Girl Commits Suicide Over Internet Prank

[Deadly_Nightshade]

It was still cyber-bullying, which resulted in her decision to kill herself, and therefore lays some blame on the liar, whether or not the girl made a, say, "bad decision". What was trying to be said with the bullying? Who knows? But some idiotic "adult" ended up encouraging a girl to suicide- I agree with Xard's sentiments.

 

Do we definitively know that the messages encouraged suicide? No we do not - or at least I have neither heard nor seen anything supporting that assertion. Also, there seems to still be some major doubts as to exactly who created the false profile, for earlier news reports -especially those posted towards the end of the original discussion- indicated that the dead girl's parents believed it was the mother, while the investigators were more inclined to cast suspicion to an eighteen-year-old who was also in the household at regular intervals (I cannot remember exactly what she was doing there, but I believe she was their babysitter).

Edited May 20, 2008 by Deadly_Nightshade

[Fionavar]

Thread Pruned: Please do try to leave out the personal baiting and character attacks. Sheesh - you would think I liked actually moving from the Roost ...

[walkerguy]

It was still cyber-bullying, which resulted in her decision to kill herself, and therefore lays some blame on the liar, whether or not the girl made a, say, "bad decision". What was trying to be said with the bullying? Who knows? But some idiotic "adult" ended up encouraging a girl to suicide- I agree with Xard's sentiments.

 

Do we definitively know that the messages encouraged suicide? No we do not - or at least I have neither heard nor seen anything supporting that assertion. Also, there seems to still be some major doubts as to exactly who created the false profile, for earlier news reports -especially those posted towards the end of the original discussion- indicated that the dead girl's parents believed it was the mother, while the investigators were more inclined to cast suspicion to an eighteen-year-old who was also in the household at regular intervals (I cannot remember exactly what she was doing there, but I believe she was their babysitter).

 

So what do we do with this woman, let her go to be 'politically correct'? What did she think? Did she not think what the girl would do, did she fully expect the girl to take her life, or maybe she was a crazed circus clown and though it would bring cheer? What? If taken to trial with what appears to already be sufficient evidence I believe she'll be found guilty of the second possibility. If she is to blame she must be punished.

Edited May 20, 2008 by walkerguy

[Deadly_Nightshade]

So what do we do with this woman, let her go to be 'politically correct'? What did she think? Did she not think what the girl would do, did she fully expect the girl to take her life, or maybe she was a crazed circus clown and though it would bring cheer? What? If taken to trial with what appears to already be sufficient evidence I believe she'll be found guilty of the second possibility. If she is to blame she must be punished.

 

When did I ever say anything about being politically correct, or did you somehow misconstrue my previous posting? Not only are there doubts about her guilt, but it is unreasonable to claim that the messages where the items that caused her suicide without providing evidence. To do so would be both unreasonable and vulgar, in my opinion - and thus I would caution all parties involved in the case to tread carefully. I would also hope that the prosecutor actually has the aforementioned, solid evidence if they intend to proceed, as it seems to me that the case is still unclear and opaque.

Edited May 20, 2008 by Deadly_Nightshade

[babydol]

Just a guess here but I'd bet large the "lying dad" had nothing to do with it and is just stepping up to take the blame away from his daughter. This is not something a grown man would do but it is exactly the kind of thing a teenage girl would do.

 

I've got to agree also, is someone hangs themselves over comment from faceless internet people was probably not far from it anyway and really needed help.

 

I agree with this. I suppose some messed up parent COULD be the one who did it, but I doubt it. Sounds a LOT more like something a teenage girl would do. Teenage girls are MEAN, and terrible to each other. I know from personal scars from my own childhood.

 

But this kind of thing happens everywhere, everyday. Usually, a stable little girl will cry, and feel broken-hearted, but she will mend.

 

I believe the punishment should fit the crime - what's the maximum sentence for pretending your someone else on the internet? Nothing? Suspended MySpace account? Unfortunately, that's all this case calls for, IMO. This poor girl killed herself because of God knows what kind of personal demons. And her family is going to have to live with that.

[Yuusha]

The Internet can be very dangerous. I agree with the girl's parents, something needs to be done.

[Deadly_Nightshade]

I agree with the girl's parents, something needs to be done.

 

But the question is, what should the course of action be?

[LostStraw]

Isn't that essentially what a trial is for -- to determine the action to be taken against the accused?.

 

Notice how none of the charges include anything like murder or manslaughter but are charges such as accessing restricted computers and "cyber bullying." Even if there was no suicide the charges could still have been brought against her and the suicide should not determine whether she is guilty of the charges or not.

[Deadly_Nightshade]

Internet suicide case goes to federal court

 

By LINDA DEUTSCH

[Walsingham]

I don't see what's wrong with good old fashioned criminal negligence.

 

Um... that came out wrong.

[Gfted1]

Meh, per that article it looks like she will skate on these charges. I hope it at least costs her a fortune in legal expences to defend herself.

Edited June 16, 2008 by Gfted1

[Walsingham]

We're all getting on a lot of high horses here. I'm just curious how many of us have bullied anyone face to face, or ignored someone being bullied. Because if that person had committed suicide would we be complicit?

[Volourn]

So.. anyone who has ever been mean to someone who ends up committing suicide should be considered a criminal? WOW! the girl should have personal responsibilty. That's what suicide is - a personal decision. And, if she was having major problems perhaps her so called responsible parents should have done soemthing instead of playing the blame game after the fact.

[Walsingham]

So.. anyone who has ever been mean to someone who ends up committing suicide should be considered a criminal? WOW! the girl should have personal responsibilty. That's what suicide is - a personal decision. And, if she was having major problems perhaps her so called responsible parents should have done soemthing instead of playing the blame game after the fact.

 

I'm not agreeing with your point here, tho. I mean, if someone douses themselves in paraffin, that's daft. But if you throw a lit match at them, then you're the bastard who set them on fire.

 

To mix metaphors even more, in this case, the woman was the one who fed the girl the beans, even if it was the girl who farted.

[~Di]

This, however, was a case of cyber-stalking, where an adult woman who knew this child personally, and knew her insecurities, set out on a malicious mission to hurt and humiliate by pretending to be a teenaged boy who first wooed, then rejected, then degraded the girl in a public forum.

 

I'm not saying the woman should be charged with Negligent Homicide; but she most certainly should be charged with, and hopefully convicted of, some kind of felonious behavior here. Just shrugging it off with the idea that bullies will be bullies isn't enough. Bullying has been ignored all too long in this country, and is responsible for numerous suicides of vulnerable young victims every year, and the mental torture of countless others. It should be treated as a crime, in my opinion.

 

Also, this woman should be held civilly liable when the victim's parents sue the pants off her... and I'm pretty confident they will win and win big in civil court.

Edited June 21, 2008 by ~Di

[Volourn]

Civil court is anything about civility. It's about greed.

 

And, nobody can be 'made' to commit suicide. Kinda ruins the only defintion of suicide, imo.

 

At best, I think the guilty person shoudl be charged with harassment.

 

 

"But if you throw a lit match at them, then you're the bastard who set them on fire."

 

Well, yeah, because by throwing a lit match on them you are attempting to physically harm them. Taunting/teasing is not the same thing.

[~Di]

Civil court is anything about civility. It's about greed.

 

And, nobody can be 'made' to commit suicide. Kinda ruins the only defintion of suicide, imo.

 

At best, I think the guilty person shoudl be charged with harassment.

 

 

"But if you throw a lit match at them, then you're the bastard who set them on fire."

 

Well, yeah, because by throwing a lit match on them you are attempting to physically harm them. Taunting/teasing is not the same thing.

 

Have you ever raised a child to the age of 13-14? A child that young has a brain that is not fully cooked yet, and vulnerabilities that cannot possibly be a match for an adult on a mission of personal destruction. Would you blame a 6-year-old for her own death if an adult commanded that she stand in the middle of the freeway? Children are not simply small adults. They are incomplete, mentally incapable of competing with an adult mind, and not able to properly evaluate the consequence of their actions. Taking the side of a malicious adult bully who knew this child and her emotional fralities, then took advantage of that knowledge to totally destroy her self-esteem and her reputation among her peers, the most important social group in a child of this age, is spiteful and ignorant, in my opinion.

 

This woman cannot be rewarded for this despicable behavior. You act as if emotional torture by an adult toward a child is simply an okay right of passage. It isn't.

[Walsingham]

This woman cannot be rewarded for this despicable behavior. You act as if emotional torture by an adult toward a child is simply an okay right of passage. It isn't.

Well said.

[Morgoth]

Without reading through the ten pages, I just wanted to add that I find it cruel how kids and youth get treated, mocked and ignored these days. Back then when I was raised as a kid (and that's not too long back), there was something like moral standards, and a certain level of security and decent behaviour you could expect from adults. This is utmost important for society to remember, otherwise it all fires back, like we now can see with continuing moral decline and increasing violence (i.e. stabbings, bulling etc.).

[Volourn]

"Have you ever raised a child to the age of 13-14?"

 

No; buut irrelevant. I've done my share of wathcing young children, and do quite a good job of it. Thanks.

 

 

" A child that young has a brain that is not fully cooked yet, and vulnerabilities that cannot possibly be a match for an adult on a mission of personal destruction. Would you blame a 6-year-old for her own death if an adult commanded that she stand in the middle of the freeway? Children are not simply small adults."

 

6 year olds are not teens. Rather poor comparison. Try again.

 

 

" They are incomplete, mentally incapable of competing with an adult mind, and not able to properly evaluate the consequence of their actions. Taking the side of a malicious adult bully who knew this child and her emotional fralities, then took advantage of that knowledge to totally destroy her self-esteem and her reputation among her peers, the most important social group in a child of this age, is spiteful and ignorant, in my opinion."

 

She's not a baby. She's a teen. I was a teen once. So were you. Teens - most of 'em , anywyas - are not like you describe.

 

This teen's main problem seemed to be due to alck of parental awareness. Afterall, how do you expect this woman to know this girl was suicidal if her very own parents were apparantly not or at least they didn't precautions?

 

Besdies, many adults are fragile. It's not like teens are the only people who commit suicide, afterall.

 

 

"This woman cannot be rewarded for this despicable behavior."

 

LMAO Talk about making up crap. I never said any such thing. Total insulting garbage. Rewrad this woman? LMAO Sayiong this woman shouldn't be charged does NOt equal 'rewarding' her.

 

 

" You act as if emotional torture by an adult toward a child is simply an okay right of passage. It isn't."

 

Don't tell me how I'm a ting. Never did I say what the woman did was 'acceptable'. But, hey, keep making stuff up about other sif it makes you feel morally 'superior'.

 

 

[Walsingham]

Without reading through the ten pages, I just wanted to add that I find it cruel how kids and youth get treated, mocked and ignored these days. Back then when I was raised as a kid (and that's not too long back), there was something like moral standards, and a certain level of security and decent behaviour you could expect from adults.