Court tosses bias-crime conviction in Rutgers roommate webcam case
A bias-crime conviction for a Rutgers College student who secretly webcammed his roommate during gay sexual encounters was overturned by a New Jersey appellate court Friday, and a new trial was ordered.
The 2012 conviction against Dharun Ravi stemmed from the suicide of his roommate, freshman Tyler Clementi, NJ Advance Media reports. The Superior Court of New Jersey found that the government overreached when it presented evidence to the jury about Clementi’s state of mind when he died. It ordered a new trial for Ravi, who already served 20 days in jail. It also threw out several counts of bias intimidation against Ravi.
In 2015, the New Jersey Supreme Court had struck down key portions of the state’s bias-intimidation law which allowed guilt to be found based on whether a victim felt harmed, rather than defendant’s motive, USA Today reports.
Clementi requested a roommate change after discovering Ravi’s actions, and committed suicide several days later by jumping off the George Washington Bridge, the New York Times reports. Clementi reportedly did not indicate why he committed suicide.
Before Clementi’s death, Ravi bragged about what he could do to people using his computer, the court notes in the Sept 9 opinion (PDF). Ravi reportedly found out Clementi was gay before school started, and complained about that to friends.
“From a societal perspective, this case has exposed some of the latent dangers concealed by the seemingly magical powers of the internet,” the Superior Court opinion states. “The implications associated with the misuse of our technological advancements lies beyond this court’s competency to address.”
Although Ravi’s convictions were overturned, the Superior Court was harshly critical of his actions.
“The social environment that transformed a private act of sexual intimacy into a grotesque voyeuristic spectacle must be unequivocally condemned in the strongest possible way,” wrote the court. “All of the young men and women who had any association with this tragedy must pause to reflect and assess whether this experience has cast an indelible moral shadow on their character.”
Jane Clementi, the victim’s mother, told the New York Times that she does not have an opinion about whether the appellate court finding should be appealed.
“Today’s decision shows us how much more work there is to be done, and will push us forward with stronger determination to create a kinder more empathetic society where every person is valued and respected,” his parents said in a statement, which was posted on the Tyler Clementi Foundation website.
