News Rutgers freshman suicide after roommate broadcast gay sexual encounter online? - Page 5

**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.

BIG_DADDY · 09-30-2010, 09:32 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Laz

example of why this "prank" was such a ****ed up thing to do. There are still tons of small-minded ****heads around that can't get over it.

i would like to assume your only 14 yrs old or something but sadly there are many grow people with that same stupid **** attitude.

lemme guess, if your roommate was a girl and she ask you to leave so she could make out with another girl you would be ok with it, because "that's hawt"?

Probably want to set up a hidden cam no?

Pants · 09-30-2010, 09:32 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BIG_DADDY

Which sentence are you having a problem with? I described the second pretty much in detail throughout the post. The first I mean this shouldn't be handled any differently than if anyone else had been the victim of being filmed in their dorm room.

You need to believe TV and the Internet less. Hidden cams are NOT a part of college culture. JFC.

Chiefnj2 · 09-30-2010, 09:33 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by |Zach|

Eh, throwing out stuff on the far reaches of the internet? Shuffling around with people late in college?

Sounds like pretty classic under the wraps type stuff.

He told his roommate he needed the room to hook up. Any ordinary roommate would hang out to see what the "girl" looks like who he brings over, or sees if she has any hot friends and then leave.

DJ's left nut · 09-30-2010, 09:34 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BIG_DADDY

I don't do the whole sacred cow thing. Are hidden cams common place, sure. Look at any pron sight. Is that a part of college culture like under age drinking, hazing, ect. sure. Could anyone reasonably draw the conclusion that this guy would commit suicide over this, no. As far as I know out of all the college hidden cams in history this is the first time someone responded in that manner.

I am more than sure both of them were very uncomfortable having each other as roomates and this was just a very immature college way of handling it. Like I said earlier I don't think this will result in prison time but probably a felony and possibly county time. Parents better take all that money they worked so hard for and set aside for a higher education and get a good attorney. I still don't think it will save him from the felony. If he is lucky he just might be able to have ajudication witheld if they do that in that state.

Huh?

What do you mean, 'sacred cow'?

I assume you mean that we should barbecue the kid because he was picking on a gay guy. That the punishment for this should be no worse than if he was picking on a straight guy.

But look at his posts - he did it because the kid was gay. He was bullying his little homo roommate, hahahah, look how cool he is.

And everyone knows the stigma associated with being gay. This was an attack on a guy that kept to himself designed expressly to humiliate him and take advantage of that stigma.

|Zach| · 09-30-2010, 09:34 AM

Webcams common in relationships? Often in a sexual way? That is common place.

Hidden Cams? Not so much.

Hug it Out Dan · 09-30-2010, 09:34 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Laz

example of why this "prank" was such a ****ed up thing to do. There are still tons of small-minded ****heads around that can't get over it.

i would like to assume your only 14 yrs old or something but sadly there are many grow people with that same stupid **** attitude.

lemme guess, if your roommate was a girl and she ask you to leave so she could make out with another girl you would be ok with it, because "that's hawt"?

Uh no, if he was with a girl I would just think he was trying to get ass......which is normal.

Are you saying you wouldn't mind it if your (gay) roomate told you to leave your room dorm room so he could suck some guy off?

I'd tell him to **** off and he can go do that gross shit somewhere else.

BIG_DADDY · 09-30-2010, 09:34 AM

Why don't one of you just come out and say it, you want a double standard here. A sacred cow.

**2112** · 09-30-2010, 09:35 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BIG_DADDY

Which sentence are you having a problem with? I described the second pretty much in detail throughout the post. The first I mean this shouldn't be handled any differently than if anyone else had been the victim of being filmed in their dorm room.

NJ law is a lil different than in other states regarding hidden cams. there were so many hidden cams caught in work places and bathrooms in this ****ed up state that they made special laws to protect peoples privacy.

Pants · 09-30-2010, 09:36 AM

Yeah, I don't think the dude was in the closet and if he was, he wasn't trying to hide it very hard. Nobody in the closet would be bringing dudes back to the dorm, because everyone knows everything in the dorms.

This does make his suicide very strange. I don't know what was going through the kid's mind, but it obviously couldn't have been very pleasant.

|Zach| · 09-30-2010, 09:37 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BIG_DADDY

Why don't one of you just come out and say it, you want a double standard here. A sacred cow.

I think this is still a huge issue if the gay part isn't involved at all. It would still involve young people, sex, and new technology creating a happening that is pretty new.

BIG_DADDY · 09-30-2010, 09:37 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by |Zach|

Webcams common in relationships? Often in a sexual way? That is common place.

Hidden Cams? Not so much.

Any pron sight has a whole section on hidden cams. I think it's ridiculous but it is what it is. I am certainly not condoning it by any stretch.

|Zach| · 09-30-2010, 09:38 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BIG_DADDY

Any pron sight has a whole section on hidden cams. I think it's ridiculous but it is what it is. I am certainly not condoning it by any stretch.

Yes.

Not saying it doesn't happen. But I felt like parts of this conversation where misrepresenting it as "common place" which I don't think it is.

Also...when it comes to the Pron sites. A lot of that hidden stuff is easily staged.

Pants · 09-30-2010, 09:38 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Laces Out Dan

Uh no, if he was with a girl I would just think he was trying to get ass......which is normal.

Are you saying you wouldn't mind it if your (gay) roomate told you to leave your room dorm room so he could suck some guy off?

I'd tell him to **** off and he can go do that gross shit somewhere else.

If you're not on my bed, using my sheets, I don't give a **** who or what you do on your own time. You're ****ing reeruned.

BIG_DADDY · 09-30-2010, 09:39 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by D2112

NJ law is a lil different than in other states regarding hidden cams. there were so many hidden cams caught in work places and bathrooms in this ****ed up state that they made special laws to protect peoples privacy.

I think i saw something about the hidden cam in the boys lockeroom busting them for smoking weed in there the other day. Then again I just ganced over it and could be wrong.

DJ's left nut · 09-30-2010, 09:39 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BIG_DADDY

Why don't one of you just come out and say it, you want a double standard here. A sacred cow.

There should be.

If you go around mocking a guy that can't run as fast as you because he's in a wheelchair, that's a pretty dick move.

If you go announce to the lockerroom that your buddy's sister is a transsexual after he cock-blocks you, that's a dick move. Pointing out the chick's package is a damn sight worse than pointing out that your buddy's only sporting 4 inches.

You're intentionally throwing people the the wolves when you know there's a societal stigma attached to it. That matters and it matters a lot.

It's irrelevant if you believe in sacred cows, a VAST majority of the populace does. It's absolutely relevant to the discussion that this kid's roommate threw him out there with an absolute intent to ridicule him for something that is not societally accepted.

It was cruel, it was intentional, and the little **** deserves to get roasted over it.

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, 09:34 AM	#65
\|Zach\| For The Glory Of The City Join Date: Sep 2002 Location: Kansas City Casino cash: $3136768	Webcams common in relationships? Often in a sexual way? That is common place. Hidden Cams? Not so much.
Posts: 54,694

09-30-2010, 09:34 AM	#67
BIG_DADDY THE RED MENACE Join Date: Aug 2000 Location: Texas Casino cash: $2558410	Why don't one of you just come out and say it, you want a double standard here. A sacred cow. __________________ The diabolical genius of Marxism-Socialism is that it provides the emotional and intellectual road map for autocrats to persuade millions of people to support their own enslavement to government. ~Mark Levin April 15, 2019
Posts: 32,522

09-30-2010, 09:36 AM	#69
Pants Time Keeps On Slipping Join Date: Sep 2004 Location: Overland Park Casino cash: $3599900	Yeah, I don't think the dude was in the closet and if he was, he wasn't trying to hide it very hard. Nobody in the closet would be bringing dudes back to the dorm, because everyone knows everything in the dorms. This does make his suicide very strange. I don't know what was going through the kid's mind, but it obviously couldn't have been very pleasant. __________________ "Turn the channel to 26!"
Posts: 27,415