Student accused over gay suicide is ‘innocent’
One of the Rutgers students accused of broadcasting images of gay teenager Tyler Clementi having sex is innocent, her lawyers say.
Molly Wei, 18, was arrested last week alongside Dharun Ravi, also 18. The pair were charged with invasion of privacy and, if found guilty, could face up to five years in jail.
Ms Wei is said to have allowed Mr Ravi to use her computer after the latter was asked for privacy by his roommate Mr Clementi.
Using Ms Wei’s computer, Mr Ravi allegedly remotely switched on his webcam to see Mr Clementi having sex with a man. He is said to have streamed the images.
When Mr Clementi asked for privacy again several days later, Mr Ravi allegedly returned to Ms Wei’s room and made another attempt to broadcast the encounter.
In a statement released yesterday, Ms Wei’s lawyers said she was innocent and described her as “a wonderful, caring and talented young woman with a bright future”.
They added that she had suffered unfounded attacks on her character, CBS News reported.
Both Ms Wei and Mr Ravi are facing two charges of invasion of privacy, relating to incidents on September 19th and 21st. Mr Clementi jumped from the George Washington Bridge on September 22nd.
Prosecutors are exploring the possibility of charging them with hate crimes but Middlesex County prosecutor Bruce Kaplan told the Star-Ledger that there may not be enough evidence for more charges.
On Sunday, a vigil was held for Mr Clementi, who had only started university several weeks before his death.
