News Rutgers freshman suicide after roommate broadcast gay sexual encounter online? - Page 19

**jAZ** · 09-29-2010, 11:34 PM

Wow. Prank gone waaay wrong.

http://www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/201...gers_post.html

Rutgers freshman is presumed dead in suicide after roommate broadcast gay sexual encounter online

Wednesday, September 29, 2010, 5:42 PM
Kelly Heyboer/ The Star-Ledger

PISCATAWAY — A Rutgers University freshman appears to have killed himself by jumping off the George Washington Bridge after his roommate broadcast live images of the 18-year-old having a sexual encounter with another man on the internet, according to campus and law enforcement sources.

Tyler Clementi, 18, of Ridgewood, is presumed dead after his car, cell phone and computer were found near the George Washington Bridge last week, law enforcement sources said. His wallet was found on the walkway adjacent to the New York-bound lanes. In a statement released this afternoon, Clementi’s family confirmed the suicide and said his body has not been found.

Dharun Ravi, 18, of Plainsboro, and Molly Wei, 18, of Princeton, were charged with two counts each of invasion of privacy for setting up a camera in a dorm room on Sept. 19 and using it to view and transmit a live sex scene, said Middlesex County Prosecutor Bruce Kaplan.

Paul Mainardi of Woodbury, the Clementi family's attorney, said Ravi and Clementi were roommates at Rutgers.

Ravi's Twitter feed on that date referred to seeing his roommate have sex with another man in their room on the Piscataway campus, classmates said.

"Roommate asked for the room till midnight. I went into molly's room and turned on my webcam. I saw him making out with a dude. Yay," Ravi said on his Twitter page in a Sept. 19 entry posted at 6:17 p.m.

Two days later, Ravi posted another entry directing his nearly 150 Twitter followers to iChat, an internet messaging service with a live video feed.

"Anyone with iChat, I dare you to video chat me between the hours of 9:30 and 12. Yes it's happening again," Ravi wrote in the Sept. 21 post.

Ravi's Twitter feed has since been taken down. But the entries survived in a cached version of the page still available through Google's search engine this afternoon.

Prosecutors said Ravi and Wei set up a camera on Sept. 19 and broadcast live images of Clementi having a "sexual encounter." Ravi is also accused of trying unsuccessfully to broadcast a second sex scene Sept. 21.

The Clementi family released a statement this afternoon. "Tyler was a fine young man, and a distinguished musician. The family is heartbroken beyond words. They respectfully request that they be given time to grieve their great loss and that their privacy at this painful time be respected by all," it said.

"The family and their representatives are cooperating fully with the ongoing criminal investigations of two Rutgers University students," the statement said.

Clementi was an accomplished violinist who had received a college scholarship from the Ridgewood Symphony Orchestra for his musicianship and leadership.
The violinist left a lasting impression with some in the Bergen County town, said Hiro Kagei, 17, who played in the orchestra with the teenager. A solo Clementi played in a concert last year "blew the audience away," he said.

"Now that he’ dead, it’s sad to think we won’t hear something like that anymore," Kagei said.

On the Rutgers campus, classmates described Clementi as quiet. At a mandatory dorm meeting called the day he was reported missing, only three students said they had spoken to Clementi since they moved into the dorm last month, according to students who were at the meeting.

Ravi and Wei — who were classmates at West Windsor-Plainsboro High School North before enrolling at Rutgers this fall — did not respond to e-mail requests to comment Tuesday. Steve Altman, Ravi’s attorney, also declined to comment.

Ravi surrendered to Rutgers police Tuesday and was released on $25,000 bail, the prosecutor’s office said. Wei surrendered to the campus police Monday and was released on her own recognizance.

Under New Jersey’s invasion-of-privacy laws, it is a fourth degree crime to collect or view images depicting nudity or sexual contact involving another individual without that person’s consent, the prosecutor said. It is a third degree crime to transmit or distribute the images.

If the students are convicted on a third degree offense they could face up to five years in prison each under state law. Conviction on a fourth-degree crime could lead to probation or up to 18 months in prison.

stevieray · 09-30-2010, 01:34 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DJ's left nut

So a child and a criminal are the same creature?

You punish your children to prevent them from becoming criminals.

The criminal justice system picks up where parents have failed. It's why we don't throw 12 year olds in County.

The situations aren't even remotely analogous.

no, i punish them becaue they've done something wrong and need to know why...choices they make later in life are their own.

DJ's left nut · 09-30-2010, 01:35 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JohnnyV13

Oh God, this takes me back to law school, 1st year criminal:

The four basic philosophical reasons behind criminal jurisprudence:

1) removal
2) retribution
3) rehabilitation
4) deterrence

Sophomore year criminology.

Pretty worthless knowledge for civil practice, but it's of occasional utility, I suppose.

DJ's left nut · 09-30-2010, 01:36 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by stevieray

no, i punish them becaue they've done something wrong and need to know why...choices they make later in life are their own.

And your punishment is in no way intended to influence the choices they make later in life in the hopes that they make the correct ones?

Pants · 09-30-2010, 01:37 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by stevieray

Well, that's what you were implying earlier with your reeruned "this day and age" rhetoric. Nobody in their right mind expects to get stabbed upon stepping into a convenience store, nor do they expect to be video taped while having sex in the dorm.

**Rain Man** · 09-30-2010, 01:40 PM

I haven't read the previous 270+ posts, but I presume a live camera for Wei's jail cell has already been requested.

Mr. Laz · 09-30-2010, 01:43 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by stevieray

never said that..he made a choice, and so did they..neither was a very wise decision.

...it's like sending nude pics of yourself over your phone...you are basically putting yourself at risk...recently girls have committed suicide after their pics have been exposed.

having sex in your own dorm room wasn't wise?

or

having homosexual sex in your own dorm room wasn't wise?

tons of college students have sex in their dorm room every day without getting video taped(w/ no consent)

I don't think anyone would be trying to rationalization this situation if it wasn't for the fact that deep down they think that Homosexuals deserve everything they get.

FAX · 09-30-2010, 01:45 PM

I don't know the answer to this ... so I will ask ...

Are there laws on the books regarding Cyber Bullying?

FAX

Mr. Laz · 09-30-2010, 01:46 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by FAX

I don't know the answer to this ... so I will ask ...

Are there laws on the books regarding Cyber Bullying?

FAX

in some places there are

somebody just got charged with bullying a girl awhile back but i don't remember the location.

stevieray · 09-30-2010, 01:47 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DJ's left nut

And your punishment is in no way intended to influence the choices they make later in life in the hopes that they make the correct ones?

hopes is the key word...just because i teach my kids the difference between right and wrong, doesn't mean they won't make unwise decisions later in life.

DJ's left nut · 09-30-2010, 01:48 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by FAX

I don't know the answer to this ... so I will ask ...

Are there laws on the books regarding Cyber Bullying?

FAX

In a minority of jurisdictions, but very few.

It's a minefield and a very difficult issue to define/police so most legislatures are essentially avoiding it.

stevieray · 09-30-2010, 01:49 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Laz

having sex in your own dorm room wasn't wise?

it wasn't his own, was it?

Hootie · 09-30-2010, 01:50 PM

so he pays for that dorm...

he has a roommate...but dorm rooms are wide open...and he pays for it...and he lives there...

I really wonder if there is some loophole in the law where they could fight something along the lines of "he was broadcasting from his own place of living"...

he's violating the privacy of another from the privacy of his own dorm room...

**Mr. Kotter** · 09-30-2010, 01:51 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Laz

....

I don't think anyone would be trying to rationalization this situation if it wasn't for the fact that deep down they think that Homosexuals deserve everything they get.

Kids who wear tongue rings, eye-brow rings, purple hair, shaved heads, get tatoos....have a right to do that too. However, the smart ones understand that others may give them a hard time about their choices, and they learn to ignore and/or live with the intolerance of others toward their choices. However, most don't commit suicide when morons engage in juvenile and ignorant bullying. It's not about whether they deserve anything, it's about reasonable expections regarding the stupidity of other humans.

Hootie · 09-30-2010, 01:51 PM

why does he have to turn his webcam off when he leaves his room...???

and why can't he broadcast his webcam at all times no matter what's going on in his room?

He can't have his webcam up live when he leaves? What's the big deal? It's HIS webcam...and he can broadcast it from HIS dorm...can't he?

**Rain Man** · 09-30-2010, 01:53 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by The Meat Dragon

why does he have to turn his webcam off when he leaves his room...???

and why can't he broadcast his webcam at all times no matter what's going on in his room?

He can't have his webcam up live when he leaves? What's the big deal? It's HIS webcam...and he can broadcast it from HIS dorm...can't he?

And how could he be hanging around with Molly and not get converted back to the home team?

09-29-2010, 11:34 PM
jAZ Supporter Join Date: Apr 2001 Location: Tucson, AZ Casino cash: $9817493	Rutgers freshman suicide after roommate broadcast gay sexual encounter online? Wow. Prank gone waaay wrong. http://www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/201...gers_post.html Rutgers freshman is presumed dead in suicide after roommate broadcast gay sexual encounter online Wednesday, September 29, 2010, 5:42 PM Kelly Heyboer/ The Star-Ledger PISCATAWAY — A Rutgers University freshman appears to have killed himself by jumping off the George Washington Bridge after his roommate broadcast live images of the 18-year-old having a sexual encounter with another man on the internet, according to campus and law enforcement sources. Tyler Clementi, 18, of Ridgewood, is presumed dead after his car, cell phone and computer were found near the George Washington Bridge last week, law enforcement sources said. His wallet was found on the walkway adjacent to the New York-bound lanes. In a statement released this afternoon, Clementi’s family confirmed the suicide and said his body has not been found. Dharun Ravi, 18, of Plainsboro, and Molly Wei, 18, of Princeton, were charged with two counts each of invasion of privacy for setting up a camera in a dorm room on Sept. 19 and using it to view and transmit a live sex scene, said Middlesex County Prosecutor Bruce Kaplan. Paul Mainardi of Woodbury, the Clementi family's attorney, said Ravi and Clementi were roommates at Rutgers. Ravi's Twitter feed on that date referred to seeing his roommate have sex with another man in their room on the Piscataway campus, classmates said. "Roommate asked for the room till midnight. I went into molly's room and turned on my webcam. I saw him making out with a dude. Yay," Ravi said on his Twitter page in a Sept. 19 entry posted at 6:17 p.m. Two days later, Ravi posted another entry directing his nearly 150 Twitter followers to iChat, an internet messaging service with a live video feed. "Anyone with iChat, I dare you to video chat me between the hours of 9:30 and 12. Yes it's happening again," Ravi wrote in the Sept. 21 post. Ravi's Twitter feed has since been taken down. But the entries survived in a cached version of the page still available through Google's search engine this afternoon. Prosecutors said Ravi and Wei set up a camera on Sept. 19 and broadcast live images of Clementi having a "sexual encounter." Ravi is also accused of trying unsuccessfully to broadcast a second sex scene Sept. 21. The Clementi family released a statement this afternoon. "Tyler was a fine young man, and a distinguished musician. The family is heartbroken beyond words. They respectfully request that they be given time to grieve their great loss and that their privacy at this painful time be respected by all," it said. "The family and their representatives are cooperating fully with the ongoing criminal investigations of two Rutgers University students," the statement said. Clementi was an accomplished violinist who had received a college scholarship from the Ridgewood Symphony Orchestra for his musicianship and leadership. The violinist left a lasting impression with some in the Bergen County town, said Hiro Kagei, 17, who played in the orchestra with the teenager. A solo Clementi played in a concert last year "blew the audience away," he said. "Now that he’ dead, it’s sad to think we won’t hear something like that anymore," Kagei said. On the Rutgers campus, classmates described Clementi as quiet. At a mandatory dorm meeting called the day he was reported missing, only three students said they had spoken to Clementi since they moved into the dorm last month, according to students who were at the meeting. Ravi and Wei — who were classmates at West Windsor-Plainsboro High School North before enrolling at Rutgers this fall — did not respond to e-mail requests to comment Tuesday. Steve Altman, Ravi’s attorney, also declined to comment. Ravi surrendered to Rutgers police Tuesday and was released on $25,000 bail, the prosecutor’s office said. Wei surrendered to the campus police Monday and was released on her own recognizance. Under New Jersey’s invasion-of-privacy laws, it is a fourth degree crime to collect or view images depicting nudity or sexual contact involving another individual without that person’s consent, the prosecutor said. It is a third degree crime to transmit or distribute the images. If the students are convicted on a third degree offense they could face up to five years in prison each under state law. Conviction on a fourth-degree crime could lead to probation or up to 18 months in prison.
Posts: 24,800

09-30-2010, 01:40 PM	#275
Rain Man Seize life. Be an ermine. Join Date: Jul 2001 Location: My house Casino cash: $-512449 VARSITY	I haven't read the previous 270+ posts, but I presume a live camera for Wei's jail cell has already been requested. __________________ Active fan of the greatest team in NFL history.
Posts: 145,306

09-30-2010, 01:45 PM	#277
FAX testing ... 1, 2, 3 Join Date: Oct 2004 Location: Tennessee Casino cash: $6753759	I don't know the answer to this ... so I will ask ... Are there laws on the books regarding Cyber Bullying? FAX
Posts: 44,492

09-30-2010, 01:50 PM	#282
Hootie Banned Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Dallas, Texas Casino cash: $10004900	so he pays for that dorm... he has a roommate...but dorm rooms are wide open...and he pays for it...and he lives there... I really wonder if there is some loophole in the law where they could fight something along the lines of "he was broadcasting from his own place of living"... he's violating the privacy of another from the privacy of his own dorm room...
Posts: 56,356

09-30-2010, 01:51 PM	#284
Hootie Banned Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Dallas, Texas Casino cash: $10004900	why does he have to turn his webcam off when he leaves his room...??? and why can't he broadcast his webcam at all times no matter what's going on in his room? He can't have his webcam up live when he leaves? What's the big deal? It's HIS webcam...and he can broadcast it from HIS dorm...can't he?
Posts: 56,356