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Subscribe to RSSJurors are now being chosen in the high-profile case of a Rutgers student who committed suicide after his roommate allegedly used a webcam to spy on his gay encounter. NBC's Kerry Sanders reports.
NEW BRUNSWICK, N.J. – Not far from Rutgers University, all eyes have turned to a second-floor courtroom where “cyberbullying” has taken center stage.
The hateful ugliness of bullying that has gone from the schoolyard to the Internet would, at first glance, seem to be on trial.
Talk-show host Ellen DeGeneres was one of many who drew attention to the case on a national level when the story first broke. She took a serious break on her usually light-hearted show to discuss something close to her heart. She told the nation: Tyler Clementi “was outed as being gay on the Internet and he killed himself."
That is true, but it’s also wrong.
The details of what you think you know about 18-year-old Clementi’s suicide and the facts are likely oceans apart.
Here are some of the alleged facts and what we actually know.
Clementi, a Rutgers freshman, jumped to his death Sept. 22, 2010, from the George Washington Bridge after his college roommate, Dahrun Ravi, set up a webcam and peeked into his room while he was with another man.
All true.
But was it criminal?
“No,” Ravi says through his lawyer.
Clementi was outed by his roommate.
Not so clear.
While he had not made his sexual preferences public among those in his dormitory, Clementi had recently started to come out to his parents and brother. And he had revealed, to at least one man, the one he was with, that he was gay.
Nineteen-year-old Ravi and others watched as Clementi and an unnamed man shared intimate moments.
Witnesses will testify that is true.
Ravi’s secret webcam captured X-rated footage, and that it was then posted on the Internet for everyone to see.
Not true. If it were, prosecutors would have a pretty easy case. “Jurors, I now call your attention to exhibit A. Clerk, please play the video!”
Jury pool shrinks in Rutgers webcam spying case
But that won’t happen, because there are no recordings. No videotapes. No digital files.
And that detail, say experts, is what makes this case a challenge.
In a multicount indictment, Ravi is charged with “invasion of privacy” and “bias intimidation.”
The defense will suggest the “invasion of privacy” in this case was nothing more than a college prank, something akin to a scene from the movie “American Pie.”
In June 2010 photo provided by the Ridgewood Patch, Tyler Clementi, left, hugs a fellow student during his 2010 graduation from Ridgewood High School in Ridgewood, N.J.
The “bias intimidation” is legal language that means Ravi allegedly chose to do this to his roommate Clementi because Clementi was gay (therein lies the “bias”).
An exhaustive analysis of the legal case is detailed in a recent New Yorker magazine article.
But for Clementi’s family, the tragedy is about more than courtroom drama.
No apology
In a wide-ranging interview with his parents, Jane Clementi told me that when she thinks about her son’s death, she wonders why she hasn’t heard an apology.
“We haven't heard any regret or remorse or thought that he [Ravi] realized the consequences of his actions at all,” his mother said.
I asked her, “And you'd like that?”
“I don't know that I need that to move on. But it certainly would help in the healing process.”
Ravi has not apologized.
He’s not talking, but legal experts say he may not have apologized simply because in court it would haunt him as an admission of guilt.
Or it may be that he believes he has done no wrong, and in his view, no one can say if the webcam influenced Clementi’s decision to jump to his death.
Clementi left no suicide note.
Joe Clementi, Tyler’s father, says that despite what others may want to believe, when he steps back and looks at his son’s death as unemotionally as a grieving father can, he wants to but cannot conclude there is a clear “cause and effect.”
I asked his father why he thinks his son, as his life was crashing around him, didn’t reach out to ask him for help.
“I think he was trying to be a man, trying to grow up and face his own problems and situations,” Joe Clementi said. “And I don't know why he didn't come to me and, you know, get me involved. That's one disappointment that I had.”
Not going to be easy
It’s clear, outside the courtroom, that some believe Ravi is guilty of causing Clementi’s death.
“Frankly I think Dahrun Ravi should be charged with more than just invasion of privacy, which is essentially calling him a ‘Peeping Tom,’” said Steven Goldstein with Garden State Equality, a gay rights group. “In my view, Dahrun Ravi should be charged with manslaughter.”
Tyler’s older brother James says he plans to be in court every day once a jury is chosen.
James is also gay. He wrote about his brother’s death in Out Magazine.
He and his brother had discussed their sexuality, but James says it was almost in passing.
As Ravi maintains his innocence and fights the charges, James Clementi is worried about some of the details of the case:
- That what was seen on the webcam was two men kissing, and not an X-rated encounter.
- That no recorded video exists and nothing was posted online.
- That Clementi’s suicide won’t even be mentioned at trial.
“I'm not intimidated by his [Ravi’s] confidence, if he has it,” James Clementi said. “I think that justice will be found in the courts.”
And then he paused for a moment and said, “It's not going to be an easy process, of course.”
Leave a Comment:
ur son took the easy way out,hope u not stupid and sue him for what ur son did ,,,he jumped to his death.
Why don't you jump from that bridge you prick?
This is not about suing anyone. This is a criminal proceeding. Maybe you should stop spelling like a moron and get some compassion. And no way OUT for a teenager is the easy way.
Oh my head, it's bad enough to see your ignorant viewpoint but could you not text us besides?
PLEASE type like an ADULT use big words, this is not twitter
TOOOOOO Many stupid comments!
If Ravi had'nt posted the video online, Clementi would be alive today. I say involuntary manslaughter is appropriate.
The problem is that it WASN'T posted online. It wasn't broadcasted out to people. Ravi and a few friends in his room saw it, and that's it. Clementi was clearly already deeply troubled, I don't know that the charges would fit because it's unclear why he was suicidal in the first place.
How do you know he was suicidal, that info hasn't been stated anywhere, or does the fact he was gay lead you to believe he was?
Read the article. There was no video posted online!!
How can you be so stupid and read an article like this and still think it was posted on line? The sad part is you probably vote.
Even stupid people have the right to vote. Not affording them that right is also discrimination. :)
Enough damage has been done. Clementi is dead and his friends & loved ones want payback. It becomes a question of how much do they deserve. Another person with a promising future who was a jerk should be destroyed?
If Prosecutors had kept their wits he would of accepted the plea deal but they wanted his head. His attorney is correct in that it will be hard to prove.
The politics will be against Ravi so don't expect to get a fair shake in court. Every advocate will want Ravi for no other reason than it is what they're expected to do......there will be no application of common sense.
RCR-1046294? Take it down 10 notches, please. Hateful speech that advocates think is justified.
Ravi was hung by Ellen before any one knew what was going on, do you think that was fair? Ellen should have stayed out of it.
There was no on line Video.
there was no suicide note.
in reality there is no case, this is a witch hunt. the kid killed himself and that's that, now if he was thrown off the bridge that would be a different story, what the hell is this? Gay justice! maybe we should be examining the family. they just want someone to go to prison to ease their suffering? it doesn't work that way. it was Clementi that killed himself so its obvious he was suicidal to begin with, you cant convict a man for something someone did to themselves. now on the other hand if you can prove that Ravi killed Clementi by pushing him off the bridge then go ahead and hang him. if we start convicting people for something as unsure as this we will have to lock up half the country. Its Clementis choice that caused his death and he is the only one to blame. in a manslaughter or murder you have no choice Clementi had a choice, and he made the choice all by himself.
Well that's the thing. We're already locking people up and it has been done quite a bit. How many people have been exonerated after several years of imprisonment? Obviously, the evidence or case was not definitive relative to the accused and the crime committed. There was more assumption or just some inherent need to serve "justice" even if it meant imprisoning the wrong person.
The idea is this will bring closure to all until 20 years later they find out that the person exonerated didn't actually commit the crime. Then all that pain comes flooding back again. I wouldn't be surprised if he did time for this. Not to excuse his actions in any way but we're accountable for our own actions ultimately (unless mentally incapable of rationalization). No one can make another pull a trigger or jump off a building no more than force a person to drink acid. If a person truly did not want to do something they'd resist. Unless, they lack the mental ability or capacity to make that kind of decision.
The underlying motivation behind the suicide will likely never be known unless some pattern can be found and analyzed. Unfortunately another person felt the need to take their own life but there's obviously more to this than we will ever know.
Posted on the web or not, it is wrong. How would you like it if people, w/o your knowledge or permission, set up a webcam to watch you and your spouse being intimate? I know I'd be spitting mad. If it's not illegal, it should be. What Ravi did is vile and provocative; he's lucky that Clementi committed suicide instead of homicide.
Ravi got a good lawyer and now all we're seeing is legal spin. Law is a game. I'm not surprised that Ravi is getting a pass from the law. Whether it was posted online or not is beside the point. Ravi posted the to-be prank on Twitter, the message was viewed by X number of people on Twitter and an X number of people in an adjoining bedroom watched. This is a bias-related human rights violation. No, not manslaughter, but still criminal.
What Ravi did was terribly wrong, but you know what's more wrong than Ravi invading Clementi's privacy? Clementi taking his own life. Taking or attempting to take anyone's life, even your own, is illegal. And that is an absolute fact!
Ravi should be charged with manslaughter? Absolutely absurd and will never hold up in court because Clementi took HIS own life.
There are a lot of stupid laws but none more stupid than those criminalizing suicide. What kind of insane society makes it legal for a woman to kill an unborn child but illegal for a person to choose to die? And just what do you expect to do--drag them back and throw them in prison? Punish their family like China does? Furthermore, criminalizing suicide is only rational if citizens are the property of the state. Think about it.
There is nothing "wrong" with deciding to end your own life. If you don't have that much as a basic human right, you're in a pathetic position indeed. I can't imagine how anyone can be so judgmental and sanctimonious as to bad-mouth a person who was hurting enough that death seemed preferable to life. Thank God no one that cold-hearted is related to me.
But he did kill himself. He was not murdered. On the other hand, no one knows what was said to him or what he believed. The vid wasn't published online, but how do we know he wasn't told it would be published online? The two scum voyeurs had the vid. They could have done anything with it.
At some point if we are going to have anything close to a civilized society, people have to suffer the consequences when they deliberately harm others. Maybe this kid would have killed himself anyway, and maybe not. But taping him having sex caused him great distress--as it would anyone--and soon thereafter he killed himself. Those are the facts. Should there not be serious consequences for the scum who did it?
I think so. I think the jury will agree.
There was NO suicide note, so NO ONE can really say why this gay pervert killed himself-mabie he realised how sick and peverted he was? He was gay, so he was mentally ill to start with, as all gays ARE mentally ill.
What should have happened to Ravi? Tyler should have lost it and beat him senseless. Tyler was too dependent on others for his personal image. Ravi is guilty of being a bully, a peeping Tom, a voyeur, and just plain poor taste. This was a hate crime, just not manslaughter. However, the voyeurism ought to be good for at least 5 years and listing Ravi as a sex offender. Maybe then the jerk will learn something, though I doubt it. By the way, all the others who "watched" Tyler are also guilty of sexual deviancy and voyeurism.
Cassie321,
They are put under close psychiatric care for attempted suicide. Not prison.
Also, historically laws against suicide and mercy killing have developed from religious doctrine.
Those scum took that video to torment that kid.
They tormented him.
He killed himself.
They should go to prison where they will see how it feels to be tormented by cruel people.
Ugh... Whatever!
Jam2323: I'm not sure what you are getting at. We know that Clementi was suicidal because he KILLED HIMSELF. Why would I believe he was suicidal simply because he was gay? That is a ridiculous assumption!
RIGHT he slipped..............................
I think that, regardless of the webcam episode, there was a lot more than that going on in this young man's life to make him take his own life. The fact is that no one knows what it was that made him commit suicide. That does not mean Ravi should not be prosecuted for spying on him with a group of friends, but you can only take the charges as far as they really go.
The article is superficial and more than a little offensive. When the roommate made the decisions to install the camera and then threaten to expose the episode publicly, that was sufficient bullying to warrant criminal culpability, the equivalent of extortion. How many cases in the past have resulted in suicide when a heterosexual male or female is threatened with public exposure of a sexual liaison that would destroy their career or reputation?
The article also suggests that it is less harmful because the victim was gay. The fact that the victim had started to come out to his family and close friends is in no way comparable to blatant public exposure with the intent of humiliation. In this regard the article is repugnant. Whether the recording actually existed of not, obviously all of the circumstances, including the camera created sufficient basis for the victim to believe that a recording had been made, particularly in the current You Tube age.
It may well be that the defendant can escape criminal conviction. A mother in Florida [Anthony] escaped conviction despite at least gross criminal negligence toward her young daughter. That the criminal system is flawed does not suggest that the room mate in this case is not culpable for the reasonably foreseeable consequences of his actions. Whether he thought it was just a prank or was a malicious homophobic action is of little moment when the victim is now dead.
You all need to get the "F" over it. NOBODY told the guy to commit suicide, or forced him. The roomy took a video, so freaking what. Maybe the rump humper should have been more careful of when he was having dudes around and doing the horizontal ditty bop. Too many puussies in this world, darwinism at work here, thats all.
We are not living in the 1850's sexual preference does not destroy a persons future, Clementi was on his way to going public with his sexuality anyways so what would he have to hide? his family already knew! and who gives a damn about anyone else! its superfluous, look at Hollywood they don't have a problem with it, Clementi just made the wrong choice, by the way how many witnesses saw him jump off the bridge and was their a toxicology report? this kid had problems. and no clue as to how to deal with them.
Such crap! The article is trash and so are most of the comments. Underground Sanity 2's note above is about the only thing here that isn't reactionary or intentionally provocative. Regardless of whether or not the roommate is convicted or exonerated, he will have to live with the knowledge that he (and those who willingly participated) had a hand in this young man's torment and that it likely resulted in his suicide. Ravi made a severe error in judgement. I doubt he intended Tyler physical harm, but his actions had unanticipated and tragic repercussions. Lives have been changed forever. My heart goes out to the families and friends of all those involved. Political and moral agendas aside this story is heart-breaking.
Too bad Clementi didn't take Ravi with him....then maybe Ravi at least while seeing his life flashed before his eyes he would have realized the gravity of the situation and the pain he caused.
Ravi is a hero. Free Ravi.
You can jump too, prick number two!! What is the matter with you people? And I lose that term (people) loosely.
Ravi isn't a hero, he's a piss ant punk that needs to be taught to mind his own business. No matter how it turns out, this will haunt him for the rest of his life. I hope he enjoys it.
You sir, are the absolute perfect model for 50% of the human race. Absolutely pathetic, with little regard to anyone but yourself. Everything must be your own way. Anyone who isn't your perfect ideal must die and whoever causes their death is your hero. I wonder who will cause your death? He'll be my hero. My perfect ideal for people is that they'll just let their neighbors live in peace. It's a pretty simple one, easy to accomplish. It won't take much effort. Just a smile, a wave.
More advocate speak......... "I wonder who will cause your death? He'll be my hero..." Great
Anyone who commits suicide for any reason is not mentally stable. Our mental health system is a big mess, and our states do not do enough to provide services to those in need. I am very upset that the powers to be in Raleigh want to close Dix Hospital and turn it into a massive park - we have enough parks and greenways already. The Dix site should be rebuilt into a state of the art mental health facilty. So much for helping those in need.
...so that everyone could ask why Clementi didn't just kill himself first and leave Ravi alone?
Ravi should be charged with stalking and invasion of privacy. He should be sent to prison for at least one year, and any human being, whether it's a "college prank" or not, who spies on any other human being who is having an intimate, PRIVATE, moment with another should be stripped naked in public and left to stand in a crowded area in cold weather. Imagine the embarrassment. The people who watched that video would have told someone else, who would tell more people, who would tell others, and soon, everybody knows it and sometimes, that can ruin a life all by itself. People have taken their lives because of bullies, and various other things that a lot of people don't think of as serious. It was obviously serious to him. In this day and age, where people will kill a homosexual because they think it's gross, it can drive someone mad. It's a choice, yes, but sometimes, they may not feel that it is, because they can't force themselves to not like the gender they like. Imagine yourself falling head over heels for your same gender. You can't, can you? Therefore, you don't choose to be straight. You have no choice in that matter. I believe Christians are worthless little @!$%#s, but mostly because they try so damn hard to force everyone into believing they are right, when they're completely and utterly wrong. They need to be pushed out of our government system and out of public, since it's apparently part of their religion to practice in private. Clementi deserves much better treatment from this news site, and that thing that thought it would be funny to watch him while he was having a private moment with another man. A worthless lot, the human race, when it chooses to destroy itself by destroying it's kind. It's like a bunch of little monkeys running around killing each other.
I think singling out an entire religion makes you no better than those who practice it.
It was actually HIS dorm also. Just like you can put videos up in your home, so does have the right. even though it was extremely mean spirited.
Flagged for bad language. Hope the ban hammer hits you hard and soon!
I was w/ you, up to when you started the rant about Christians. Not cool.
Such a sad story.. My condolences to the family...
It is a tragic story but I will say this: If Clementi weren't gay this wouldn't even be a story. I'm sure there are cases of girls who off themselves because an ex put som x-rated type stuff on the internet.
dont know enough to say one way or the other. either way it looks like 2 lives are going to be ruined for this prank. to bad the kid couldnt see another way, or at least talk to someone about his problems.
What happened to Tyler Clementi is tragic, but there's no case here. This was an unfortunate prank. The kid is a jerk, but he's not a criminal.
He jumped because he had Aids
you are an A$$
pedro sanchez, and you know this for fact because what now ?
Suicide has a deeper meaning. The poor soul lost hope, was confused, lack of guidance. Should we now look for all those people who may have hurt someone who later committed suicide ? This has become a bigger issue because it involves homosexuality. And we all know the gays and lesbians have done a great job voicing their feelings out of the closet. If I swore at someone and called him a %^&I*YT^ and later he committed suicide I am sorry but that is no excuse for putting me on trial. Yes I should be slapped for being hurtful to anyone for any reason. All religions teach love and tolerance. Lets hope we all put it to practice.
I don't understand why Rutgers University allows its students to bring guys in off the streets into the dorms for sexual encounters. Suppose you were the room mate of the young man who is accused of these crimes and your room mate brings these people into what is your room,too. Does not Rutgers have some kind of policy about letting non students into the dorms. Does not the accused have some right to determine who stays in what is his room, too?
It's a university...not a convent. Rutgers does have policies regarding visitors, but they all entail the student signing the non-student in and taking responsibility for his/her actions while they are on school property. And yes, the roommate has a say in visitors, but there are policies and procedures for that, not filming a private encounter and posting it on Twitter. That was an irresponsible and immature method of handling the situation if he really was just annoyed at his roommate having a visitor.
At this point, based on what I do and don't know, I would have to return a not guilty verdict in this case. I don't see how one can have an expectation of privacy from their roommate when they share the room with them. As far as being outed as gay...how is that bias intimidation? Clementi was, according to witnesses, comfortable enough in his sexuality to display it in front of people. Not guilty on both counts. On top of that, when are people going to take responsibility for their own actions? I'm so sick and tired of people getting blamed for things. Musicians and video games get blamed for school shootings and suicides. These people are not responsible for your mental instability.
Hence why Clementi asked the roommate to leave the room and he agreed. When you don't believe anyone else is in the room with you, even if it's a shared room, there's a pretty decent privacy standard. Hence why illegal video taping is defined as illegal video taping.
This bully should rot in jail for the rest of his life!!!
Manipulative people can make others say and do just about anything...just ask a 'good' attorney!
Don't believe everything you read, including this article!
he made somebody take his own life and it's called a prank,i bet he must have lot of money and he will let go free if people don't do anything,if this was my brother or me,i would kill him before i take my own life
"He" didn't make anybody do anything. The guy that jump did it all on his own, or cant you read?
Another coward who will get away with destroying someones life just because he wanted some entertainment. Just like the demonic cowards who harassed that poor 14yr old Irish girl, Phoebe Prince to death, or that ugly satanic woman and her demonic boyfriend who placed a coffin on their car to torment a terminally ill 10yr old little girl and filled her too short innocent life with mental anguish just because they could . Satanic sub-human bags of filth who do Satan's work on this earth and we let them get away with it.
These kinds of evil, demonic sub-humans are sociopaths, they are the very definition of evil, they are Satan's children and they should be removed from society and placed on an island where they can torment each other until death takes them to hell where they belong.
a little harsh. many of the kids living in dorms are guilty of stupid acts just like his. I feel for both kids- lives ruined/ ended. Why is it OK for these kids to be having sex in the dorms? Are colleges creating an atmosphere of "anything goes". these are still kids for the most part.
so Mark, tell us how you really feel
Mojo, while there may be exceptions to the rule, most college students are 18 years old upon enrolling. That makes them consenting adults. Things like drinking, that's regulated, because at that point they are not legal.
Ravi didn't put a gun to Clementi's head. I am against bullying. Ravi made the choice to take his own life. Stop blaming Ravi for Clementi's decision.
Ahh, I dont believe "Ravi" is the dead guy. At least not yet anyway.........
This is really sad for everyone. The dead kid and the kid with horrible judgment who is on trial. The college dorm life seems to encourage off the wall behavior. The mentors these kids while away at college is other idiots.
I hope Ravi is a praying man. Prison might not be so kind.