News Rutgers freshman suicide after roommate broadcast gay sexual encounter online? - Page 22

**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.

DJ's left nut · 09-30-2010, 02:15 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Laz

and he specifically asked and received agreement from his roommate for a certain time period of privacy.

Exactly.

Even if you try to argue that there's no reasonable expectation of privacy in a dorm (setting aside the fact that there is no way this precedent exists or ever will due to the amount of peepholes that would be drilled in dorm room walls within hours), there's no getting around the fact that there was an actual expectation of privacy.

The reasonable person standard is a legal construct that stands in the place of an actual standard if one is not in place. When you're told that you can expect privacy, it's not necessary to get into the question as to whether a reasonable person would expect it in all situations.

This is just a wrong-headed argument that isn't applicable here.

stevieray · 09-30-2010, 02:16 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by |Zach|

Law.

Broken.

i'm not debating that.

stevieray · 09-30-2010, 02:19 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Laz

yes, he did ...

no, he didn't..the roommate didn't comply with his request. he led him to believe he had...he lied.

|Zach| · 09-30-2010, 02:20 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by stevieray

no, he didn't..the roommate didn't comply with his request. he led him to believe he had.

So what is your take away for us from this indecent. I guess I simply don't follow what you are trying to impress upon us. Other than never assume anything?

Mr. Laz · 09-30-2010, 02:22 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by stevieray

no, he didn't..the roommate didn't comply with his request. he led him to believe he had...he lied.

so now you're saying that since a roommate might lie that you can not any real expectation of privacy in a your own doom room with the doors closed?

DJ's left nut · 09-30-2010, 02:23 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by stevieray

no, he didn't..the roommate didn't comply with his request. he led him to believe he had...he lied.

Wait - what?

That makes absolutely zero sense.

It would essentially obliterate contract law.

Me: "I have a written contract stating that he'd sell me that truck for $1,000.00"

Judge: "Well, he's not selling it to you now, so the contract doesn't mean anything because he didn't really mean it..."

C'mon - that's nonsense. The kid was given an expectation of privacy. It's why it's called an expectation. He wasn't given privacy, but he was absolutely given an expectation of it when the guy told him he'd leave.

Your argument is getting worse. I'd probably walk away from it now.

**Saulbadguy** · 09-30-2010, 02:27 PM

But, why is this thread over 300 replies? I'm guessing it has something to do with someone hating the ghey. Any "key posts" I should check out to get caught up?

stevieray · 09-30-2010, 02:28 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Laz

so now you're saying that since a roommate might lie that you can not any real expectation of privacy in a your own doom room with the doors closed?

if you want to be disingenuous, our conversation is over.

Mr. Laz · 09-30-2010, 02:30 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by stevieray

if you want to be disingenuous, our conversation is over.

what do you mean that i'm being disingenuous?

wasn't that your point? The roommate lied so therefore the guy didn't have any expectation privacy?

am i missing something here?

stevieray · 09-30-2010, 02:31 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DJ's left nut

Oh c'mon, you're being hyper-technical. If you'd like, I can edit the sentence to say "by teaching them right/wrong, they'll stay out of these situations" and the meaning is exactly the same.

no it's not. there is no guarantee they will.

Pants · 09-30-2010, 02:33 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by stevieray

no it's not. there is no guarantee they will.

JFC. Of course there's no guarantee. Might as well not even parent your kids because there's no guarantee they'll listen. You're sounding more and more like a mental midget, as Skip would say.

Zaiko · 09-30-2010, 02:33 PM

They should both get significant jail time. That said, they're still young, and you don't want to make hard criminals out of them by putting them in with the real baddies. At least 6 months to a year.

At best, they would've ruined this kid's life at the college he was at and he would've had to transfer. What happened was the worst case, and they can't be held entirely responsible -- seems possible he would've offed himself if any number of things would have happened to him.

Mr. Laz · 09-30-2010, 02:33 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by stevieray

no it's not. there is no guarantee they will.

a guarantee is not needed, only a legitimate expectation of privacy.

Clementi did nothing wrong

Mr. Laz · 09-30-2010, 02:35 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Zaiko

They should both get significant jail time. That said, they're still young, and you don't want to make hard criminals out of them by putting them in with the real baddies. At least 6 months to a year.

At best, they would've ruined this kid's life at the college he was at and he would've had to transfer. What happened was the worst case, and they can't be held entirely responsible -- seems possible he would've offed himself if any number of things would have happened to him.

agreed

i don't think jail will make any better ... that's why i said a good,non-lethal beating should be in order.

Otter · 09-30-2010, 02:37 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Saulbadguy

But, why is this thread over 300 replies? I'm guessing it has something to do with someone hating the ghey. Any "key posts" I should check out to get caught up?

I lost track around lunch but this thread seems to be putting only a minor relevance to the weight of one participant being gay and the other being non-white. Quiet the Chiefsplanet anomaly actually.

As for key posts of relevance see 111.

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, 02:27 PM	#322
Saulbadguy When a nightmare becomes real Join Date: Nov 2003 Casino cash: $736966	But, why is this thread over 300 replies? I'm guessing it has something to do with someone hating the ghey. Any "key posts" I should check out to get caught up?
Posts: 47,020

09-30-2010, 02:33 PM	#327
Zaiko Starter Join Date: Aug 2010 Casino cash: $10004900	They should both get significant jail time. That said, they're still young, and you don't want to make hard criminals out of them by putting them in with the real baddies. At least 6 months to a year. At best, they would've ruined this kid's life at the college he was at and he would've had to transfer. What happened was the worst case, and they can't be held entirely responsible -- seems possible he would've offed himself if any number of things would have happened to him.
Posts: 595