this is not going to be what people want to hear, but here goes (for what it's worth):
from what i understand about the case, there should not be charges filed. i'm very sorry about the girl's death, but you just cannot blame everybody and everything in a situation where a person (even a young person) commits suicide.
parents need to teach their children to toughen up a bit and also to NOT get lost in the world of myspace. it is a decieving thing to get involved with, and parents need to TEACH THEIR CHILDREN to be SKEPTICAL, to not believe that everything is what it looks like on there (or anywhere else in life!!).. and to spend their developmental years working on REAL live relationsips instead of myspace 'friendships'. and guess what-- people are going to say mean things to you in life. people are going to upset you. people are going to be jerks and you are going to meet sociopaths and sick people. you are going to have 'falling outs' with people. people are going to lie to you and be deceitful and cruel. YES in some cases, people should be held accountable for their actions... but you can't sue everyone for every little thing. if someone is on the verge of committing suicide, then obviously things are already bad enough that they are probably going to do it anyway. if a few comments (especially, from a fantasy 'character' someone made up on the internet) pushes a person over the edge.. then they are probably already AT the edge and should be already getting some help. it's not necessarily the person's fault (or, rather,, the *idiot's* fault- in this case).
i have a hard time calling this 'mental' or 'verbal abuse'. mental/verbal abuse is when a parent tells their child, you're a worthless piece of crap. or a husband tells their wife, you're a stupid b*tch. or a boss tells their employee, you're a stupid idiot. but if someone says 'the world would be a better place without you' and it makes you go kill yourself... then, there is something wrong their already. parents need to teach their kids- HELLO--- if something is upsetting you,, just turn the damn computer OFF!! no one's forcing you to sit there and read the stuff!!! and just because someone says something, doesn't make it true.
now the other relationships i mentioned, those are a bit different. also,, REPEATED verbal lashing is what makes it more a situation of abuse, when it settles into an established pattern. but when anyone (i.e., a stranger) says anything negative to someone else-- now that's mental abuse? esp when they have the freedom to walk away and ignore it? i don't think so.
this being said, if someone sent a specific THREAT-- i.e., i know where you live and i'm going to kill you-- then YES that is breaking the law and those people should be prosecuted. but is someone says 'you're bad, you suck and i don't like you'-- is that breaking the law? of course not. if an adult is masquerading as a minor and says it-- is that illegal? not as far as i know. stupid, but not illegal. this is different than masquerading as a minor and being a sexual predator.
yes i understand that teenagers are unbearably sensitive (i was the same way)... but is it going to get to the point where everyone is walking on eggshells around everyone, lest they be held liable for hurting someone's feelings too much they commit suicide?? and yes of course this moron should have had better things to do with her time. but if we prosecute every person who does a thing like this,, well.... all i can say is,, welcome to a serious police state. basically that is legislating morality. i wish we COULD prosecute every dimwit who pretends to be someone else and says mean things to someone. but can you imagine, what point we would have to get to, in order to do that? we might as well install police monitors inside everyone's brains, and in their homes.
bottom line.. what these guys did was wrong, and puzzling... and obviously they are very stupid people with nothing better to do. but is she liable in this girl's suicide? no (although she certainly didn't help matters). obviously megan had very serious issues going on already.
however.... i wish megan's parents had been more aware of what was going on and gotten the support of counsellors or school officials, if the harrassment from this girl (and her mother) had been happening for a while.