Tyler Clementi Suicide: Emotions Run High at Rutgers After Teen's Death
NEW BRUNSWICK, N.J. (CBS/AP) At Rutgers University in New Jersey, it's being called "Black Friday" as students mourn classmate Tyler Clementi, who committed suicide last week by jumping off the George Washington Bridge after the freshman's sexual encounter with another man was broadcast online.
Dharun Ravi, Clementi's roommate, and fellow Rutgers freshman Molly Wei, both 18, have been
charged with invading Clementi's privacy.
Middlesex County prosecutors say the pair used a webcam to surreptitiously transmit a live image of Clementi having sex with a man on Sept. 19 and that Ravi tried to webcast a second encounter on Sept. 21, the day before Clementi's suicide.
Rutgers students are wearing black and leaving flowers or mementos at a makeshift memorial today. The Rutgers football team also plans a moment of silence before its game tomorrow against Tulane.
More than 100 people attended a campus rally Wednesday night, with some lying on the ground and chanting things like, "If my dorm's not safe, Rutgers isn't safe."
"Had he been in bed with a woman, this would not have happened," said Lauren Felton, a 21-year-old student from Warren. "He wouldn't have been outed via an online broadcast and his privacy would have been respected and he might still have his life."
Middlesex County Prosecutor Bruce J. Kaplan said Thursday that more charges were possible under New Jersey's hate-crimes law. "We will be making every effort to assess whether bias played a role in the incident, and, if so, we will bring appropriate charges," he said in a statement.
COMPLETE COVERAGE OF TYLER CLEMENTI ON CRIMESIDER
ALSO ON CRIMESIDER
