A federal judge in Los Angeles tentatively decided on Thursday to acquit a Missouri woman who had been convicted of computer fraud charges stemming from an Internet hoax that prompted a teenage girl to commit suicide.

The decision reversed a jury's verdicts which convicted the woman of computer fraud charges.

Lori Drew, 50, was convicted in November of three misdemeanor counts of illegally accessing a protected computer. The charges stemmed from the death of 13-year-old Megan Meier, who committed suicide after being "dumped" on MySpace by a fictitious boy Drew helped create.

The case brought about an uproar over Internet security for children.

U.S. District Judge George H. Wu said his decision to acquit Drew is tentative, and will not become final until he issues a written ruling.

Prosecutors had urged Wu to send Drew to federal prison for three years even though probation officers recommended she receive probation and pay a 5,000-U.S.-dollar fine.

But Drew's attorney said she should not go to jail or pay a fine because she has already suffered financially as a result of the case.

At the previous hearing, defense attorney H. Dean Steward argued that violating terms of service agreement is not a criminal offense. He said there was no evidence to show Drew even knew the rules existed.

"This is conduct done every day by millions and millions of people," Wu said in apparent agreement. "How many times do people get on these 'match' sites and pretty much lie about everything? What is the crime here?"

In convicting Drew, jurors rejected felony charges that she used a computer to intentionally inflict emotional harm to the girl. The panel also deadlocked on a felony count of conspiracy, and prosecutors decided not to retry her on that count.

Drew was charged after the 2006 suicide of Meier, an on-and-off pal of the woman's daughter. At the time, the family lived four doors down the street from the Meiers in Dardenne Prairie, Missouri.

The girl, who was being treated for depression, hanged herself at home after reading a MySpace posting from "Josh Evans," a fake persona invented by Drew and two unindicted co-conspirators. The message told the girl the world would be better off without her, according to prosecutors.

Drew's attorney said at trial that Drew never knew the teen had a history of depression. But Megan's mother -- Tina Meier -- testified that she had discussed her daughter's depression with Drew before the suicide. Drew did not testify.

Although the charged actions in the case took place in Missouri, the trial was set in Los Angeles because MySpace's servers are located in Beverly Hills, Los Angeles.

Source: Xinhua