Tyler Clementi was an 18-year-old freshman at Rutgers University in Piscataway Township, New Jersey who jumped from the George Washington Bridge in an apparent suicide on September 22, 2010. This occurred after one of his private sexual encounters with another male was video streamed over the internet without his knowledge, and a second attempt was made to do the same by his roommate Dharun Ravi, and a fellow hallmate, Molly Wei,.
Tyler Clement Background,
Clementi, from Ridgewood, New Jersey and a graduate of Ridgewood High School, was a talented violinist, having participated in the Bergen Youth Orchestra as concertmaster and the Ridgewood Symphony Orchestra.
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Clementi had complained to the resident assistant and two other officials that his roommate had spied on his sex life and videostreamed it using a webcam. He wrote in detail on a gay message board known as "Just Us Boys" and Yahoo! about trying to complain about his roommate through university channels. His posts demonstrated that did not want to room with Dharun Ravi. He claimed to have approached the dorm adviser and asked for a new room after learning about the first violation and then discovering Ravi invited his Twitter followers to watch a second sexual encounter. "He [the resident assistant] seemed to take it seriously," Clementi wrote in a post about 15 hours before his jump from the George Washington Bridge. He said in the posts that he also reported the incident to two unnamed "higher-ups."
Wikinews has related news: US undergraduate commits suicide after 'outing' via webcast
Clementi's wallet was found on September 22 on the walkway adjacent to the George Washington Bridge's New York-bound lanes after witnesses reported seeing someone jump. His car, cell phone, and computer were also found near the bridge. Police recovered a body on September 29 in the Hudson River just north of the bridge. It was confirmed the next day that the body recovered was that of Clementi.
Prosecutions
Wei surrendered to Rutgers police in New Brunswick on September 27 and was released in her own recognizance. Ravi surrendered to Rutgers police the next day and was released on $25,000 bail.
On September 28, 2010, the Middlesex County prosecutor's office stated that two Rutgers students, Dharun Ravi and Molly Wei, had been charged with invasion of privacy and transmitting a sexual encounter on the internet in Piscataway committed on September 19. Ravi was charged on the same counts committed on September 21.
It is a fourth degree crime in New Jersey to collect or view images depicting nudity or sexual contact involving another individual without that person’s consent; it is a third degree crime to transmit or distribute such images. The penalty for conviction of a third degree offense can include a prison term of up to five years.
There is no current evidence that Ravi's actions were motivated by hate,.
Response for Tyler Clement,
Governor of New Jersey, Chris Christie stated that the incident was an "unspeakable tragedy," also "I don't know how those two folks are going to sleep at night." The governor has called for a full investigation. "Well, first of all, as the father of a 17-year-old, I can't imagine what those parents are feeling today – I can't."
Rutgers University students planned a "black Friday" event to commemorate and memorialize Tyler and Rutgers president Richard Levis McCormick stated "We grieve for him and for his family, friends and classmates as they deal with the tragic loss of a gifted young man..."
Paula Dow - New Jersey Attorney General's office - Per Paul Loriquet, spokesman for Attorney General Paula Dow, "The attorney general is consulting with the Middlesex County Prosecutor’s office, which remains the lead agency in the case" ... "We have to follow the evidence," Loriquet said. "Until we have all the evidence in and the investigation is complete, that will determine if appropriate additional charges could be raised."
New Jersey state Assemblywomen Valerie Vainieri Huttle and Mary Pat Angelini made a joint statement saying that they planned to introduce a bipartisan "Anti-bullying Bill of Rights" sometime in October 2010 in response to these events.
Role of social media
The case has brought up the complex issues of social media's affect on a student's emotional well being. For example, in this case, Tyler wrote the following on Facebook just prior to his death: "Jumping off the gw bridge sorry." dated Sept. 22 at 8:42 p.m. Some consider the use of social media to have added insult to the crime, and could be considered to be making students more "callous."
Twitter posts by Ravi
"Roommate asked for the room till midnight. I went into molly's room and turned on my webcam. I saw him making out with a dude. Yay." - September 19, 2010
"Anyone with iChat, I dare you to video chat me between the hours of 9:30 and 12. Yes it's happening again."
Following the crime, Ravi's twitter account was taken down, though the messages were still available in a Google cache.
See also
(source:wikipedia)
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