Man pleads guilty to spying on gay roommate who then killed himself

[DonViejo]

Source: Associated Press

Friday, October 28, 2016

NEW BRUNSWICK, N.J. (AP) — A former Rutgers University student whose roommate killed himself after being secretly recorded on a web camera kissing another man pleaded guilty Thursday to attempted invasion of privacy.

Dharun Ravi‘s plea comes after a New Jersey appeals court last month threw out a 15-count conviction against him and ordered a new trial on other counts.

The case stemmed from the 2010 death of 18-year-old Tyler Clementi, a freshman in his first weeks at Rutgers when he jumped off the George Washington Bridge into the Hudson River.

Clementi’s death and the criminal case against Ravi started a national conversation about cyberbullying and homophobia. Clementi’s parents formed a foundation to address bullying and lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender issues.

-snip-

Read more: http://www.lgbtqnation.com/2016/10/man-pleads-guilty-spying-gay-roommate-killed/

[LisaM]

1. This case bothered me so much at the time.

I will never understand the motivation - in this day and age, in this country - for persecuting another student that way. Wasn't there a young woman involved too?

[csziggy]

2. Yes, a hallmate named Molly Wei let her computer be used to view the webcam feed

On September 28, 2010, Dharun Ravi and Molly Wei were each charged with two counts of invasion of privacy for the September 19 webcam transmission. Ravi was charged with two additional counts for the September 21 viewing attempt.[65] On April 20, 2011, a Middlesex County grand jury indicted Ravi on 15 counts of invasion of privacy, bias intimidation, tampering with evidence, witness tampering, and hindering apprehension or prosecution.[66]

On May 6, 2011, Wei entered a plea agreement allowing her to avoid prosecution in exchange for her testimony against Ravi, 300 hours of community service, counseling, and classes on dealing with people of alternative lifestyles.[67][68]

On March 16, 2012, Ravi was tried and convicted on all 15 counts for his role in the webcam spying incidents.[69] On May 21, 2012, Ravi was sentenced to 30 days in jail, 3 years' probation, 300 hours of community service, a $10,000 fine, and counseling on cyberbullying and alternate lifestyles.[70] Both the prosecutors[71] and Ravi[72] have filed separate appeals. It is expected to be at least mid-2014 before any appeal will be heard.[73] On June 18, 2012, Ravi was released from jail after 20 days of his sentence.[74] Federal immigration authorities have said that Ravi will not be deported to India.[75]

In February 2016, Ravi asked the courts to overturn his convictions.[76] In September 2016, the conviction was overturned by an appeals court in New Jersey.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Suicide_of_Tyler_Clementi#Court_case

[JudyM]

3. He got off too easily for this. No bias intimidation!?

Without reading all the court docs, I don't see why, if intention was so important to the charges, the fact that he spread it far and wide didn't matter. Seems like BS.