Ravi Not Off the Hook for Clementi Suicide

[William769]

Dharun Ravi's attorney failed to convince a judge to drop a 15-charge indictment against him for his possible role in the suicide of gay Rutgers student Tyler Clementi.

Prosecutors allege Ravi secretly taped a sexual encounter between Clementi — his former Rutgers roommate — and another man in September 2010 and attempted to do the same thing a second time. Ravi allegedly broadcast the video, which prosecutors say contributed to Clementi jumping off the George Washington bridge on September 22.

A judge in a New Brunswick, N.J. court denied a request from 19-year-old Ravi's defense team to drop charges, which include a hate crime, invasion of privacy, and tampering with evidence.

Judge Glenn Berman agreed, though, to let Ravi's defense interview "M.B." — the unidentified man who was videotaped in a sexual encounter with Clementi. Berman said "M.B." could be interviewed only if he consented.

http://www.advocate.com/News/Daily_News/2011/09/12/Ravi_Not_Off_the_Hook_for_Clementi_Suicide/

[closeupready]

1. IANAL, but this sounds (to dismiss charges) like a standard procedural move for defense attorneys.

Not sure why the advocate considered this particularly newsworthy, but I guess I appreciate the dates noted in the last paragraph (esp. the scheduled trial date of 10/20/11). K&R