Community Corner

UPDATED: Dormmates Testify in Clementi Trial

Trial of Dharun Ravi expected to last about a month

 

Two Rutgers students who lived in the same dorm as Tyler Clementi and Dharun Ravi told jurors Friday what they saw on the evening Ravi allegedly used a camera attached to his computer to spy on his roommate's sexual encounter with another man.

Ravi, 19, from Plainsboro, faces 15 criminal counts stemming from the incident. After learning about the spying, Clementi, a Ridgewood High School graduate, committed suicide by jumping from the George Washington Bridge.

Find out what's happening in Ridgewood-Glen Rockwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

According to a report on NJ.com, Cassandra Cicco told jururs she was present when Ravi and then-roomate Molly Wei spied on Clementi in their shared room via webcam.

NJ.com reports that Cicco told the court that the three saw the video briefly, with an image of two men in an intimate embrace. One of the men was Clementi, the other has only been identified in court documents as "M.B."

Find out what's happening in Ridgewood-Glen Rockwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Ravi's attorney reportedly asked Cicco if Ravi had ever shown prejudice against gays, and Cicco said he had not, and claimed Ravi had stated that he had a good friend who was gay.

Earlier Friday, in their opening statement to the jury, prosecutor's dismissed the notion that Ravi's alleged webcam spying on his roommate was done in fun.

"It was not a prank,” Middlesex County Prosecutor Julia McClure said in his opening statement to the jury. “It was mean spirited, it was malicious and it was criminal.”

According to a report from WNYC's Nancy Solomon, Ravi's attorney, Steven Altman, said McClure's depiction of his client as a homophobe was not accurate.

Altman said that Ravi was an immature boy new to college.

Solomon is live tweeting the case from the court room as it progresses.


Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here