Tyler Clementi suicide

2012-02-21 23:18:56

#1

Macbeth: Banned; +2,444|5578

He was not taking this deal. Berman set a trial date of February 21st.

Hey that was yesterday.

Anyway

Tyler Clementi was an eighteen-year-old student at Rutgers University in Piscataway, New Jersey, who jumped to his death from the George Washington Bridge on September 22, 2010. His roommate Dharun Ravi and a fellow hallmate, Molly Wei, had viewed Clementi kissing another man via an iChat video-stream between a webcam on Ravi's computer and a computer in Wei's dorm room without Clementi's knowledge. Ravi later attempted to view Clementi's sexual encounters a second time and drew attention to the event by making Twitter postings to friends. Ravi has been charged with invasion of privacy, bias intimidation, witness tampering, and evidence tampering, while Wei is not being charged in exchange for testifying against Ravi.

Pretty good article from the New Yorker. I recommend it if this is relevant to your interest.

So do you think the charges against his roommate are right? According to the article, the plea deal offered to him was "no more than five years". If found guilty he is looking at a max of 10.

I'm going to have to say no. Ultimately the responsibility for the death of Tyler lies with Tyler. Tyler jumped off the bridge, he wasn't pushed. The amount of time he is facing is more than many violent offenders. He could do a pretty good amount of time for small prank. It's a ridiculous overreaction. Witness and evidence tampering? Really? The kid is massive prick but having your name forever linked with Tyler's death is probably punishment enough. The worst I can agree to is several years of probation and other non prison penalties.

I don't really care bout this kids fate or anything. If they put him under the jail I could live with that. It's the reassigning of blame I take offense to.

Last edited by Macbeth (2012-02-21 23:31:22)

2012-02-22 00:52:32

#2

Jaekus: I'm the matchstick that you'll never lose; +957|5171|Sydney

Invasion of privacy no doubt. Dunno if it's 5 years jail time though.

2012-02-22 16:38:33

#3

eusgen: Nugget; +402|6785|Jupiter

Jaekus wrote:
Invasion of privacy no doubt. Dunno if it's 5 years jail time though.

Yea, unfortunately the suicide probably stemmed from other problems and that was more or less the "push" he needed.

2012-02-22 16:41:41

#4

eleven bravo: Member; +1,399|5251|foggy bottom

privacy is not really a right in the constitution

Tu Stultus Es

2012-02-22 17:20:44

#5

HITNRUNXX: Member; +220|6702|Oklahoma City

I don't think MOST laws are mentioned in the constitution...

2012-02-22 17:30:48

#6

eleven bravo: Member; +1,399|5251|foggy bottom

for reals?

Tu Stultus Es

2012-02-22 17:49:24

#7

eusgen: Nugget; +402|6785|Jupiter

You guys are steering this thread in the wrong direction ;-)

2012-02-22 17:56:16

#8

13rin: Member; +977|6471

Guess they don't have video voyeurism laws there. But hey, I don't want to go jumping to any conclusions here.

I stood in line for four hours. They better give me a Wal-Mart gift card, or something. - Rodney Booker, Job Fair attendee.

2012-02-22 18:12:28

#9

HITNRUNXX: Member; +220|6702|Oklahoma City

The thing is, you do have laws protecting your privacy. This person broke those laws and deserves to be punished for them. I didn't read the whole article and don't know all the rest of the charges came from (like evidence tampering) but they aren't charging him with manslaughter or anything, so they are only punishing him for the laws he broke... Now, we don't even know if he will get 5, but the maximum for the crimes he committed is 10, so guaranteeing him less than half the max is not uncommon for a plea bargain... "No more than" could have been 1 or or less... But most likely, it would have been the full 5.

Are they being harsher on him because there was a death involved? Probably. Should they be? Absolutely. Is he at fault for the death? Debatable.. BUT again, I don't know what all else goes with this case... I agree with Macbeth, he didn't kill the guy, so he shouldn't be held accountable for murder/manslaughter/etc... But he should be held accountable for the crimes he did commit.

2012-02-22 18:18:36

#10

eleven bravo: Member; +1,399|5251|foggy bottom

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Griswold_v._Connecticut

Tu Stultus Es

2012-02-22 19:03:47

#11

Jaekus: I'm the matchstick that you'll never lose; +957|5171|Sydney

HITNRUNXX wrote:
The thing is, you do have laws protecting your privacy. This person broke those laws and deserves to be punished for them. I didn't read the whole article and don't know all the rest of the charges came from (like evidence tampering) but they aren't charging him with manslaughter or anything, so they are only punishing him for the laws he broke... Now, we don't even know if he will get 5, but the maximum for the crimes he committed is 10, so guaranteeing him less than half the max is not uncommon for a plea bargain... "No more than" could have been 1 or or less... But most likely, it would have been the full 5.

Are they being harsher on him because there was a death involved? Probably. Should they be? Absolutely. Is he at fault for the death? Debatable.. BUT again, I don't know what all else goes with this case... I agree with Macbeth, he didn't kill the guy, so he shouldn't be held accountable for murder/manslaughter/etc... But he should be held accountable for the crimes he did commit.

I wouldn't say he's at fault or responsible for his death. I would somewhat agree that it was a contributing factor, but I doubt that it was his intention. The guy who jumped is ultimately and solely responsible for his own fate in the end, IMO.

2012-02-22 19:04:18

#12

HITNRUNXX: Member; +220|6702|Oklahoma City

That is privacy in relation to against prosecution, not in relation to against other people spreading your secrets all over Twitter, but I understand your point... Sorry, thought you were saying earlier that there is no rights to privacy when it comes to other people... I get ya now.

2012-02-22 21:03:20

#13

Turquoise: O Canada; +1,596|6397|North Carolina

Clementi was probably unstable to begin with if being outed was enough to inspire him to kill himself.

BF2S Forums Tyler Clementi suicide

Jaekus wrote:

HITNRUNXX wrote:

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