A former Rutgers University student pleaded guilty to attempted invasion of privacy in the infamous webcam spying case. The former student captured his roommate, Tyler Clementi, on webcam kissing another man, which led to the latter's suicide.
The former Rutgers University was identified as 24-year-old Dharun Ravi, a resident of Plainsboro and the guilty plea came after an appeals court last month gave a 15-count conviction against him in the 2010 death of Clementi. The agreement that came with the guilty plea was that there should be no additional penalties and the case against Ravi will officially be ended.
Ravi live-streamed Clementi and another man having sexual acts. Clementi killed himself on Sept.22, 2010 and his death sparked debate over the treatment of young gays, USA Today reported.
NBC News also reported that Ravi was sentenced to probation and 30 days in jail. He will not be serving additional time. Middlesex County Prosecutor Andrew Carey said that the plea agreement was a reasonable way to resolve the case.
The parents of Clementi, Joe and Jane, released a statement saying, "We have learned that our legislators need to make constitutionally valid and clear laws. And we have learned that witnesses or bystanders need to become upstanders for those in our society like Tyler, who cannot stand up for themselves." They then urged young people and parents to think about their behavior to people like Clementi and should report or interrupt any kind of harassment or humiliation.
Ravi has not been charged in the death of Clementi. He also invited other people to spy on his roommate after he believed that Clementi and another man were going to have a sexual activity. In the past, Ravi was sentenced to 30 days and was placed on probation for three years.
He was also ordered to serve 300 hours of community service and participate in cyberbullying counseling. He also paid $10,000 in fines. However, change in the state law took place and another trial was made. As per the law, he cannot be punished with a harsher punishment, thus the same sentence was imposed.
