Facebook faces protest after picture of murder victim was posted

by Staff, Brand Republic 08-Jun-09, 12:10

NEW YORK - A community group is planning to hold a protest outside the offices of Facebook this week after a picture of a murdered woman's body was posted on the social networking website.

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The Staten Island Good Neighbourhood Association is organising the protest.

Caroline Wimmer, a resident of Staten Island was found strangled by a hairdryer cord in March this year.

Mark Musarella, a retired policeman now working as an emergency medical technician, took a photo of Wimmer at the crime scene on his mobile phone and posted it to his Facebook page.

According to reports, he has been charged with official misconduct, but Musarella claims the picture ended up online by accident.

The protest is being organised by Signa president JE Englebert, and calls on Facebook to be subject to privacy laws in a bid to "to stop the recent crimes and safeguard youths who are being stalked across the across the City of New York and the nation" the organisation said in a press release.

A 28-year-old man, Calvin Lawson, has been charged with Wimmer's murder.

Last year a Swedish nurse was suspended from her job after she posted pictures of patients undergoing brain and back surgery to her Facebook profile. The pictures were deleted.