Photo credit: Associated Press

A long while ago, a Rutger’s  University freshman Dharun Ravi knowingly spied on his roommate Tyler Clementi whom was engaging in an intimate encounter with another man; unfortunately days later he jumped off the George Washington Bridge after he was video taped (and streamed on the intranet having sex with his presumed boyfriend).

The evidential questions in the case are not about  what happened involving  Dharun & his roommate but why Ravi was solely motivated to bully his roommate in a dislike for gays.  Mr Ravi faces a slew of charges including:

• Invasion of privacy
• Bias intimidation (hate crime)

Together they both hold a potential prison  sentence of 10 if not more years. Even seventeen months after Mr. Clementi jumped off the George Washington Bridge, the case still commands national headlines — attested by a crowd of journalists  over-packed into a courtroom and even watching on monitors in adjoining rooms.

Mr Ravi, knew that his roommate was gay and had another man with him in their dorm room, but that didn’t stop him from using the webcam on his computer to watch the encounter briefly, from a friends room in the same building. He  viciously posted on Twitter about what he saw, and told his followers that it would happen again and invited them to watch. However, Mr Clementi knew that he had been spied on and blocked the second viewing.

“It was not an accident, not a mistake,” Julia McClure, the first assistant prosecutor for Middlesex County, told the jury in her opening statement. “Those acts were meant to cross one of the most sacred boundaries of human privacy, engaging in private sexual human activity.”

She said in her statements today that Mr. Ravi’s actions ‘were planned to expose not only Tyler’s sexual orientation, but also his private sexual activity’

But in Ravi’s defense, his lawyer Steven D Altman repeatedly stated that their had been no intimidation, and that his client has never felt no dislike towards homosexuals.

“We do stupid things, we make mistakes, especially when we’re young — it doesn’t mean we’re hateful, we’re bigoted or we’re criminal,” he said. “In fact, Dharun never intimidated anyone. He never committed a crime, he never committed a hateful crime. He’s not homophobic. He’s not anti-gay.”

Mr Atlman then argued that much of what has been written about the case in national press is ‘wrong in every way possible’ — for example, he claimed the eavesdropping on Mr. Clementi only lasted ‘two to five seconds’ and showed ‘nothing more than two men kissing, which isn’t even explicit’

In the courtroom on Friday, Mr. Clementi’s parents and his brother, James — who looks eerily like Tyler — looked on impassively, as did members of Mr. Ravi’s family.

Ravi, whom was born in India but grew up in Plainsboro, could face deportation if convicted in the death of Tyler  Clementi. A key witness in the case (Molly Wei, whom was initially charged in the case, but later dismissed)  has agreed to testify in the trial that could very likely land Dharun Ravi in prison for most of his adult life.

Crucial testimony  is expected to come from a man (cliff-note: We will identify him as ‘Bob’ as we have received legal notice not to identify him)  (the slightly older man Tyler had in his room that night).

However, with that specific testimony may come some trouble. As the judge in the case discussed with attorneys how it may seem that he is testifying to protect his privacy.

It is not completely known as to why Clementi decided to kill himself, as many are hoping prosecutors will finally shed light on why such a young man decided to take his life.