NEW YORK (LALATE) – Dharun Ravi and Molly Wei (photos below) could now face bias charges. Dharun Ravi and Molly Wei were charged last week with invasion counts; but in a statement to news late tonight, local prosecutors confirm they are investigating possible addition of biases charges. If added, the charges would follow comments from the Governor today asked for his AG to investigate the likelihood of such counts.
Last Wednesday, Dharun Ravi and Molly Wei were charged with illegally taping fellow Rutgers freshman Tyler Clemente. A week ago Wednesday, Ravi, 18, was freed on $25,000 bail and Wei, 18, was released on her own recognizance. Each were charged with invasion of privacy for the September 19 broadcast. Ravi was charged with two more counts of invasion of privacy for the attempted September 21st recording that failed.
But today, local county Prosecutor Bruce Kaplan said in a statement that the charges could now be supplemented. “The initial focus of this investigation has been to determine who was responsible for remotely activating the camera in the dormitory room of the student and then transmitting the encounter on the Internet.”
“Now that two individuals have been charged with invasion of privacy, we will be making every effort to assess whether bias played a role in the incident, and, if so, we will bring appropriate charges.”
Within hours of Ravi and Wei being released, Clementi committed suicide.
Ravi ridicules Clementi’s desire for private time with a male companion in his online tweets. Ravi thereafter deleted the tweets in the attempt to cover up his tracks.
On the twitter account of “Dharun” (since deleted), Dharum Ravi on the 19th twittered “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.”
Governor Christie said to news today “I think it’s inappropriate for the governor to get involved in instructing the attorney general in areas of criminal prosecution”. But while not “instructing”, Christie allegedly is talking to Attorney General Paula Dow about bias charges being applicable in this case.
Ravi was Clementi’s roommate and “Molly” was Ravi’s high school friend who also made the move to Rutgers. Dharun allegedly went to Wei’s room, set up a live streaming video feed online for others to watch his roommate have relations with his boyfriend. Thereafter, Ravi allegedly posted images of the two males.
On September 21, Ravi tried to do it again. He thereafter posted to twitter “Anyone with iChat? I dare you to video chat me between the hours of 9:30 and 12. Yes, it’s happening again.”
Rutgers University President Richard L. McCormick issued a news statement Thursday asking for his campus to learn from their tragic loss. “It is up to us at Rutgers to honor this young man’s life by reaffirming, and living up to, our commitment to the values of civility, dignity, compassion,and respect for one another.”
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