Tyler Clementi’s former Rutgers University roommate pleaded not guilty this week to charges he faces in connection with the webcam scandal that may have led to the gay teen’s suicide last fall.
Dharun Ravi was in a New Jersey courtroom Monday for an arraignment in which he pleaded not guilty to invasion-of-privacy, bias and evidence-tampering charges.
Ravi allegedly tapped into his webcam in his dormroom in September and broadcast Clementi’s sexual encounter with a man. A few days afterward, Clementi jumped from the George Washington Bridge.
A grand jury last month handed down a 15-count indictment against Ravi, including second- and third-degree bias intimidation.
In a statement, Clementi’s father, Joseph, said Monday the family is “eager to see the criminal-justice process move forward.”
Ravi is free on $25,000 bail.
A pre-trial hearing will be held July 25; a trial date has not been set. Ravi’s attorney noted during the arraignment that prosecutors have amassed 1,600 pages of evidence and lined up 125 individuals to testify.
Former Rutgers student Molly Wei, who investigators say allowed Ravi to use her computer, reached a deal with the Middlesex County Prosecutor’s Office that will clear her of invasion-of-privacy charges if she completes a community-service program and testifies against Ravi.
Jen Colletta can be reached at [email protected].
(c) 2011 Philadelphia Gay News