Status update on the trial of Lori Drew, the 49-year old women who allegedly conspired with two accomplices to engage in cyber-bullying of a Missouri teen through a MySpace account. The girl (who suffered from depression) committed suicide following some (in my opinion) incredibly cruel mentally abusive tactics. Due to the technical legal issues involved, Ms. Drew is being charged with the same charges hackers are prosecuted with. The current issue in front of the judge is whether the victim’s suicide is admissible in court, and the judge is apparently leaning against admission of this evidence into the trial.
Not being a lawyer, I have no opinion on the legal issues involved, but the facts of the case reveal pretty depressing picture of a parent. I don’t know enough about the case to have any specific mental health impressions, but the first word that popped into my head regarding Drew was “immaturity.” What the heck is a 49-year old person doing getting involved in this sort of thing, and in this way? I’d be embarrassed for a 19-year acting this way, let alone a 49-year old. I know the victim suffered from depression, but the other side of the coin is that an adult should know better, and be able to recognize that actions have consequences, often unforeseen ones. What has also been interesting is the apparent lack of empathy or remorse displayed by Drew in the aftermath of the suicide, again demonstrating at least a significant lack of emotional maturity, if not a symptom of an actual personality disorder. Again, though, we only know what the media has published so far. It’ll be interesting to hear more about this case as the facts come out, presumably after all of the legal issues are addressed.
Status update on the trial of Lori Drew, the 49-year old women who allegedly conspired with two accomplices to engage in cyber-bullying of a Missouri teen through a MySpace account. The girl (who suffered from depression) committed suicide following some (in my opinion) incredibly cruel mentally abusive tactics. Due to the technical legal issues involved, Ms. Drew is being charged with the same charges hackers are prosecuted with. The current issue in front of the judge is whether the victim’s suicide is admissible in court, and the judge is apparently leaning against admission of this evidence into the trial.
Not being a lawyer, I have no opinion on the legal issues involved, but the facts of the case reveal pretty depressing picture of a parent. I don’t know enough about the case to have any specific mental health impressions, but the first word that popped into my head regarding Drew was “immaturity.” What the heck is a 49-year old person doing getting involved in this sort of thing, and in this way? I’d be embarrassed for a 19-year acting this way, let alone a 49-year old. I know the victim suffered from depression, but the other side of the coin is that an adult should know better, and be able to recognize that actions have consequences, often unforeseen ones. What has also been interesting is the apparent lack of empathy or remorse displayed by Drew in the aftermath of the suicide, again demonstrating at least a significant lack of emotional maturity, if not a symptom of an actual personality disorder. Again, though, we only know what the media has published so far. It’ll be interesting to hear more about this case as the facts come out, presumably after all of the legal issues are addressed.