Dharun Ravi, a nineteen-year old former student at Rutgers University, appeared in the courtroom today in New Brunswick N.J. There he pleaded not guilty to 15 charges. Ravi is accused of using a webcam to spy on his roomie, Tyler Clementi, an 18-year-old violinist, in a same sex encounter. The incident allegedly led to Clementi’s suicide and sparked the nationwide awareness of gay bullying.
Chance of 10 years
When it comes to Tyler Clementi’s suicide, Dharun Ravi is being charged with 15 different related charges. While appearing in the courtroom, he didn’t say anything. Steve Altman is Ravi’s lawyer. He gave the pleas for all of the charges. Bias intimidation is the charge that is considered probably the most severe. Ravi acted out of Clementi’s sexual orientation, according to that charge. If convicted of just that charge, Ravi might end up in prison for 10 years. Other charges include invasion of privacy and evidence tampering.
How Clementi was ‘outed’ by his roommate
Authorities say that shortly after Ravi and Clementi became roommates, Ravi “outed” Clementi by posting the message “Found out my roommate is gay” on his Twitter account. The comment was connected to a gay chat room Clementi was supposedly in.
Webcam used to spy
Ravi tweeted over it on Sept. 19, 2010. He said, “Roommate asked for the room ill midnight. I went into Molly’s room and turned on my webcam. I saw him making out with a dude. Yay.”
Clementi committed suicide on Sept. 22 by jumping off of the George Washington Bridge.
Covering up what occurred
Prosecutors in the case say that Ravi then erased Twitter and text messages in an attempt to cover up his alleged crimes.
Status conference to be held
On July 25, Judge Glenn Berman will have a status conference on the case. Ravi’s lawyers and the Middlesex County Prosecutors are expected to share evidence before that time.
Witness signed up for intervention program
Wei was also in the case and charged with invasion of privacy. She was a key witness. Earlier this month she was entered into a pretrial intervention program. She can have all charges dropped in three years as long as she meets all of the court’s requirements.
What his father wants
A statement was released right after the hearing from Clementi’s father. He said, “Our family is grateful for the active work of the prosecutor’s office in this case. We’re eager to see the criminal justice process move forward.”
Articles cited
MSNBC
msnbc.msn.com/id/43135427/ns/us_news-crime_and_courts/
Newser
newser.com/article/d9nd5i1g0/not-guilty-plea-entered-for-defendant-in-rutgers-webcam-case-linked-to-suicide.html
WABC
abclocal.go.com/wabc/story?section=news/local/new_jersey&id=8146113
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