Lori Drew

Lori Drew, along with an employee, Ashley Grills, allegedly created the fictional MySpace personality Josh Evans, who developed an online relationship with 13-year-old Megan Meier. Meier committed suicide on October 17, 2006, after receiving cruel messages from Evans.¹ On November 26, 2008, Drew was found guilty of three counts of accessing a computer without authorization, a misdemeanor. A Missouri jury rejected felony charges against Drew, who is unlikely to face any jail time.²

Fast Facts

1. Drew was 49 years old when Megan Meier committed suicide³
2. Lives four houses away from Meier family in Missouri
3. Reportedly pretended to be Josh Evans, a 16-year-old boy who was interested in Megan¹
4. Evans-Meier relationship began September 2006
5. Was said to have befriended, then taunted and dumped Meier³
6. Meier committed suicide on October 17, 2006¹
7. Trial began on November 19, 2008⁴
8. Drew faced up to 20 years in prison if found guilty of conspiracy and accessing protected computers without authorization⁴

Charges

1. One count of conspiracy³
2. Three counts of accessing a computer without authorization and via interstate commerce to obtain information to inflict emotional distress³
3. Each count is worth a maximum penalty of five years in jail³

The 'Hoax'

Evans and Meier had an online romance, which turned abusive in the fall of 2006. After Evans broke up with Meier, Meier committed suicide by hanging herself in her closet. Ms. Drew maintains she initiated the online relationship to determine how Megan felt about her daughter, Sarah.¹

Accountability

On April 1, 2008, Ashley Grills publicly admitted on Good Morning America to have created the Evans profile. Grills named Lori Drew and Drew's daughter as the other people behind it. According to ABC News, Grills was granted immunity for her testimony against Drew.⁵

Criminal Charges

On May 15, 2008, a federal grand jury charged Drew with one count of conspiracy and three counts of accessing protected computers without authorization to obtain information to inflict emotional distress.¹ Drew claims that though she knew about the fake profile, she was not involved and did not send any of the messages.⁶ In October 2008, Drew's lawyer offered new information on another girl who allegedly was in contact with the fake account. He issued a request to track her phone records for the purpose of further investigation.⁷

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