Prosecutors in the Tyler Clementi case fired back this week against a motion to drop the charges against the defendant.
Dharun Ravi, 19, faces harassment and bias charges, among others, stemming from last fall’s incident in which he allegedly spied on Clementi, his roommate, with a Webcam and broadcast his sexual encounter with another man on the Internet. Clementi later committed suicide.
Ravi’s attorneys last month asked that the case be dismissed, contending that the grand jury was unaware of certain evidence, such as texts he sent to Clementi apologizing for the spying incident and saying he was OK with his being gay.
However, the prosecution’s motion this week centered on Ravi’s alleged insecurity with his roommate’s sexual orientation.
The filing contended that Ravi sent numerous text messages to friends encouraging them to watch the live feed Sept. 19. Two days later, prosecutors say Ravi set up the camera again and directed friends to watch, texting at least one person to say he pointed the camera directly at Clementi’s bed, but Clementi disconnected Ravi’s computer.
Ravi text messaged an apology several minutes after Clementi jumped off the George Washington Bridge, but prosecutors say the apology was disingenuous.
Prosecutor Julia McClure wrote in the filing that the text came after Ravi learned Clementi reported the incident to the school and he could face disciplinary action. McClure said the text was an attempt to explain the Webcam incident and create evidence that would look “favorable” for him.
In a separate online chat with a friend, Ravi joked that he was going to have a voice-recording system installed on his laptop warn him if Clementi attempted to rape him during the night.
While the defense submitted a message Clementi sent a friend in which he said he wasn’t too bothered by the incident, the prosecution offered a different picture with an e-mail he sent to a dorm official.
“I feel my privacy has been violated, and I am extremely uncomfortable sharing a room with someone who would act in this wildly inappropriate manner,” he wrote.
The defense is also seeking to make public the identity of the man who was on camera with Clementi. He is currently only identified as M.B. in court documents.
A pre-trial hearing is scheduled for Sept. 9 during which Middlesex County Superior Court Judge Glenn Berman will hear oral arguments and could render a ruling on the defense’s motion to dismiss the case.
Jen Colletta can be reached at [email protected].