Texas teen jailed for months over sarcastic Facebook comment about video game
Austin teenager Justin Carter was arrested in February 2013 and held in jail for nearly five months on a terroristic threat charge after a sarcastic Facebook comment made during an argument over the video game League of Legends. The comment was followed by 'lol' and 'jk.' Charges were eventually dismissed in 2018.
Justin Carter, then 18, posted a sarcastic comment on Facebook in February 2013 during an online argument about the game League of Legends, writing words that referenced shooting up a school followed by 'lol' and 'jk.' A Canadian woman who saw the post reported it to police in New Braunfels, Texas. Carter was arrested and charged with making a terroristic threat, a third-degree felony. He spent nearly five months in jail before an anonymous donor posted $500,000 bail in July 2013. Carter reported being beaten and placed on suicide watch during his detention. After years of delays and a hung jury, Comal County prosecutors dismissed the charge in March 2018. The case drew international attention as an example of criminal prosecution of online speech in context.