BREAKING: Dharun Ravi Sentenced For Spying On Tyler Clementi
May 21, 2012
Dharun Ravi was sentenced to 30 days in jail as part of a probationary sentence today for spying on his collge roommate with a webcam and writing about what he saw on Twitter.
New Jersey Superior Court Judge Glenn Berman could have given the ex-Rutgers University student up to 10 years for the most serious charges related to the cyber-bullying of his gay roommate Tyler Clementi in September 2010. He was ordered to report to Middlesex County Jail on May 31.
But giving Ravi, 20, the most severe punishment seemed unwarranted even to Middlesex County prosecutors who filed papers saying he didn't deserve the maximum possible sentence, even though he "shows no remorse."
"I do believe he acted out of colossal insensitivity," Berman said.
The judge also recommended that Ravi not be deported.
Clementi, 18, jumped to his death from the George Washington Bridge days after learning Ravi had announced on Twitter that he'd seen him"making out with a dude." Ravi had also invited friends to a "viewing party" to watch Clementi on a second date in their freshman dorm room.
Ravi, wearing a skinny tie knotted around his pale pink dress shirt, did not speak, but his parents read statements on his behalf.
Tyler's parents, Joseph and Jane Clementi, as well as his brother James, read statements before the judge handed down the sentence.
Ravi wasn't charged with causing Clementi's suicide, but prosecutors hit him with a 15-count indictment. In March, a jury returned a guilty verdict on all counts, including invasion of privacy, tampering with evidence and bias intimidation, essentially a hate crime.
The facts of the case were rarely in dispute. Ravi's Twitter post, text messages he sent to Clementi, and Clementi's complaints about Ravi sent to school housing officials gave a detailed picture of what happened.
(See a timeline of the case HERE.)
Instead, the trial became a battle over the interpretation of those events. The defense attempted to portray Ravi as a tolerant person who showed bad judgment, but not as someone who was biased against gay men and women.
As the country learned about the events leading up to Clementi's death, Ravi was seen by many as the villain. But public attitudes towards him have apparently mellowed. Some gay rights advocates have spoken up for Ravi, saying that 10 he doesn't deserve a long prison term.
Prosecutors offered Ravi a plea deal in December that would have spared him prison time, but he rejected it.
Federal officials could decide to deport Ravi, who was born in India and raised in New Jersey. However, it was considered unlikely that they'd expel him if the judge sentenced him to less than a year.
New Jersey Superior Court Judge Glenn Berman could have given the ex-Rutgers University student up to 10 years for the most serious charges related to the cyber-bullying of his gay roommate Tyler Clementi in September 2010. He was ordered to report to Middlesex County Jail on May 31.
But giving Ravi, 20, the most severe punishment seemed unwarranted even to Middlesex County prosecutors who filed papers saying he didn't deserve the maximum possible sentence, even though he "shows no remorse."
"I do believe he acted out of colossal insensitivity," Berman said.
The judge also recommended that Ravi not be deported.
Clementi, 18, jumped to his death from the George Washington Bridge days after learning Ravi had announced on Twitter that he'd seen him"making out with a dude." Ravi had also invited friends to a "viewing party" to watch Clementi on a second date in their freshman dorm room.
Ravi, wearing a skinny tie knotted around his pale pink dress shirt, did not speak, but his parents read statements on his behalf.
Tyler's parents, Joseph and Jane Clementi, as well as his brother James, read statements before the judge handed down the sentence.
Ravi wasn't charged with causing Clementi's suicide, but prosecutors hit him with a 15-count indictment. In March, a jury returned a guilty verdict on all counts, including invasion of privacy, tampering with evidence and bias intimidation, essentially a hate crime.
The facts of the case were rarely in dispute. Ravi's Twitter post, text messages he sent to Clementi, and Clementi's complaints about Ravi sent to school housing officials gave a detailed picture of what happened.
(See a timeline of the case HERE.)
Instead, the trial became a battle over the interpretation of those events. The defense attempted to portray Ravi as a tolerant person who showed bad judgment, but not as someone who was biased against gay men and women.
As the country learned about the events leading up to Clementi's death, Ravi was seen by many as the villain. But public attitudes towards him have apparently mellowed. Some gay rights advocates have spoken up for Ravi, saying that 10 he doesn't deserve a long prison term.
Prosecutors offered Ravi a plea deal in December that would have spared him prison time, but he rejected it.
Federal officials could decide to deport Ravi, who was born in India and raised in New Jersey. However, it was considered unlikely that they'd expel him if the judge sentenced him to less than a year.
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