The roommate of a Rutgers University student who killed himself last year after allegedly being spied on during an encounter with another man entered a not guilty plea in court on Monday.
Nineteen-year-old Dharun Ravi of Plainsboro was formally notified of the 15 charges he faces.
The most serious is bias intimidation, which alleges that he acted because his roommate, Tyler Clementi, was gay. Ravi could get up to 10 years in prison if he's convicted on that charge.
He's also been indicted on numerous other charges, including invasion of privacy.
Ravi's lawyer has said he didn't commit any crimes.
A second student, Molly Wei, is also charged in the case. In the beginning of May, a judge agreed to allow Wei into pretrial intervention. The intervention means that the 19-year-old could avoid jail time and have her criminal record erased if she cooperates, completes hundreds of hours of community service and has a job.
Clementi killed himself days after the alleged spying in September, sparking a national conversation about bullying endured by young gays.
Teen Pleads Not Guilty in Webcam Suicide
Dharun Ravi is accused of spying on his Rutger’s roommate during an intimate encounter, prompting his suicide.
Copyright AP - Associated Press
