Rutgers University webcam case goes to the jury
Wed. March 14, 2012 3:56 PM by GoPride.com News Staff
New Brunswick, New Jersey -
Jurors in the Rutgers University gay webcam case ended their first day of deliberations without a verdict on Wednesday.
Student Dharun Ravi is accused of bias intimidation (which is a hate crime) and invasion of privacy. Ravi used a webcam to watch his roommate, Tyler Clementi, making out with another man. Clementi complained to the resident advisor and then killed himself.
Ravi's defense attorneys claimed that he was watching Clementi over the webcam because the visitor looked suspicious and he was concerned about Clementi's safety.
Prosecutors said that Ravi was homophobic. Ravi tweeted about Clementi's date and also got other students to watch.
"You heard about actions and you heard about words," prosecutor Julia McClure said, according to the New Jersey Star-Ledger. "He told high school friends before he even went off to Rutgers University, he told people in the dorm that he suspected that his roommate was gay."
Ravi could be deported back to his native India if he's convicted.
He also faces prison if convicted, something he could have avoided if he'd taken the deal that prosecutors had offered him earlier.
Student Dharun Ravi is accused of bias intimidation (which is a hate crime) and invasion of privacy. Ravi used a webcam to watch his roommate, Tyler Clementi, making out with another man. Clementi complained to the resident advisor and then killed himself.
Ravi's defense attorneys claimed that he was watching Clementi over the webcam because the visitor looked suspicious and he was concerned about Clementi's safety.
Prosecutors said that Ravi was homophobic. Ravi tweeted about Clementi's date and also got other students to watch.
"You heard about actions and you heard about words," prosecutor Julia McClure said, according to the New Jersey Star-Ledger. "He told high school friends before he even went off to Rutgers University, he told people in the dorm that he suspected that his roommate was gay."
Ravi could be deported back to his native India if he's convicted.
He also faces prison if convicted, something he could have avoided if he'd taken the deal that prosecutors had offered him earlier.