Jurors in MySpace case hinting at verdicts

LOS ANGELES (AP) -- A judge has ordered jurors to return and deliberate Wednesday after they suggested that they had reached verdicts for three of four counts in the MySpace cyber-bullying trial of a Missouri mother.

Jurors late on Tuesday, the first day of deliberations, gave a note to U.S. District Court Judge George Wu asking, "Can we be hung on one count but unanimous on the others?"

"I'm going to excuse for today and have you deliberate some more," Wu told the panel of six men and six women. "If the jury is still at an impasse, hand me a note."

Wu did not ask jurors which count was at issue, nor did he ask what the vote count was.

Lori Drew, 49, is accused of conspiracy and accessing computers without authorization for her alleged role in a scheme to create a phony profile of a teenage boy on the MySpace social networking Web site to harass 13-year-old neighbor Megan Meier.

Drew has pleaded not guilty to one count of conspiracy and three counts of accessing computers without authorization. She could be sentenced to as many as 20 years in prison if convicted of all counts.

Megan, who was being treated for depression, hanged herself in 2006 after receiving a message that the world would be better off without her.

Prosecutors allege Drew helped invent an imaginary boy called Josh Evans who would communicate online with Megan to find out whether Megan was spreading rumors about her daughter. Drew's daughter was once a friend of Megan.

Prosecutors charged Drew under the Computer Use and Fraud Act, which in the past has been used in hacking and trademark theft cases. The terms prohibit the use of phony names and harassment of other MySpace members.

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

(Copyright 2008 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)