with anything they can think of, she knew EXACTLY what she was doing. And before blaming the dead girl's mother, she was monitoring the messages and gave her daughter heck for the things being said and why she was even reading them.