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Rutgers suicide: Trial begins; roommate called 'mean-spirited'
LA Times ^ | 02/24/2012 | Tina Susman

Posted on 02/24/2012 1:04:25 PM PST by Responsibility2nd

The trial of a former Rutgers University student accused of cyberbullying his gay roommate -- Tyler Clementi, who later committed suicide -- began on a dramatic note Friday as the prosecutor called the defendant's actions "mean-spirited" and aimed at humiliating Clementi by exposing his secrets to others.

"He and his friend ... viewed live images of Tyler Clementi and his male guest engaging in sexual activity ... kissing with their shirts off," Julia McClure told a packed New Brunswick, N.J., courtroom as Dharun Ravi went on trial. "These acts were purposeful, they were mean-spirited ... malicious, and they were criminal."

But Ravi's defense lawyer, Steven Altman, told jurors in opening statements that contrary to some early reports, Ravi never shared images of Clementi and a male date, which were captured on a webcam set up in the dorm room that Ravi and Clementi shared.

~snip~

Clementi was an 18-year-old Rutgers freshman, and a gifted violinist, when he threw himself from the George Washington Bridge in September 2010. His death prompted a national conversation on cyberbulling, and it initially appeared that Clementi had been "outed" by video taken without his knowledge by Ravi.

(Excerpt) Read more at latimes.com ...


TOPICS: Crime/Corruption; Culture/Society; News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: dharunravi; rutgers; tylerclementi
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Ravi
 
 
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Clementi
 
 
 
It's a shame they are going to send Ravi to prison, instead of the adult male predator that was involved


1 posted on 02/24/2012 1:04:40 PM PST by Responsibility2nd
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To: Responsibility2nd

2 dorm mates of Clementi, Ravi testify in Rutgers webcam spying trial

The Star-Ledger - NJ.com - ‎26 minutes ago‎
By Megan DeMarco/Statehouse Bureau Enlarge John Munson/The Star-Ledger Defense attorney Steven Altman puts his hand on his client, former Rutgers University student, Dharun Ravi. Ravis is charged with bias intimidation and invading the privacy of ...

Rutgers Spying Trial Begins With Questions of Motivation

New York Times - ‎1 hour ago‎
NEW BRUNSWICK — Prosecutors and a defense lawyer drew starkly different boundaries Friday between boorish immaturity and criminal malice, opening the trial of a former Rutgers freshman who spied on his roommate in a gay encounter, days before the ...

Classmate testifies in Rutgers webcam spying trial

The Associated Press - ‎50 minutes ago‎
NEW BRUNSWICK, NJ (AP) — A Rutgers University student who says she saw a webcast of a classmate's intimate encounter with another man says one of the men had his shirt off but nothing more graphic than kissing was shown. Rutgers student Cassandra Cicco ...

Opening statements begin in Rutgers student suicide

Reuters - ‎2 hours ago‎
By Jonathan Allen | NEW BRUNSWICK, New Jersey (Reuters) - Prosecutors kicked off opening statements on Friday in the trial of a former Rutgers University student who used a webcam to spy on his roommate's homosexual tryst, saying he violated the ...

Rutgers Spycam Trial: High school friend testifies Dharun Ravi said Tyler ...

CBS News - ‎1 hour ago‎
(CBS/AP) NEW BRUNSWICK, NJ - A high school friend of Dharun Ravi, the former Rutgers student accused of using a webcam to spy on his roommate, Tyler Clementi, who later committed suicide, testified Friday that he had never heard Ravi make negative ...

Suicide student webcam case opens

Telegraph.co.uk - ‎23 minutes ago‎
A university student accused of spying on his gay roommate using a web cam was guilty of a "meanspirited, malicious and criminal" invasion of privacy, a US court was told yesterday. By Rosa Prince, New York Tyler Clementi, 18, killed himself a few days ...

Opening statements heard in Rutgers webcam trial

USA TODAY - ‎2 hours ago‎
NEW BRUNSWICK, New Jersey (AP) – Opening statements Friday in the trial of a former US university student accused of using a webcam to spy on his roommate's intimate encounter with another man focused on whether the defendant was malicious or just an ...

Rutgers suicide: Trial begins; roommate called 'mean-spirited'

Los Angeles Times - ‎2 hours ago‎
By Tina Susman Reporting from New York The trial of a former Rutgers Universitystudent accused of cyberbullying his gay roommate -- Tyler Clementi, who later committed suicide -- began on a dramatic noteFriday as the prosecutor called the defendant's ...

Defendant's Views Debated in Webcam Spying Trial

ABC News - ‎2 hours ago‎
Opening statements Friday in the trial of a formers Rutgers student accused of using a webcam to spy on his roommate's intimate encounter with another man focused on whether the defendant was malicious or just an 18-year-old boy acting his age.


2 posted on 02/24/2012 1:06:29 PM PST by Responsibility2nd (NO LIBS. This mean Liberals and/or Libertarians (Same Thing) NO LIBS.))
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To: Responsibility2nd
If I was his lawyer I'd tell him to claim he's queer himself, - - and it was simply gay jealosy.

The only law that counts these days is how demented a victim card you hold.
3 posted on 02/24/2012 1:27:10 PM PST by trailz
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To: Responsibility2nd

Ravi had a point: some people and their actions NEED to be held up to ridicule. And the guy had apparently told his parents he was gay the previous year, so it’s not like these folks were spilling his secret.


4 posted on 02/24/2012 1:30:52 PM PST by jagusafr ("Write in Palin and prepare for war...")
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To: Responsibility2nd

It is impossible for someone to cause shame in a person. Shame is an innate quality of a person’s own moral compass.


5 posted on 02/24/2012 1:33:37 PM PST by Cyman
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To: Cyman

Correct. And shame is what caused Clementi to take a dive off the GW.

I would place all of the blame for Clementi’s suicide on Clementi himself. And if there is any other blame to go around... Blame the adult male perv who preyed on a young stupid boy who played the violin.

There is no doubt in my mind that Clementi was an underaged victim of a pedophile. And after a few years of being raped, he finally lost it and offed himself.

But do we see THAT being broadcast anywhere?


6 posted on 02/24/2012 1:41:51 PM PST by Responsibility2nd (NO LIBS. This mean Liberals and/or Libertarians (Same Thing) NO LIBS.))
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To: Responsibility2nd

Placemark for pingout.


7 posted on 02/24/2012 1:51:06 PM PST by little jeremiah (We will have to go through hell to get out of hell)
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To: Responsibility2nd

Clementi posted on a gay website after he found the camera - there was no shame, no despair, not even any great distress in his posts. He took the rational step of informing the Resident Advisor; he knew the university was going to take action; he invited his boyfriend back after turning off Ravi’s computer and searching for other cameras - he seemed annoyed more than anything - but there wasn’t any “when will they ever leave us alone? when will they ever let us live?” No “I can’t stand it if they find out.”

http://gawker.com/5651659/is-this-webcam-spying-victim-tyler-clementis-last-call-for-help

Clementi could have been far, far more upset than he let on, but something else might have happened in between that time and his suicide - a rejection, or perhaps drinking himself into despair. I’ve never seen a toxicology report.

Of course Ravi isn’t being charged in the suicide, and he SHOULD be charged with invasion of privacy - what he did was appalling. But bias intimidation is nonsense - Clementi wasn’t intimidated. If Clementi had been with a girl, or by himself, spying on him with a webcam would have been just as bad, with no possible bias charge.

Universities should really offer “no sexiling” room mate match-ups, just like they offer “no substance use.”


8 posted on 02/24/2012 2:01:30 PM PST by heartwood
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To: Responsibility2nd
If people keep up this prosecution of the “tormentors” of those who chose to commit suicide - it will encourage more suicides.

“That will show THEM!” the short sighted suicide thinks.

And then the Prosecution carries out their last wish.

9 posted on 02/24/2012 2:09:27 PM PST by allmendream (Tea Party did not send the GOP to D.C. to negotiate the terms of our surrender to socialism.)
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To: allmendream

True.

The other day there was a thread about a Marine who killed himself. The question is... Should the military pay out survivor benefits to the families left behind after a soldier kills himself?


10 posted on 02/24/2012 2:15:56 PM PST by Responsibility2nd (NO LIBS. This mean Liberals and/or Libertarians (Same Thing) NO LIBS.))
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To: Responsibility2nd

I suppose it depends upon the policy. Most policies do not pay out for suicide. There is a reason they used to say that if you died in battle as a soldier you “bought the farm” - none too sure about “buying the farm” through suicide.


11 posted on 02/24/2012 2:21:32 PM PST by allmendream (Tea Party did not send the GOP to D.C. to negotiate the terms of our surrender to socialism.)
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To: Responsibility2nd

I think that they are racist for attacking an American of South Asian ancestry.


12 posted on 02/24/2012 2:23:09 PM PST by reg45 (Barack 0bama: Implementing class warfare by having no class!)
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To: heartwood

I thought that I had read that the guy who suicided had been posting nude pictures and films prior to this incident. That he had recorded sex with his computer before.


13 posted on 02/24/2012 2:28:18 PM PST by Chickensoup (In the 20th century 200 million people were killed by their own governments.)
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To: Responsibility2nd
These acts were purposeful, they were mean-spirited ... malicious, and they were criminal.

The first three charges are spurious (although they might go to intent). The last is easily substantiated or refuted. If the acts were criminal, what statute did they violate?

Now prove it.

14 posted on 02/24/2012 3:05:54 PM PST by IronJack (=)
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To: reg45

Funny was recently in a meeting with some interns and a couple were from India, recent arrivals. The topic turned to homosexuality and one of the interns had never heard of the concept and was shocked by it. And shocked that the American culture was so accepting of it. Someone took her aside aferward and told her the PC worldview.


15 posted on 02/24/2012 3:08:28 PM PST by Chickensoup (In the 20th century 200 million people were killed by their own governments.)
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To: Responsibility2nd

Why was a straight student forced to dorm with a gay student? This whole situation could have been averted.


16 posted on 02/24/2012 4:01:37 PM PST by LouD (I stand with Scott Walker)
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To: heartwood
Time to remind folks one more time ~ Rutgers university dormitory rules and advisory documents said to leave your computer on while you are away, and set it so you can access the camera on the campus wide network. That way you could deter thieves.

That seems to be what Ravi was up to. Then, lo and behold, Clementi was found to be doing something OTHER than what he'd told Ravi he would be doing (to wit: studying hard).

It was, after all, Ravi's room and there was this other dude taking off his clothes in there ~ but he's NOT PAYING THE RENT.

Clementi should have been honest with Ravi, but who really expects that out of homosexuals these days.

By now there's probably someone on the jury who realizes that it was Clementi bullying Ravi.

17 posted on 03/16/2012 7:04:25 AM PDT by muawiyah
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To: muawiyah

Source for these documents? I find it hard to believe - people would be catching their roommates in a state of undress, picking their nose, scratching their butt, masturbating...not to mention if the webcam is on sound, it’s going to pick up private conversations, potentially record them - against state law.


18 posted on 03/16/2012 8:03:55 AM PDT by heartwood
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To: heartwood
Hmm ~ depends on the state, and even then, on the intent.

The school itself advised students to keep their cameras on when out of the room.

Now, assuming even the gay blades understand this, as does the prosecutor (since those exact website pages are now "dark", but still available on Google.com), why the court case?

Well, that's simple. By prosecuting Ravi the "grieving parents" can then tune in to the university's deeper pockets with a civil damages suit ~ OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE without proof of harm.

Ravi is probably going to walk ~ later, if not immediately.

19 posted on 03/16/2012 8:42:51 AM PDT by muawiyah
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To: heartwood
BTW, the university has a campuswide network. They back that up with advisories and information on their main website ~ look up "computers" and see what you get. That's all I did. Went looking for "computers" ~ found some things close to what I wanted then looked for "crime" and "stolen computers" and got exactly what I wanted.

I reported on that months ago about a week ~ maybe less ~ after the dude jumped off the bridge.

20 posted on 03/16/2012 8:47:12 AM PDT by muawiyah
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