Tyler Clementi: Rutgers Suicide

The suicide of Tyler Clementi, a Rutgers University freshman and talented violinist who jumped off the George Washington Bridge in September 2010 after a recording of him having an intimate encounter with a man was streamed online by his roommate, sparked a national conversation about bullying of gay youths.

Gay rights groups say Clementi's suicide makes him an example of a problem they are increasingly working to combat: young people who kill themselves after being tormented over their sexuality. Clementi, a talented violinist, jumped off the George Washington Bridge September 22, 2010.

The suicide of Tyler Clementi, a Rutgers University freshman and talented violinist who jumped off the George Washington Bridge in September 2010 after a recording of him having an intimate encounter with a man was streamed online by his roommate, sparked a national conversation about bullying of gay youths.

The suicide of Tyler Clementi, a Rutgers University freshman and talented violinist who jumped off the George Washington Bridge in September 2010 after a recording of him having an intimate encounter with a man was streamed online by his roommate, sparked a national conversation about bullying of gay youths.

Gay rights groups say Clementi's suicide makes him an example of a problem they are increasingly working to combat: young people who kill themselves after being tormented over their sexuality. Clementi, a talented violinist, jumped off the George Washington Bridge September 22, 2010.

The suicide of Tyler Clementi, a Rutgers University freshman and talented violinist who jumped off the George Washington Bridge in September 2010 after a recording of him having an intimate encounter with a man was streamed online by his roommate, sparked a national conversation about bullying of gay youths.

Tyler Clementi's roommate, Dharun Ravi, faces a 15-count indictment that includes charges of invasion of privacy, bias intimidation, tampering with physical evidence, witness tampering and hindering apprehension or prosecution. Middlesex County prosecutors say Ravi and fellow Rutgers freshman Molly Wei used a webcam to surreptitiously transmit a live image of Clementi with another man on Sept. 19 and that Ravi tried to webcast a second encounter on Sept. 21, the day before Clementi's suicide.

Former Rutgers student Molly Wei was also initially charged in the Tyler Clementi case, along with Dharun Ravi, but accepted a deal last year to avoid jail time and potentially a criminal record. She had to enter a pretrial intervention program and agree to cooperate in the case against Ravi, among other conditions. Middlesex County prosecutors say the pair used a webcam to surreptitiously transmit a live image of Clementi with another man on Sept. 19 and that Ravi tried to webcast a second encounter on Sept. 21, the day before Clementi's suicide.

Tyler Clementi's roommate, Dharun Ravi, faces a 15-count indictment that includes charges of invasion of privacy, bias intimidation, tampering with physical evidence, witness tampering and hindering apprehension or prosecution. Middlesex County prosecutors say Ravi and fellow Rutgers freshman Molly Wei used a webcam to surreptitiously transmit a live image of Clementi with another man on Sept. 19 and that Ravi tried to webcast a second encounter on Sept. 21, the day before Clementi's suicide.

A Twitter account belonging to Ravi was recently deleted, but in a cached version retained through Google he sent a message on Sept. 19: "Roommate asked for the room till midnight. I went into molly's room and turned on my webcam. I saw him making out with a dude. Yay." Two days later, he wrote on Twitter: "Anyone with iChat, I dare you to video chat me between the hours of 9:30 and 12. Yes it's happening again."

Former Rutgers student Molly Wei was also initially charged in the Tyler Clementi case, along with Dharun Ravi, but accepted a deal last year to avoid jail time and potentially a criminal record. She had to enter a pretrial intervention program and agree to cooperate in the case against Ravi, among other conditions. Middlesex County prosecutors say the pair used a webcam to surreptitiously transmit a live image of Clementi with another man on Sept. 19 and that Ravi tried to webcast a second encounter on Sept. 21, the day before Clementi's suicide.

Former Rutgers student Molly Wei

Former Rutgers student Molly Wei was also initially charged in the Tyler Clementi case, along with Dharun Ravi, but accepted a deal last year to avoid jail time and potentially a criminal record. She had to enter a pretrial intervention program and agree to cooperate in the case against Ravi, among other conditions. Middlesex County prosecutors say the pair used a webcam to surreptitiously transmit a live image of Clementi with another man on Sept. 19 and that Ravi tried to webcast a second encounter on Sept. 21, the day before Clementi's suicide.

Gay rights groups say Clementi's suicide makes him a national example of a problem they are increasingly working to combat: young people who kill themselves after being tormented over their sexuality. Clementi jumped off the George Washington Bridge September 22, 2010.

The suicide of Tyler Clementi, a Rutgers University freshman who jumped off the George Washington Bridge in September 2010 after a recording of him having an intimate encounter with a man was broadcast online, sparked a national conversation about bullying of gay youths.

A Twitter account belonging to Ravi was deleted, but in a cached version retained through Google he sent a message on Sept. 19: "Roommate asked for the room till midnight. I went into molly's room and turned on my webcam. I saw him making out with a dude. Yay." Two days later, he wrote on Twitter: "Anyone with iChat, I dare you to video chat me between the hours of 9:30 and 12. Yes it's happening again."

A Twitter account belonging to Ravi was deleted, but in a cached version retained through Google he sent a message on Sept. 19: "Roommate asked for the room till midnight. I went into molly's room and turned on my webcam. I saw him making out with a dude. Yay." Two days later, he wrote on Twitter: "Anyone with iChat, I dare you to video chat me between the hours of 9:30 and 12. Yes it's happening again."

The suicide of Tyler Clementi, a Rutgers University freshman who jumped off the George Washington Bridge in September 2010 after a recording of him having a sexual encounter with a man was broadcast online, sparked a national conversation about bullying of gay youths.

Dharun Ravi (right), the former Rutgers University student accused of using a webcam to spy on roommate Tyler Clementi's intimate encounter with another man, rejected a plea deal on Dec. 9 that would have kept him out of jail. Ravi's lawyer, Steven Altman, says the 19-year-old rejected the deal because, "He's innocent. He's not guilty."

Dharun Ravi, Tyler Clementi's former roommate — Pool,AP Photo/Mark R. Sullivan, File

Ravi is not charged in connection with Clementi's death, but faces 15 criminal counts, including invasion of privacy, witness and evidence tampering and bias intimidation. The last is a hate crime under New Jersey law punishable by up to 10 years in state prison. In order to convict Ravi of bias intimidation, prosecutors must persuade jurors that he acted out of bias toward gays.