Dharun Ravi -- who set up a Webcam to spy on his college roommate, Tyler Clementi, during his sexual encounters with another man -- was found guilty this morning on all 15 counts against him. This is a devastating blow to a young man many feel is only guilty of committing a immature prank -- I'll be the first to admit that it's hard to classify what he did (a peeping Tom?) as a hate crime when THIS is going on in the world or when Matthew Shepard had his life taken away from him -- but as I said earlier this week, the minute his lawyers tried to act like he was ONLY keeping an eye on his iPad, I sensed he would get slammed hard. I'm ambivalent about the verdict. I just wish he had taken the plea bargain when he had the chance, accepting responsibility for what he undeniably did. (Show remorse, for god's sake!!!!) While he did not physically assault Tyler Clementi, to invade someone's privacy during their most intimate moments is not "just a prank," and clearly the jury was not amused. Interested to see what the sentence is (I'm reading about 10 years), and to see if he also gets deported. I have three words to describe this: Worst defense ever. Read more HERE.
Friday, March 16, 2012
Tyler Clementi's Ex-Roommate Guilty on All Counts
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7 comments:
Bullying is bullying, no matter how it is done - this shizz needs to stop and soon before another young person's candle gets snuffed out!!
The young Chilean man is alive. Tyler Clementi is dead. What Ravi did is a big deal. He psychologically tortured Clementi who then killed himself. Perhaps he was in distress before Ravi got a hold of him, but many believe, including the jury who heard the evidence first hand, that Clementi would be alive today if not for Ravi's hate filled actions. The defense failed Ravi because, well, there is no defense for what Ravi did.
This is a bittersweet victory. I do not feel that he is solely responsible for Tyler Clementis death, in as much as he was the catalyst for this young mans decision to commit suicide. His callosness clearly shows how oblivious he seems to be over this tragedy. However, I can only hope that this case will serve as a precedence in future matters concerning bullying and/ or cyberstalking. What I find so incredibly sad about all this are their families. Each dealing with their own personal loss, and for what? One mans childish ignorance.
This result proves that hate crimes are thought crimes and entirely political. After reading the New Yorker article, I firmly believe this guy is not a monster, maybe confused and stupid but not someone responsible for Clementi's death. Our system of rule of law and justice being blind is under assault. Ridiculous. I hope he wins on appeal (and just in case you think I'm a hater, I'm a big ole homo.)
No, I don't think appeals would work here. This judge was very thorough. So was the jury. I think they were logical & capable. They came up w/the only verdict they could, based on what was brought before them.
Ravi won't get sentenced to more than a few years. I doubt he'd have to serve more than a year, if that. Clearly, he should have taken the plea deal & admitted his guilt. I suspect his father wouldn't allow it. The father seems quite arrogant. Guess that's where Ravi got his attitude from.
Molly Wei must be happy she took her deal. These 2 will both be branded for the rest of their lives. Good.
Tyler's family seemed glad bout the verdict. Can't blame them.
Thank you for posting about Matthew Shepard and the link to the article about the Chilean man. While Tyler Clementi's tale is tragic, and certainly influenced by Dharun Ravi, it's important to note that much worse stuff happens daily--and most of it goes unnoticed or unpunished.
I just read the entire verdict and he was not found guilty on every count. He was found guilty of:
spying, spying specifically due to sexual orientation and tampering with evidence. All of which are factually true. What he was not found guilty of seems in my opinion to be right. I think this jury did an appropriate job.
While I can respect the comments about other crimes in the world that go unpunished it is not relevant to this specific case or the actual people involved.
Bottom line: its not okay to video tape someones private encounters, tell eveyone about it, publish it on the net and then tamper with the evidence that you in fact did it. This was not a juvenile prank, it was an inappropriate use of technology for no viable or tangible use, period!
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