CNN on Monday reported:
Defense attorneys entered a not guilty plea Monday for the roommate of the Rutgers University student who committed suicide following a candid online broadcast of his sexual encounter with another man, prosecutors say.
Dharun Ravi, 19, is charged with streaming the footage of his roommate, Tyler Clementi, 18, engaging in a physical relationship with another man in their shared dormitory last September.
According to prosecutors, the video was allegedly accessed from another room and advertised on Twitter, providing "others an opportunity to view the encounter," Middlesex County (New Jersey) Prosecutor Bruce J. Kaplan said in a statement.
Clementi later killed himself, jumping from the George Washington Bridge between New York and New Jersey.
Ravi faces a 15-count indictment of hate crime charges involving invasion of privacy and evidence tampering after prosecutors say he tried to stage a cover-up, deleting the previous Twitter post and replacing it with another intended to mislead investigators as well as asking witnesses not to testify against him. Defense attorney Steve Altman was not immediately available for comment.
A second student charged, Molly Wei, 19, pled not guilty earlier this month in two counts of invasion of privacy. She reached a plea deal agreeing to testify against Ravi, who allegedly set up the room's camera. Should Wei complete a three-year program on cyberbullying and alternate and cultural lifestyles, as well as 300 hours of community services without any additional legal troubles, the invasion of privacy charges for allegedly watching the video will be dropped, the prosecutors office said.
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Reader's Comments
These 2 students went after this kid because he is gay, he is different than them and should be punished for causing his death.
But what these two nasty creeps did also reminds me of what I consider as the sleazy comments of that guy Vivian in the Singapore Cabinet just before the elections, to try and smear a gay opponent via a video on YouTube.
How's this for starters - Dear all loving and all powerful God, who because You are all powerful and all knowing, knew what was going to happen and watched with Your arms folded and did nothing, we Your sinful and undeserving creations implore You, almighty saviour to er, well since Tyler is dead now, we implore you in Your loving mercy to er...gee I don't know what. But I sure feel nice and smug saying this prayer to you. Amen.
Every corner does has its own story.
If you are down, participate activities, go out PLAY like how we did during childhood. Don't commit suicide! Stay optimistically
#5 - what "systemic corruption of the Justice system in the US" are you talking about? Are you sure you are not talking of China? Where do you get the idea that the US is corrupt???
Dharun Ravi, as well as Molly Wei should be made to bear the consequences of their action, but certainly not with jail time. This is a college prank sadly gone too far, but their criminalization is not necessary. If the intent to cause death via suicide cannot be established, then this must be treated as another college prank gone too far. Lessons must be learned from this, and I think the US Justice department, as well as the LGBT groups in the US, is adept at making an example of this case so as to teach others a lesson without having to criminalize these 2 hapless individuals.
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