Ex-Rutgers student convicted of hate crime, invasion of privacy in webcam spying case
[TW FOR SUICIDE AND HOMOPHOBIC BULLYING]
By By GEOFF MULVIHILL, Associated Press
NEW BRUNSWICK, N.J. -- A former Rutgers University student accused of using a webcam to spy on his gay roommate's love life was convicted of all counts Friday in a case that exploded into the headlines when the victim of the snooping committed suicide by throwing himself off a bridge.
Dharun Ravi, 20, shook his head slightly after the guilty verdicts were read for all 15 counts, including bias intimidation - a hate crime that was based on the victim's sexual orientation - and invasion of privacy.
He could get years in prison - and could be deported to his native India, even though he has lived legally in the U.S. since he was a little boy - for his part in an act that cast a spotlight on teen suicide and anti-gay bullying and illustrated the Internet's potential for tormenting others.
Prosecutors said that Ravi set up a webcam in his dorm room in September 2010 and captured his roommate, Tyler Clementi, kissing another man, then tweeted about it and excitedly tried to catch Clementi in the act again two days later. About a half-dozen students were believed to have seen the live video of the kissing.
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By By GEOFF MULVIHILL, Associated Press
NEW BRUNSWICK, N.J. -- A former Rutgers University student accused of using a webcam to spy on his gay roommate's love life was convicted of all counts Friday in a case that exploded into the headlines when the victim of the snooping committed suicide by throwing himself off a bridge.
Dharun Ravi, 20, shook his head slightly after the guilty verdicts were read for all 15 counts, including bias intimidation - a hate crime that was based on the victim's sexual orientation - and invasion of privacy.
He could get years in prison - and could be deported to his native India, even though he has lived legally in the U.S. since he was a little boy - for his part in an act that cast a spotlight on teen suicide and anti-gay bullying and illustrated the Internet's potential for tormenting others.
Prosecutors said that Ravi set up a webcam in his dorm room in September 2010 and captured his roommate, Tyler Clementi, kissing another man, then tweeted about it and excitedly tried to catch Clementi in the act again two days later. About a half-dozen students were believed to have seen the live video of the kissing.
________________________________
source has more.