Wednesday, September 29, 2010

Cyber Sex Suicide


The Tragic Story of Tyler Clementi, Rutgers' Webcam Voyeurism VictimThe Tragic Story of Tyler Clementi, Rutgers'Webcam Voyeyrism

New details about the victim and alleged perpetrators in Rutgers'deadly cyber-voyeurism case have emerged: Tyler Clementi, age 18, is believed to have jumped to his death after his roommate broadcasted video of Tyler "making out with a dude" online.

As we reported this morning, Dharun Ravitweeted last week about secretly recording—then publicly broadcasting—video of his college roommate "making out with a dude." Now The Newark Star-Ledger reports that Clementi is presumed dead after his car, cell phone, and computer were discovered near the George Washington Bridge. Tyler's wallet lay abandoned on a walkway. He is believed to have thrown himself into the Hudson River and died.

The Tragic Story of Tyler Clementi, Rutgers' Webcam Voyeurism VictimTyler Clementi grew up in Ridgewood, NJ and was a freshman on Rutgers' Piscataway campus. Dharun Ravi, also an 18-year-old freshman, is from Plainsboro and attended West Windsor-Plainsboro High School North. Ravi's classmate in high school and college, Molly Wei, has been charged with invasion of privacy alongside him for her role in the webcam affair: Ravi tweeted that he watched his livestream of Tyler from a computer in Molly's room. Both Dharun and Molly face up to five years in jail.

Tyler's Facebook profile is still up. It offers little information other than a single Favorite Quotation: "What do you get when you kiss a guy? You get enough germs to catch pneumonia..." —Promises Promises [Star-Ledger, NYDN]