Megan Meier was an emotionally vulnerable 13-year-old schoolgirl when Lori Drew, the mother of one of Megan's former friends, decided to humiliate her. Ultimately, Lori was found guilty of misdemeanor charges for her role in the online hoax that led to Megan's suicide. She got off easy. She had been charged with conspiracy and three counts of computer fraud with the intent of inflicting emotional distress that could have sent her away for 20 years.

The case was the first criminal prosecution in U.S. legal history related to allegations of cyber-bullying. Drew was charged under the Computer Use and Fraud Act, which previously had been used in hacking and trademark theft cases. She was charged for violating the MySpace terms of service—that set of rules many users don't ever read, but which prohibit the use of phony names and harassment of other MySpace members. The trial was held in Los Angeles because Fox Interactive, the owner of MySpace, is based in Beverly Hills.

Here's a brief recap of the complex story. Lori Drew was angry with Megan, claiming she had “spread lies” about Ms. Drew's daughter, Sarah and she wanted revenge. With the help of a young woman who worked at the Drew home (and who considered Lori as her second mother), Ms. Drew cooked up a scheme of setting up a phony account on MySpace, a social networking site. They came up with fictitious Josh Evans – a cute 16-year-old boy who seemed to like Megan. The original idea was to learn what Megan might have been saying about Sarah.

Megan became obsessed with Josh and communicated with him regularly, delighting in his compliments. When Ms. Drew decided it was time to end the ruse, “Josh” spurned Megan. He sent a message that said “I don't know if I want to be friends with you anymore because I've heard that you are not very nice to your friends.” He also shared some of Megan's messages with others, and bulletins were posted on the MySpace site that said “Megan Meier is a slut. Megan Meier is fat.” Megan was distraught, sobbing hysterically. Josh's final message to her was, “You are a bad person and everybody hates you. Have a shitty rest of your life. The world would be a better place without you.”

Megan's response to this cruelty was “You're the kind of boy a girl would kill herself over.” She went to her room and hanged herself.

It's been over two years since Megan's suicide. Her parents have divorced, unable to sustain a relationship after such heartbreak. They had been conscientious parents, who carefully monitored Megan's online account and knew about Josh. They had done everything possible to work with Megan's ADD and depression, and had moved her to Immaculate Conception School for eighth grade, hoping the school uniform and policy against makeup and jewelry would help her fit in.

They found out six weeks after Megan's death that Lori Drew was responsible for the hoax, and that she had considered it a “joke” – a joke that was meant to gain Megan's confidence and then make others laugh at her.

When her name and connection to Megan's death was revealed by webloggers, Ms. Drew, who actually lived down the street from the Meier's home in Dardenne Prairie, Missouri, became the target of vehement public reaction. Angry neighbors noted in outrage that “there's never been any sense of remorse or public apology from the Drews, no ‘maybe we made a mistake.'” The town unanimously voted to make online harassment a crime.

If only it was a crime to torment a child. A bully on the playground is one thing, but an adult bullying a child and seeking to humiliate that child is something else.

I believe, as did the jury, that Lori Drew deserved to be punished for indirectly contributing to Megan's death. The verdict sent a message that while we're all capable of thoughts of resentment and jealousy, we will be punished if we act on those thoughts to the determent of another. Even my compassion is strained beyond limits when someone like Ms. Drew refuses to show any remorse. May Ms. Drew finally see that her actions were far from being a “joke,” and may shame and guilt take up residence in her heart until she is capable of making amends to all those she has hurt. The jury was correct in finding her guilty and that will set a higher bar in the still-evolving world of social networking.

Unfortunately, it's too late for Megan.

(Originally published at Article Dashboard and reprinted with permission from the author, Deborah King).