In a Feb. 24, 2012 file photo former Rutgers University student, Dharun Ravi, arrives at his trial in New Brunswick, N.J. Sentencing for 20-year-old Dharun Ravi is scheduled for Monday May 21, 2012. (AP Photo/Mel Evans/file)GEOFF MULVIHILL
NEW BRUNSWICK, N.J. (AP) – A former Rutgers University student who used a webcam to watch his roommate kiss another man days before the roommate killed himself was sentenced today to 30 days in jail.
A judge also gave 20-year-old Dharun Ravi three years of probation, resolving the first part of the legal odyssey in an unusual, emotional and tragic case dealing with the consequences of bad decisions by young people in the Internet age – but certainly not ending the debate surrounding New Jersey’s tough hate-crimes laws.
Judge Glenn Berman said he would not recommend Ravi be deported to India, where he was born and remains a citizen. But Ravi was ordered to get counseling and to pay $10,000 that would go to a program to help victims of bias crimes.
The case began in September 2010 when Ravi’s randomly assigned freshman-year roommate asked Ravi to stay away so he and a guest could have privacy.