Epilepsy-Triggering Suspect Expected To Plead Guilty

stormwyrm writes:

The case of Newsweek journalist Kurt Eichenwald, who on December 15, 2016 received a nasty animated GIF on Twitter which triggered an epileptic seizure (previous SN coverage here, here, and here) set off a highly unusual court battle, which is now coming to a head. John Rayne Rivello, the one who sent Eichenwald the GIF that caused his seizure, is expected to plead guilty to aggravated assault. The Washington Post reports:

The GIF set off a highly unusual court battle that is expected to equip those in similar circumstances with a new tool for battling threatening trolls and cyberbullies. On Monday, the man accused of sending Eichenwald the moving image, John Rayne Rivello, was set to appear in a Dallas County district court. A last-minute rescheduling delayed the proceeding until Jan. 31, but Rivello is still expected to plead guilty to aggravated assault. And he may be the first of many.

The Epilepsy Foundation announced on Monday it lodged a sweeping slate of criminal complaints against a legion of copycats who targeted people with epilepsy and sent them an onslaught of strobe GIFs - a frightening phenomenon that unfolded in a short period of time during the organization's marking of National Epilepsy Awareness Month in November.

With Rivello's expected guilty plea, the foundation has a legal road map for fighting back.

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