Ex-Rutgers Student Accepts Deal in Suicide Case

Hate crime charges are a possibility in Tyler Clementi suicide

(NEWSER) - Dharun Ravi and Molly Wei were old pals who came to Rutgers University together—and classmates can’t fathom how the friends went from the socially tolerant halls of their New Jersey high school to a controversy in which they are accused of recording and broadcasting Tyler Clementi ’s gay sexual encounter. “This kind of taunting would not have been condoned or accepted” at their alma mater, one of the state’s best public schools, a former class president tells the Daily Beast . More»

Plus, friends speak up for 'good, caring' Dharun Ravi, Molly Wei

(NEWSER) - Before committing suicide , Tyler Clementi appears to have told his story on a gay message board, and the posts indicate that he emailed his RA and two superiors to report his roommate’s spying. Now, prosecutors want to see those emails—or at least Rutgers University’s responses to those emails. The prosecutor’s office subpoenaed copies of the emails to see how the school handled Clementi’s complaint, after investigators felt that the university was not fully cooperating, the New Jersey Star-Ledger reports. More»

Rutgers classmates charged; allegedly spied with webcam

(NEWSER) - A Rutgers freshman reportedly leaped to his death from the George Washington Bridge after his roommate allegedly secretly taped him having sex and posted the video on Twitter. Tyler Clementi, 18, left his wallet on the bridge and jumped last Wednesday, sources tell the New York Daily News . At least two people spotted his fall, but his body has not yet been recovered. More»

Tyler Clementi's roommate gives his side of the story

(NEWSER) - Dharun Ravi says he did something a lot of college kids do: He unthinkingly pranked an awkward, less-cool roommate. But that prank was spying on a homosexual hookup via webcam, that roommate was Tyler Clementi, and Ravi has a hate-crime conviction to show for what he says was a moment of teenage stupidity. Ravi sits down with the Star-Ledger to give his side of the story in a surprisingly sympathetic interview. Highlights:

• On what he was thinking: "I wasn’t. I got caught up in what I thought was funny, and my own ego. I never really thought about what it would mean to Tyler. I know that’s wrong, but that’s the truth."
• On not taking a plea deal: "I’m never going to regret not taking 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."

But the Rutgers freshman likely never saw texts before suicide

(NEWSER) - New texts involving the suicide of Rutgers freshman Tyler Clementi have been made public, including this one from roommate Dhuran Ravi: "I’ve known you were gay and I have no problem with it," he wrote. "I don’t want your freshman year to be ruined because of a petty misunderstanding, it’s adding to my guilt." The wrenching part is that Clementi probably never saw it, notes the New Jersey Star-Ledger . Minutes earlier, he had posted a note on Facebook saying he was leaving to jump off the George Washington Bridge. More»