News Rutgers freshman suicide after roommate broadcast gay sexual encounter online? - Page 20

**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.

Hootie · 09-30-2010, 01:53 PM

he didn't force people to view his live webcam feed...and he didn't force his roommate to engage in any acts...his webcam/his room...why does he turn it off/why can't he let people view it???

It's not like he secretly set up his webcam in this other dudes dorm...he set it up in his own...and the other dude was aware it was there because he turned it off the 2nd time it happened...

so there is your loophole

Hootie · 09-30-2010, 01:56 PM

Hypothetical:

I visit my family in KC...I leave for the weekend with my other two roommates still around...

I know they are going to throw a party and I have some really nice things in my room...so I set up some surveillance to make sure whoever ****s my shit up has to pay for it and I have proof...

So I come home, check the footage, and my roommate has sex with another dude in my bed while I was gone.

I'm irate. How disrespectful.

So I post it on a gay porn site and they both commit suicide.

Do I get arrested?

Mr. Laz · 09-30-2010, 01:58 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by stevieray

it wasn't his own, was it?

It was his room as far as i know ... per norm he was sharing a dorm room with another person, 1 room/2 people. He asked his roommate to leave for a few hours so he could have some privacy.

instead of just leaving ... the roommate turned on a video cam and then left so he could then setup a video stream to broadcast that private time to the entire internet.

He even basically advertised the event.

DJ's left nut · 09-30-2010, 01:59 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by stevieray

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.

Agreed.

But your hope is that, by teaching them right/wrong, they'll stay out of these situations

That's every parents hope and it's really their job.

But that's NOT the intent of the criminal justice system. It picks up where the parents leave off and has entirely different motives at that point.

Comparing parenting motivation to criminal law motivation just doesn't fit.

Mr. Laz · 09-30-2010, 02:00 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by The Meat Dragon

he didn't force people to view his live webcam feed...and he didn't force his roommate to engage in any acts...his webcam/his room...why does he turn it off/why can't he let people view it???

It's not like he secretly set up his webcam in this other dudes dorm...he set it up in his own...and the other dude was aware it was there because he turned it off the 2nd time it happened...

so there is your loophole

only a loophole for incredible ignorant or disingenuous people

you're just trying to stir shit

Hootie · 09-30-2010, 02:00 PM

dick move and I'm no lawyer...

but when I think more and more about it...the less "illegal" it seems...

His room too...his webcam...and I don't think there is any laws regarding when he can and cannot use his webcam, and who can and cannot view his webcam...especially when it is in his own room.

DJ's left nut · 09-30-2010, 02:01 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?

His STATED PURPOSE was to spy on his roommate.

The hypotheticals do not work here.

There are actual facts at work, try operating within them.

Pants · 09-30-2010, 02:02 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mr. Kotter

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.

Why are you comparing homosexuality with things people choose to do?

Mr. Laz · 09-30-2010, 02:02 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mr. Kotter

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.

completely different and wrong in either case.

he was behind close doors with any reasonable expectation of privacy

Hootie · 09-30-2010, 02:02 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Laz

only a loophole for incredible ignorant or disingenuous people

you're just trying to stir shit

hey

it was a dick move

but read my hypothetical

I doubt it's illegal...and I bet his lawyer uses that very point...

it's his webcam
it's his room

and there are no laws telling him when he can and cannot have HIS WEBCAM ON, IN HIS ROOM...and there are no laws telling him he cannot HAVE HIS WEBCAM SET TO PUBLIC...

if you don't want to get outed...don't have gay sex in your dorm room

Mr. Laz · 09-30-2010, 02:03 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Metrolike

Why are you comparing homosexuality with things people choose to do?

because he's trying to scrap up any excuse he can find to support an argue that is unsupportable to most rational people

Pants · 09-30-2010, 02:03 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by The Meat Dragon

dick move and I'm no lawyer...

but when I think more and more about it...the less "illegal" it seems...

His room too...his webcam...and I don't think there is any laws regarding when he can and cannot use his webcam, and who can and cannot view his webcam...especially when it is in his own room.

Their room, not that it matters in the least. If you have guests stay in your house and tape them having sex without their knowledge or consent, it is still illegal, even though it's "OMG UR HOUSE!"

stevieray · 09-30-2010, 02:04 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Laz

he was sharing

and that's the mitigating factor... he put himself at risk, because his privacy wasn't guaranteed.

employers don't expect their employees to steal from them, yet they video them on the job.

|Zach| · 09-30-2010, 02:04 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by The Meat Dragon

dick move and I'm no lawyer...

but when I think more and more about it...the less "illegal" it seems...

His room too...his webcam...and I don't think there is any laws regarding when he can and cannot use his webcam, and who can and cannot view his webcam...especially when it is in his own room.

You don't have consent to record this person who does have a reasonable expectation of privacy.

Hootie · 09-30-2010, 02:05 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DJ's left nut

His STATED PURPOSE was to spy on his roommate.

The hypotheticals do not work here.

There are actual facts at work, try operating within them.

when did he say that?

I read...

"turned my cam on, saw him making out with a dude"

"wow check out my cam, it's public, he's doing it again!"

He never said...

"jimmy rigged my room so I can spy on my roommate having a gay encounter"

HIS CAM
HIS ROOM

He can do whatever he wants with it.

Wow...you went to law school? I've never taken a class in law and it appears as if I know more about this shit than you do...

This is common sense...

HIS DORM ROOM...HIS WEBCAM...HE CAN DO WHATEVER HE WANTS WITH IT...

Just like my hypothetical roommate scenario...if two people have sex in my room and didn't realize I had surveillance going...too bad. My property now to do with it what I like...don't **** in my room!

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, 01:53 PM	#286
Hootie Banned Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Dallas, Texas Casino cash: $10004900	he didn't force people to view his live webcam feed...and he didn't force his roommate to engage in any acts...his webcam/his room...why does he turn it off/why can't he let people view it??? It's not like he secretly set up his webcam in this other dudes dorm...he set it up in his own...and the other dude was aware it was there because he turned it off the 2nd time it happened... so there is your loophole
Posts: 56,356

09-30-2010, 01:56 PM	#287
Hootie Banned Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Dallas, Texas Casino cash: $10004900	Hypothetical: I visit my family in KC...I leave for the weekend with my other two roommates still around... I know they are going to throw a party and I have some really nice things in my room...so I set up some surveillance to make sure whoever ****s my shit up has to pay for it and I have proof... So I come home, check the footage, and my roommate has sex with another dude in my bed while I was gone. I'm irate. How disrespectful. So I post it on a gay porn site and they both commit suicide. Do I get arrested?
Posts: 56,356

09-30-2010, 02:00 PM	#291
Hootie Banned Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Dallas, Texas Casino cash: $10004900	dick move and I'm no lawyer... but when I think more and more about it...the less "illegal" it seems... His room too...his webcam...and I don't think there is any laws regarding when he can and cannot use his webcam, and who can and cannot view his webcam...especially when it is in his own room.
Posts: 56,356

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