Dharun Ravi and Molly Wei, the Rutgers
University freshmen accused of bullying Tyler Clementi to death, deny
they transmitted a sexual encounter between Clementi and another man,
the Star-Ledger reported.
According to their lawyers, the
freshmen accused of invading Clementi's privacy never transmitted the
sexually explicit video that prompted Clementi to take his own life.
“Nothing was transmitted beyond one
computer and what was seen was only viewed for a matter of seconds,”
Steve Altman, Ravi's attorney, told the paper.
Clementi
jumped off the George Washington Bridge to his death on September 22
after learning that his roommate, Ravi, had secretly streamed live
video of him having sex onto the Internet.
Wei's attorney also claims the
broadcast was limited and only showed the two men hugging and
kissing.
“I'm unaware of any evidence of
sexual contact,” Rubin Sinins said. “I'm also unaware of any
evidence that any video was recorded, reproduced or disseminated in
any way.”
Both students have withdrawn from
Rutgers. Wei's lawyer said the 18-year-old student quit out of fear
for her life. Ravi, also 18, transferred out of Rutgers to another
school.
Ravi and Wei have been charged with
invading 18-year-old Clementi's privacy, but New Jersey officials
have said they are considering charging the pair with committing a
hate crime because Clementi was gay.
Ravi is free on $25,000 bail and Wei is
free on her own recognizance.
Ravi
has said he hopes the public won't rush to judgment. Wei's
attorney has denied her guilt, saying she's “a wonderful, caring
and talented young woman with a bright future.”
Clementi's death sparked a nationwide
debate on gay teens being bullied to death.