A verdict in the case involving the tragedy of 18 year old Tyler Clementi, a Rutgers University student who jumped to his death off the George Washington Bridge after his roommate used a webcam to spy on his lovelife and tell others that he caught it on camera. And it’s a strong verdict:
A former Rutgers University student accused of using a webcam to spy on his gay roommate’s love life has been convicted of bias intimidation and invasion of privacy in a case that exploded into the headlines when the victim of the snooping committed suicide.
Indian-born Dharun Ravi, 20, could face 10 years in prison when he’s sentenced on May 21 and be deported after he’s finished serving his time. He shook his head slightly after the guilty verdicts were read for all 15 counts, including bias intimidation, a hate crime, and invasion of privacy.
Ravi’s former roommate, Tyler Clementi, 18, jumped off the George Washington Bridge on Sept. 22, 2010, after finding out that Ravi saw him kissing another man and appeared to encourage others to watch through a camera on his computer.
The panel deliberated for 10 hours total on Wednesday and Thursday and began anew about 9 a.m. on Friday before announcing around 11 a.m. that it had a verdict.
The seven women and five men on the jury, who appear to range in age from their 20s to 70s, were urged in summations by defense lawyer Steven Altman to dismiss Ravi’s actions as those of a foolish child trying to impress others rather than a bully who harbored a prejudice against gays.
Ravi was convicted of invasion of privacy, bias intimidation, witness tampering, and hindering arrest, stemming from his role in activating a webcam to peek at Clementi’s date with a man on Sept. 19, 2010. Ravi was also accused of encouraging others to spy during a second date, on Sept. 21, 2010, and intimidating Clementi for being gay.
Ravi, who faces 10 years in prison and deportation to India, was was found not guilty of some of the 15 counts of bias intimidation, attempted invasion of privacy, and attempted bias intimidation, but was found guilty of the majority of crimes.
Ravi’s attorney, Steven Altman, put his arm around Ravi’s shoulder shortly before the verdict. Ravi showed little reaction as the jury read out the verdicts to his crimes.
Clementi’s case gained national attention when he committed suicide by jumping off the George Washington Bridge Sept. 22, 2010. Ravi is not charged in connection with Clementi’s death.
Throughout the trial, Middlesex County Prosecutor Julie McClure tried to build a case that Ravi spied on Clementi’s date because his roommate was gay, and told his friends and Twitter followers to also spy on Clementi, describing his actions as an anti-gay hate crime.
She argued that Clementi was clearly made uncomfortable by Ravi’s actions, evidenced in Clementi’s request for a room change that he submitted to Rutgers on Sept. 21.
“Three weeks into the semester and (Clementi) finds out that his sexual orientation has been broadcast to the defendant’s twitter followers,” McClure said. “His private sexual activities have been exposed. What do you think he’s thinking? ‘If Molly saw it, did Cassie see it? Did people in the hall see it? Did people in Davidson C see it?’ You don’t think that he was intimidated by learning that information? Fearful, embarrassed? He’d been exposed.”
Ravi’s defense attorney, Steven Altman, dismissed suggestions that his client was anti-gay or targeting Clementi. He claimed that Ravi was curious and immature, but not malicious, when he decided to activate hte webcam on Sept. 19.
“Why we’re here is because on Sept. 19, and Sept. 21, 2010, an 18-year-old boy, a kid, a college freshman, had an experience, had an encounter that he wasn’t ready for,” Altman told the jury, claiming that Ravi reacted “immaturely” to what he saw on the screen.
Expect to see a lot of comment on this verdict and the case. The Clementi case was a huge tragedy that moved (and sickened) many people. In his excellent autobiography “Transparent,” CNN anchor Don Lemon said that covering this emotionally wrench case made him decide to publicly note that he is gay.
For more on this case, you can check out these You Tubes.
UPDATE: Read the New Yorker’s must read in depth piece on this case — which notes some of the popular misconceptions and how it is an all around tragedy for the two students involved and their families.
Joe Gandelman is a former fulltime journalist who freelanced in India, Spain, Bangladesh and Cypress writing for publications such as the Christian Science Monitor and Newsweek. He also did radio reports from Madrid for NPR’s All Things Considered. He has worked on two U.S. newspapers and quit the news biz in 1990 to go into entertainment. He also has written for The Week and several online publications, did a column for Cagle Cartoons Syndicate and has appeared on CNN.