The New York Daily News reports:
An ex-Rutgers student was convicted Friday of bias intimidation and 14 other charges for using a webcam to spy on his gay roommate’s dorm-room trysts with another man.
Dharun Ravi, 20, sat stoically as the jury returned its damning verdict in a case that caused a national furor when the outed roommate jumped to his death from the George Washington Bridge.
The jury deliberated over three days before convicting Ravi, who faces up to 10 years in prison on the hate crime charge and possible deportation to his native India.
Other than a slight shaking of his head, Ravi showed no emotion as the Middlesex County, N.J., jury convicted him of all 15 counts in the September 2010 invasion of fellow freshman Tyler Clementi’s privacy.
His sentencing was set for May 21. Ravi opted not to testify in his own defense.
Clementi, 18, committed suicide three days after the spying incidents. “Jumping off the gw bridge, sorry,” read his final Facebook update.
I’m kind of curious how the prosecution managed to pull off the bias intimidation charge. When the story first went public, all of the outlets if I remember correctly, seemed to imply that Ravi singled him out. But reading a lot of the more detailed articles published right before the trial started, he didn’t actually appear to be provoked by bias, at least in my opinion. I think it’s just that someone needs to get blamed either way for something very tragic like that.
I’d be curious what anyone else thinks; I haven’t managed to read through any commentary on the case.
@Richard, clearly a wingnut. Ravi’s own twitter account shows several tweets in which he clearly showed displeasure at gays and Clementi in particular. Further, the bias sticks because not once but twice, Ravi set up the webcam and further broadcast that the “gay guy” was at it again. These are not the words of an unbias observer.
Give your head a shake.
Right, from what I understand though he had acted pretty macho, he had no repeated or virulently anti-gay sentiments; on the internet or among friends.
My partner is on the staff at Rutgers University and he wants to see Ravi fry. Some of my other gay friends would rather have him have to go around to schools and colleges and lecture on bullying (in lieu of jail time), others want him to do time and others said they should just send him back to India with no chance of return. Whatever his sentence, I think Tyler Clementi’s parents should have some input (if that’s allowed).
ps..@ Richard, if Tyler had been in that room with a girl, this never would have happened. That pretty much says it all.
All in all, I’d say justice was served, at least as much as was possible under the circumstances. As for Ravi I have no sympathy; this guy deliberately set out to “get the gay guy” and his own words condemned him on that score.
Sure, he probably did not intend Tyler Clementi to die. But actions have consequences. Someone who drives drunk and kills someone does not really mean any harm, but that does not eliminate responsibility for the results. And drunk driving is criminal stupidity at worst; Ravi’s actions were obviously premeditated and to all appearances motivated by spite.
“Res ipsa loquitur” ~ “The thing speaks for itself.”
It’s saddening…. Justice is served but a life is still lost….
I watched every moment of the trial on “In Session” and agree with the verdict of guilty on all counts. My hope is he will get the maximum sentence of 10 years of incarceration without access to electronic communication devices @ a facility not known for a Club fed atmosphere then he should be deported without any ability to return to USA for any reason.During trial it came out his father’s company was the payer of the electronic devices used to commit the crimes. Tax deductable crime devices- how does that grab you?