Los Angeles ? A federal jury was given the case Monday of a Missouri mother accused of conspiring with her daughter and an assistant to harass a 13-year-old girl on the Internet, allegedly precipitating the teen’s suicide.

“Lori Drew decided to humiliate a child,” U.S. Attorney Thomas O’Brien said. “The only way she could harm this pretty little girl was with a computer. She chose to use a computer to hurt a little girl, and for four weeks she enjoyed it.”

Drew, 49, listened to the argument impassively. Her lawyer, Dean Steward, said jurors must remember she is not charged with homicide in the death of Megan Meier, who hanged herself after receiving a message that the world would be better off without her.

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