Dharun Ravi, the former Rutgers student found guilty hate crimes for spying on his dorm roommate Tyler Clementi, is going on an media blitz to explain his side of the story. Ravi, who faces up to ten years in prison for the invasion of privacy and bias intimidation convictions, is planing an appeal: Yesterday, he told the Star-Ledger, "I wasn’t biased. I didn’t act out of hate and I wasn’t uncomfortable with Tyler being gay," and, in an interview to be broadcast tonight on 20/20, he says that spying on Clementi a second time during an intimate encounter "actually wasn't my idea." more ›

The former Rutgers University student who was found guilty of hate crimes for spying on his freshman roommate insists that he's innocent. In an exclusive interview with the Star-Ledger, Dharun Ravi said he was definitely stupid for setting up his webcam to watch Tyler Clementi and Clementi's male guest during intimate encounters, but "I wasn’t biased. I didn’t act out of hate and I wasn’t uncomfortable with Tyler being gay." more ›

Former Rutgers University student Dharun Ravi was found guilty of invasion of privacy and bias intimidation for spying on his roommate Tyler Clementi, and the dynamic between the two roommates were a big part of the trial. But Ravi was also found guilty of invading the privacy of Clementi's guest, M.B., whose intimate encounters with Clementi were observed by Ravi and one of his friends. After the verdict against Ravi was announced, M.B. issued a statement: "I am pleased that the jury returned a just verdict in this case. I had hoped for all concerned that a trial could have been avoided but that was not my choice. It was Mr. Ravi’s decision, and now he will have to live with it." more ›

Yesterday, a New Jersey jury found Dharun Ravi guilty of invasion of privacy and bias intimidation for spying on his Rutgers University roommate Tyler Clementi in September 2010. There were multiple counts (related to different incidents) that the jurors had to deliberate and one, Bruno Ferreira, told the Star-Ledger, "It was very hard, very difficult. Nothing means we would be personally biased toward the defendant. You have to look at all the facts and the evidence. That’s why you have 24 counts guilty and 11 not guilty. Witness statements and the evidence were not there to prove those... This was very difficult, but it was a really good experience. You feel like justice has been served." more ›

After deliberating for two days, a NJ jury has found Dharun Ravi guilty of multiple counts of invasion of privacy, against his Rutgers University roommate Tyler Clementi and Clementi's guest, as well as multiple counts of bias intimidation. Here's the breakdown via the Star-Ledger so far —it's complicated because there are charges related to the various instances of spying, but Daily News reporter Christina Boyle sums it, "Jury find 1st time Ravi spied on TC it was by accident.But TC felt intimidated.2nd time Ravi knowingly intimidated TC & TC felt intimidated." more ›

Yesterday, the prosecution and defense gave their closing statements in the trial of Dharun Ravi, the former Rutgers University student charged with multiple counts of invasion of privacy, bias intimidation and hindering apprehension, stemming from the suicide of roommate Tyler Clementi. While prosecutor Julia McClure emphasized Ravi's apparent bias towards gays, defense attorney Steven Altman painted a starkly different picture of his client. more ›

The defense has rested in the trial of Dharun Ravi, the former Rutgers student charged with multiple counts of invasion of privacy, bias intimidation and hindering apprehension. Ravi, who faces up to 10 years in prison if convicted, did not testify. more ›

This past week, numerous witnesses testified in the first week of the trial of Dharun Ravi, the former Rutgers student accused of spying on his gay roommate's intimate encounters via a webcam. The roommate, Tyler Clementi, killed himself by jumping off the George Washington Bridge, and his death galvanized LGBT activists and prompted national discussion about bullying. Many of the witnesses have been Rutgers students (including his resident advisor), but yesterday, Clementi's guest during the encounters finally came forward to give him version of what happened. more ›

Today, the trial of the former Rutgers college student accused of spying on his gay roommate's intimate encounter via a webcam began in New Brunswick. A prosecutor said of Dharun Ravi, "These acts were purposeful, they were intentional and they were planned. They were mean-spirited, they were malicious, and they were criminal," but his lawyer said, "He's an 18-year-old boy... You gotta put that in perspective... I can't stand here and tell you Dharun didn't act like a boy... We all do stupid things in our lives and we all make mistakes. It doesn't mean we're hateful and we're bigoted or we're a criminal. Dharun never intimidated anyone." more ›

Dharun Ravi, who was charged with invasion of privacy, bias intimidation and numerous other counts after his Rutgers University roommate Tyler Clementi killed himself, refused to take a plea deal today. Ravi's lawyer said, “Simple answer, simple principle. He’s innocent. He’s not guilty. That’s why he rejected the plea.” more ›

Dharun Ravi, the former roommate of Rutgers student Tyler Clementi, is requesting that charges of intimidation, invasion of privacy, and evidence tampering among others be dismissed based on new evidence submitted by his defense team that paints a more complicated picture of their relationship leading up to Clementi's September 22 suicide. more ›

Dharun Ravi, the former roommate of Rutgers student Tyler Clementi, pleaded not guilty this morning to bias intimidation, invasion of privacy, evidence tampering, and other charges. You'll recall that Clemente committed suicide after he realized that his homosexual encounter had been watched via webcam, and that Ravi had allegedly tried to share his next liaison with other Rutgers students online. If convicted of the most serious charge, bias intimidation, Ravi faces up to ten years in prison. Clementi's family attended the hearing, which lasted just ten minutes, and issued a statement afterward. more ›

A grand jury today indicted the roommate of a Rutgers student who committed suicide after he realized that his homosexual encounter had been recorded on webcam. The 15-count indictment against Dharun Ravi, which you can read below, accuses the former Rutgers student of bias, invasion of privacy, witness and evidence tampering. Another student, Molly Wei, was not indicted "at this time"—prosecutors say Ravi watched roommate Tyler Clementi's liaison via webcam from Wei's dorm room. (Wei already faces invasion of privacy charges, but her charges have not been presented to the grand jury.) more ›

Six months ago, Rutgers freshman Tyler Clementi committed suicide after finding out his roommate, Dharun Ravi, had seen him engaged in sexual conduct with another man over a webcam. After the incident, Ravi wrote on Twitter, "Anyone with iChat, I dare you to video chat me between the hours of 9:30 and 12," suggesting that he planned to show video of Clementi on iChat. That never happened, and it seems that Ravi and friend Molly Wei were the only two who ever saw Clementi's sexual conduct. However, lawyer Paul Mainardi said the family wants prosecution: "We feel it is important to establish accountability and to further establish that Tyler was subject to criminal acts, not merely a college prank as some may argue." more ›

Rutgers University came under fire last year when Freshman Tyler Clementi committed suicide after finding out his roommate had seen him engaged in sexual conduct with another man over a webcam. Clementi's parents decided to sue the school, saying they hadn't done enough to make their soon feel safe, which includes an allegedly slow response to complaints about his roommate that Clementi filed with the school. So in an effort to make LGBT students more comfortable living on campus, Rutgers undergrads in Demarest Hall, New Gibbons and Rockoff Hall will have the option to room with a person of the opposite sex. And parents wont be able to protest. more ›

The parents of Tyler Clementi, the 18-year-old Rutgers student who committed suicide after finding out that his roommate had seen footage of him sexually engaged with another man, have reportedly filed notice to sue Rutgers for failing to implement or enforce policies that they believe would have saved their son. That includes judging how the school handled emails from Clementi complaining about his roommate, Dharun Ravi, and his apparent request for a new roommate. more ›

In light of the suicide of Tyler Clementi, who many believe killed himself because his roommate allegedly watched webcam footage of him sexually engaged with another man, New Jersey's General Assembly and Senate passed the “Anti-Bullying Bill of Rights", which would toughen anti-bullying rules in schools. The new laws would require schools to have anti-bullying programs and colleges to write anti-bullying measures into their codes of conduct. The bill had been in the works for almost a year, but gained momentum after Clemeti's death. It now goes to Governor Chris Christie for approval. more ›

Former Rutgers students Dharun Ravi and Molly Wei have up until this point declined to discuss what exactly they saw the night that they allegedly watched webcam footage of Ravi's roommate, Tyler Clementi, engaged in a sexual encounter with another man. The two were charged with multiple counts of invasion of privacy, and have been the subjects of community outrage in the wake of Clementi's suicide. Now, their attorneys and friends are speaking out about what the two saw to save their reputations. more ›

The two Rutgers students charged with multiple counts of invasion of privacy after allegedly watching webcam footage of classmate Tyler Clementi engaged in a sexual encounter with another man have quit the university. An attorney for Molly Wei, whose dorm room was allegedly where Clementi's roommate Dharun Ravi viewed (and Tweeted about) the encounter, says his client dropped out because she fears for her safety. more ›

Yesterday, between 50 and 100 people walked across the George Washington Bridge to pay tribute to Tyler Clementi. Clementi, an 18-year-old Rutgers University freshman, jumped off the bridge last month apparently after discovering his roommate watched webcam video of his sexual encounter and tried to broadcast a second one. Organizer Sommer Sheikh asked for "a moment of silence for Tyler as well as all of those who have lost their lives from bullying," and then said, Let’s all toss a rose in memory of those whose lives have been lost." more ›

Last night, a statewide town meeting was held at Rutgers University in memory of student Tyler Clementi, who killed himself by jumping off the George Washington Bridge shortly after his roommate allegedly watched and attempted to share his sexual encounter via webcam. Senator Frank Lautenberg (D-NJ) proposed legislation that would prohibit bullying and harassment at colleges. Lautenberg said of Clementi, "No one could have heard about this degradation he suffered without feeling pain themselves. This is a major problem, and we’re going to fix it." more ›

Last week, Rutgers freshmen Dharun Ravi and Molly Wei were charged with invasion of privacy after allegedly sharing video of Ravi's roommate, Tyler Clementi, engaged in a sexual encounter with another man. Though community activists have called for hate crime charges against the two, that is looking less likely, and now Molly Wei's lawyers say her reputation has been "unjustly tarnished" by the allegations. They said in a statement, "This is a tragic situation. But this tragedy has also unfairly led to rampant speculation and misinformation, which threaten to overwhelm the actual facts of the matter. Those true facts will reveal that Molly Wei is innocent. Molly committed no crime." more ›

Though investigators are still looking into it, Middlesex County Prosecutor Bruce Kaplan says there may not be enough evidence in the Tyler Clementi suicide case to charge Dharun Ravi and Molly Wei with hate crimes. Ravi and Wei are charged with multiple counts of invasion of privacy after allegedly sharing footage of Clementi engaged in a sexual encounter with another man and allegedly planning to do it a second time, but there is little evidence that would prove they would not have done the same had they found him with a woman. "Sometimes the laws don’t always adequately address the situation," Kaplan said. "That may come to pass here." more ›

Last night, a few hundred students and community members gathered on Rutgers' campus for a silent vigil in honor of student Tyler Clementi, who killed himself after his roommate Dharun Ravi allegedly shared webcab footage of him engaged in a sexual encounter. Though a few officials addressed the crowd, most stayed silent, holding candles and hoping that the incident will inspire students facing similar harassment to seek help. Jenny Kurtz, the leader of the school's LGBT groups, told the crowd, "Tonight begins the process of healing." more ›

Rutgers University will hold a vigil today for 18-year-old Tyler Clementi, who killed himself after video of him engaged in a sexual encounter was transmitted over iChat by his roommate. But as the school plans this "opportunity for the members of the community and our allies to stand together united in peace, healing and social justice," officials are grappling over how to charge Dharun Ravi and Molly Wei, the two involved in the broadcast. They are already charged with invasion of privacy, but whether they are further charged with hate crimes or manslaughter, the case shows that for a new generation, privacy is no longer sacred. more ›

The suicide of Rutgers student Tyler Clementi has LGBT activists and other officials calling for bias crime charges. Dharun Ravi and Molly Wei have been charged with invasion of privacy after allegedly broadcasting a sexual encounter between Clementi and another man on iChat and then advertising plans to do it a second time, but some believe the internet voyeurism is an example of anti-gay bullying. Jean-Marie Navetta of Parents and Friends of Lesbians and Gays told AP, "To this poor kid, it's better to be dead than to have people know he's gay. Therein lies the real tragedy here." Ellen DeGeneres also spoke out on her show: more ›

It was previously reported on Gawker that before committing suicide, Rutgers freshman Tyler Clementi sought advice about his webcam-spying roommate on the gay message board JustUsBoys.com. Today the tabloids report that Clementi also turned to Yahoo! Answers for help. It's a sad read: more ›

As we noted earlier, initial reports that a student at Rutgers streamed his roommate’s intimate encounter live on the Internet are not quite accurate. Dharun Ravi, who faces up to five years for invasion of privacy, did not record or broadcast footage of his roommate, Tyler Clementi, making out with another man. That doesn't make what he did (or the consequences) any less appalling, but the initial impression that Clementi's encounter was broadcast over the Internet is somewhat inaccurate. And Ravi's friends say there's more to the story, and tell the Rutgers student paper that on the first night Clementi asked to be alone in the room, Ravi spied via the webcam because he was concerned about his roommate's guest: more ›

Yesterday afternoon police found the body of a young man in the Hudson River, north of the George Washington bridge. WPIX reports that the NYPD believes the body is that of 18-year-old Rutgers freshman Tyler Clementi, who jumped off the bridge last week, leaving a Facebook message, "Jumping off the gw bridge sorry." It's been widely reported that on September 19th, Clementi's roommate, Dharun Ravi, "used a camera in his dormitory room to stream the roommate’s intimate encounter live on the Internet," as the Times puts it. But was the encounter actually "streamed live" on the Internet? more ›