Tyler Clementi, 18, who was studying at Rutgers University in New Jersey, USA, jumped from the George Washington Bridge. He posted a final message on the social networking website Facebook, which read: "Jumping off the gw bridge sorry." Paul Mainardi, a lawyer for his family said: "Tyler was a fine young man and a distinguished musician. The family is heartbroken beyond words." His driver's licence and university identification card were found in a wallet left on the bridge on Sep 22 after two witnesses saw someone jump. His body has not been recovered.
Fellow students Dharun Ravi, who was Clementi's room-mate, and Molly Wei, have been charged with invasion of privacy and could face up to five years in prison if convicted. They are accused of placing a camera in the room and streaming the images straight on to the internet. In a message posted on microblogging website Twitter on Sep 19 Ravi allegedly said: "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."
Steven Goldstein, chairman of the gay rights group Garden State Equality, said his group considers Clementi's death a hate crime. He said: "We are heartbroken over the tragic loss of a young man who, by all accounts, was brilliant, talented and kind. "And we are sickened that anyone in our society, such as the students allegedly responsible for making the surreptitious video, might consider destroying others' lives as a sport."
