Technology

LOS ANGELES (AP) ― The business assistant of a Missouri mother accused in an Internet hoax that prosecutors say led to the suicide of a 13-year-old girl testified Thursday the woman allowed the scheme to continue despite a warning that it might lead to trouble.

Testifying under a promise of immunity, Ashley Grills, 20, told jurors it was her idea to create a fake identity account on MySpace for "Josh Evans," a fictitious boy who befriended Megan Meier online in September 2006.

Her testimony came during the trial of Lori Drew, 49, who is accused of conspiring with her then-13-year-old daughter, Sarah, and Grills to find out if Megan was spreading rumors about Sarah. Grills said she received a message from Megan in mid-2006, calling Drew's daughter a lesbian.

Megan, who was being treated for depression and attention deficit disorder, committed suicide in October 2006 after receiving cruel messages that prosecutors say were part of the hoax.

Grills said she had told Drew they might get in trouble for the scheme. Drew replied, "It was fine and people do it all the time," Grills testified.

Drew has pleaded not guilty to one count of conspiracy and three counts of accessing computers without authorization. Each count carries a potential sentence of five years in prison.

It's believed to be the nation's first cyberbullying trial and its results could set a legal precedent for dealing with the issue of online harassment.

Defense attorney Dean Steward told jurors Drew did not violate the Computer Use and Fraud Act—used in the past to address computer hacking—and reminded them that she was not facing charges dealing with the suicide. Steward has repeatedly asked U.S. District Judge George Wu to exclude testimony about Megan's suicide and twice asked for a mistrial.

Grills, who helped Drew with her coupon magazine business and considered her like a second mother, said Drew thought the MySpace account was a funny idea and was present about half the time when Grills and Sarah sent messages to Megan on a daily basis for about a month.

Grills said she remembered at least one time when Drew sat down and typed messages on the computer because it was Megan's mom, not Megan, who was on the other end. She also testified that Drew wanted to print out the conversations between "Josh" and Megan, lure the teen to a mall, and reveal who the fake boy really was.

To finally end the hoax, Grills said she devised a scenario in which "Josh" would move away so Megan would lose interest in him. When Megan persisted, the tactics changed.

"We decided to be mean to her so she would leave him alone," Grills said.

Grills testified she sent the final message to Megan saying the world would be better off without her. Prosecutors did not ask if Drew was in the room when that message was sent, but Grills said she believed the message contributed to her death.

Grills recounted the moments after sending her final message to which she said Megan responded, "'You are the kind of boy a girl would kill herself over."'

Ambulances raced down the street and stopped in front of Megan's house. Grills said Drew told her to check to see what happened, and when she returned she told Drew that Megan had hanged herself. Minutes later, Drew and her husband began yelling to shut down the MySpace account, Grills testified.

Grills added she had no idea Megan was depressed until Drew told her soon after, "'We could have pushed her overboard because she was suicidal and depressed,"' Grills testified.

On cross-examination by Steward, Grills said the intent of the nasty messages wasn't to humiliate or harass Megan as prosecutors allege.

Asked why Grills didn't tell Megan about the prank, she said if Megan had found out she would have made "Sarah's life a living hell" by spreading more rumors about her.

Earlier in the day, Tina Meier, Megan's mother, testified that she was unaware that her daughter had posed as an 18-year-old while allegedly trying to chat online with boys.

Tina Meier has said she monitored 95 percent of the online activity of her daughter.

Under questioning by Steward, Meier also said she did not recall a report from a psychologist that her daughter was portraying herself with sexual innuendo during online activities.

"Don't you remember her portraying herself as an 18-year-old?" Steward asked.

"No I don't," Meier said.

Meier also said she had reprimanded her daughter after discovering in the summer of 2006 that Megan and Sarah had together created a false identity for a fictional girl named "Kelly" on MySpace. Meier said her daughter was "boy crazy."

In other testimony, Christina Chu, a hair stylist, testified that she was upset when Lori Drew told her she had helped set up a fake MySpace account to get back at an unnamed girl.

Chu said Drew showed no response when Chu told her that was wrong.
Drew returned to the hair salon on the day of Megan's wake, and was asked why she and her family had decided to attend.

"'It's not like I pulled the trigger,"' Chu quoted Drew as saying.

The case is being prosecuted in Los Angeles because MySpace computer servers are based in the area.

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