Woman convicted for online threat

Associated Press
Published December 8, 2005

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SAN FRANCISCO - A woman was convicted for posting a death threat on an Internet message board connected to the Terri Schiavo case, authorities said.

Dera Marie Jones, 32, of San Francisco was convicted by a federal jury Tuesday of sending a death threat across state lines.

On an America Online message board dedicated to the brain-damaged woman at the center of a right-to-die debate, Jones wrote: "If she dies, I will kill Michael Schiavo and the judge. This is real!"

U.S. District Judge James Whittemore, assigned to the Florida case, declined to order Terri Schiavo's feeding tube reinserted on March 22.

She died nine days later.

After Whittemore read Jones' posting, he became concerned for his and his family's safety, according to court testimony.