student kills self after webcam spying UPDATE: Conviction Overturned

[oceanblueeyes]

Rutgers Verdict Repudiates Notion of Youth as a Defense

The failure of the jerky-kid defense is likely to change the legal landscape by showing that jurors can conclude that the verdict showed that the notion of innocent youth as a shield to culpability might not hold as much sway as it once did in court, Marcellus A. McRae, a former federal prosecutor, said. “Jurors will say their kid or kids they know are more sophisticated than that,” Mr. McRae said. “For jurors, it doesn’t pass the common-sense test.”

Leverett said he initially doubted that Ravi had committed a hate crime, but after reading the statute of law presented to the jury, everyone agreed Ravi's crimes met the criteria.

"In my opinion I didn't think it was a hate crime until we were presented with an indictment (that explained the law)," Leverett said.

Lynn Marie Audet ... third juror to speak


Lynn Marie Audet, another juror, said the jury did not reach their decision easily.

"Every topic was taken very seriously. We did not jump to any decisions. We did the most thorough job that we could. There was nothing that we just said 'guilty' immediately,"

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/03/18/n...diates-notion-of-youth-as-a-defense.html?_r=2

 

[Shelby1]

I'm still having a problem with the title of this thread: there was NO SEX TAPE PUT ON THE WEB.

Thank you. It's been making me nuts too.

 

[KaraKitty]

I'm still having a problem with the title of this thread: there was NO SEX TAPE PUT ON THE WEB.

Yes, I am wondering why the thread title changed.

And yes, there was no sex tape.

 

[KaraKitty]

http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation...-+Top+Stories)&utm_content=Google+Feedfetcher

'Convicted former Rutgers student is 'sorry about Tyler'

PLAINSBORO, N.J. (AP) – The former U.S. university student convicted in the webcam spying case that ended in his gay roommate's suicide says he was insensitive but not biased.

"I didn't act out of hate, and I wasn't uncomfortable with Tyler being gay," the Indian-born Dharun Ravi told The Star-Ledger newspaper. He said he didn't think about what the spying would mean to his roommate. "I know that's wrong," he said, "but that's the truth."

It was Ravi's first interview in the case that opened a national debate over the pressures young gays and lesbians face in society.

<modsnip>

 

[zippitydoda]

http://blog.nj.com/njv_mark_diionno/2012/03/exclusive_interview_dharun_rav.html

"I thought it was something sinister, that maybe he got mixed up with the wrong guy," Ravi said. "I told one of my friends, &#8216;I wish I recorded (the first incident, on Sept. 19) so I would have an image of the guy (M.B.) to give to the police."

Dharun Ravi, amongst other things, is a liar. I'll help pack Ravi's bags, that is once he's out of prison, for his free plane ride out of this country.

 

[Steely Dan]

http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation...-+Top+Stories)&utm_content=Google+Feedfetcher

'Convicted former Rutgers student is 'sorry about Tyler'

PLAINSBORO, N.J. (AP) &#8211; The former U.S. university student convicted in the webcam spying case that ended in his gay roommate's suicide says he was insensitive but not biased.

"I didn't act out of hate, and I wasn't uncomfortable with Tyler being gay," the Indian-born Dharun Ravi told The Star-Ledger newspaper. He said he didn't think about what the spying would mean to his roommate. "I know that's wrong," he said, "but that's the truth."

<modsnip>

Isn't it odd that he's sorry now. Just after the verdict and before sentencing.

 

[lillygator]

is deportation on the table?

 

[Jacie Estes]

http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation...-+Top+Stories)&utm_content=Google+Feedfetcher

'Convicted former Rutgers student is 'sorry about Tyler'

PLAINSBORO, N.J. (AP) – The former U.S. university student convicted in the webcam spying case that ended in his gay roommate's suicide says he was insensitive but not biased.

"I didn't act out of hate, and I wasn't uncomfortable with Tyler being gay," the Indian-born Dharun Ravi told The Star-Ledger newspaper. He said he didn't think about what the spying would mean to his roommate. "I know that's wrong," he said, "but that's the truth."

It was Ravi's first interview in the case that opened a national debate over the pressures young gays and lesbians face in society.

The case began Sept. 19, 2010, when Ravi used a webcam to view part of Clementi's dormitory room liaison with another man, then tweeted about it: "I saw him making out with a dude. Yay." Ravi told friends two days later that they could see streaming live video that night, when Clementi was going to have his guest over again.

That second webcast never happened. The next night, Sept. 22, Clementi jumped to his death from a bridge.

Ravi, 20, was convicted last week on charges including invasion of privacy and anti-gay intimidation. He faces up to 10 years in prison and deportation.

"I'm very sorry about Tyler," he said. "I have parents and a little brother, and I can only try to imagine how they feel. But I want the Clementis to know I had no problem with their son. I didn't hate Tyler and I knew he was OK with me. I wanted to talk to his parents, but I was afraid. I didn't know what to say."

Ravi told the newspaper he was concerned about the appearance of the 30-year-old man Clementi met online and had invited to their room. The man has been identified only by the initials M.B.

"If it was a girl who came to the room and she looked as strange as M.B., I would have done the same thing," Ravi said.
Ravi is to be sentenced May 21.

Before the case came to trial, prosecutors offered him a plea deal that would have called for no jail time.

"I'm never going to regret not taking the plea," Ravi said. "If I took the plea, I would have had to testify that I did what I did to intimidate Tyler, and that would be a lie. I won't ever get up there and tell the world I hated Tyler because he was gay, or tell the world I was trying to hurt or intimidate him, because it's not true.

Why don't I believe this?

BBM He was concenred by someone's appearance so, instead of talking to the RA or calling security he videotapes them? Two words...buh-bye.

Don't let the door hit ya on the way out Ravi.

 

[zippitydoda]

is deportation on the table?

Yes, he is not a citizen of the united states, and his convictions qualify for deportation after he serves his sentence. Will that happen? Who knows....

 

[Luna24]

I'm with you guys - I'm not buying what he's trying to sell and I hope the judge isn't either...lots of "I this and I that" in there too...blech.

It's interesting that he said if it was a girl that looked as strange, he would have done the same thing because on the bias charges, that's what it came down to for me - would he have shown the same bias if it was a female but I don't believe him-- I don't think he would have done any of this if he looked up Tyler when he was assigned him as a roommate and he was hetero.

 

[Luna24]

Why don't I believe this?

BBM He was concenred by someone's appearance so, instead of talking to the RA or calling security he videotapes them? Two words...buh-bye.

Don't let the door hit ya on the way out Ravi.

very good point. It's all BS. I'm interested to see what the judge does in this situation...plus by all accounts I read by the press covering the trial, MB was a nice looking, clean cut guy.

 

[HMSHood]

Why don't I believe this?

BBM He was concenred by someone's appearance so, instead of talking to the RA or calling security he videotapes them? Two words...buh-bye.

Don't let the door hit ya on the way out Ravi.

Dharun Ravi may as well change his name to Osama bin Laden. :crazy:

 

[KaraKitty]

Thanks to TPTB for changing the title of this thread. To clarify, there was no sex tape.

 

[CarolinaMoon]

Now, Ravi's all over saying he didn't commit bias intimidation. He was "cool" with Tyler? Go read your own tweets, Ravi.

 

[Nova]

Now, Ravi's all over saying he didn't commit bias intimidation. He was "cool" with Tyler? Go read your own tweets, Ravi.

Do you read at places with very loose TOS such as Survivor Sucks? Calling things and people "gay" is very common, even among gay posters. I don't like it, but I also don't think it represents true bigotry. Even the "F" word is thrown around with surprising frequency!

There was no videotaping, there was no viewing party, Clementi was already out of the closet and entertaining a gay sex partner openly in his dorm room.

I don't know why the violinist killed himself, but it wasn't because he was outed against his will by Ravi.

I am one gay man who thinks making Ravi the poster boy for the bullying of gay teens is a bad use of hate crime statutes. There is a point to such laws, but this isn't it.

 

[LinasK]

Do you read at places with very loose TOS such as Survivor Sucks? Calling things and people "gay" is very common, even among gay posters. I don't like it, but I also don't think it represents true bigotry. Even the "F" word is thrown around with surprising frequency!

There was no videotaping, there was no viewing party, Clementi was already out of the closet and entertaining a gay sex partner openly in his dorm room.

I don't know why the violinist killed himself, but it wasn't because he was outed against his will by Ravi.

I am one gay man who thinks making Ravi the poster boy for the bullying of gay teens is a bad use of hate crime statutes. There is a point to such laws, but this isn't it.

Sorry Nova, I have to disagree with you here- Ravi tweeted that he was having the viewing parties to "keep the gays away". He planned on webcasting it. It was his intent that was important, not whether it actually happened.

 

[ziggy]

Thanks Mods for changing the thread title!

Did anyone happen to see 20/20 last night with Ravi? I thought it was a well done piece. Ravi is not bias. I can't imagine I'd want two guys having sex on my bed so I might want to keep the gays away, gays meaning the two people about to do sexual things in my room. That does not make me a hate filled bigot.

By the way, how do you feel knowing that Tyler tweeted about his new roommate Dharun by saying he got "an azn" (asian) or that his parents for sure owned a Dunkin Donunts??? I mean come on. This is what kids do.

Nova is right, in real social circles like kids who live in dorms etc. say things you might find shocking, but they are wrapped in sarcasm and not meant to hurt.


Tyler did not jump because of what happened. He was brave enough to bring a sketchy looking older dude he met on the internet to his dorm room for sex. He was not worried about being outed at school. There was something more. There was a note in his backpack but the defense was not allowed to know what was in it. That's patently unfair to blame this all on Ravi.

BTW no matter how MB looked at trial, there's a good chance he did not look like that at the time of the encounters. Witnesses have been know to be cleaned up quite a it before taking the stand. It's all part of the show.

 

[KaraKitty]

I am one gay man who thinks making Ravi the poster boy for the bullying of gay teens is a bad use of hate crime statutes. There is a point to such laws, but this isn't it.

Nova is right, in real social circles like kids who live in dorms etc. say things you might find shocking, but they are wrapped in sarcasm and not meant to hurt.

I just want to state that DRavi DELETED some 55 texts between him and Michelle Haung and another some 31 texts between him and Molly Wei …. Prosecutors said DRavi allegedly deleted text messages and tweets to cover his tracks.

I just want to say with all that DELETING … I don't think anyone can really say what DRavi thought about TC and his being gay with ALL THOSE texts and tweets deleted. JMHO.

What did THOSE missing texts and tweets exactly say???

 

[daisy7]

I just want to state that DRavi DELETED some 55 texts between him and Michelle Haung and another some 31 texts between him and Molly Wei …. Prosecutors said DRavi allegedly deleted text messages and tweets to cover his tracks.

I just want to say with all that DELETING … I don't think anyone can really say what DRavi thought about TC and his being gay with ALL THOSE texts and tweets deleted. JMHO.

What did THOSE missing texts and tweets exactly say???

Do you have a link about these deleted texts?

 

[KaraKitty]

Do you have a link about these deleted texts?

http://www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/2012/03/rutgers_webcam_trial_ravi_dele.html