There was a recent case where a mother had created a fake identity on Myspace and was interacting with a teen(Megan) that had recently broken off her friendship with her daughter. She had intended to make sure that she wasn't saying anything nasty about her child and made the identity Josh to see what she was saying. But things went horribly wrong when messages started showing up from "Josh" telling Megan that she was a horrible person and that the world would be better off without her. She killed herself soon after seeing this message on Myspace.
The parent that had created the identity of Josh was instantly set upon by the public. She was instantly demonized. People were calling for her to be tried for murder and others were demanding she be kicked out of her house and home and the community. There were even death threats sent her way.
Now it turns out she was not the one that sent the disparaging comments.
http://blog.wired.com/27bstroke6/2007/12/no-charges-will.html It turns out it was another couple of teens who had access to the account that were sending the messages under the guise of Josh.
Excerpt:
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Banas said that the messages between "Josh" and Megan were mostly benign until an Oct. 15, 2006, message that was sent from a different girl who had access to the Josh account, one who lived across the street from the Drews.
Banas said on Monday that most of the messages sent to Megan as Josh over six weeks were written by Ashley Grills, then 18, of O’Fallon, a temporary employee of Lori Drew’s business, Drew Advantage. Grills often worked from the Drews’ home.
Banas said it was Grills who typed what is believed to be the final message Megan saw and that it was Grills who was at the computer — in the Drews’ home — typing the messages, as Josh, to Megan during the afternoon before Megan killed herself. Banas said the Drews’ daughter, then 13, was with Grills at the time.
Banas said he was unable to interview Grills, now 19, because she has been under psychiatric care as a result of her involvement in Megan’s death. He said he saw no need to interview her at a later date.
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It is due to situations like this that the urge to try people in the court of public opinion must be resisted. We may think we have enough information to form a conclusion. But people's lives can be destroyed by such short sighted action. Innocent until proven guilty has merit for a reason. It really sucks to have your life destroyed by a public out for blood. Because even when the truth comes out there will be people that are not there to hear the truth and will forever assume guilt.