Potential jurors in the trial of Dharun Ravi, a former Rutgers student accused of using a webcam to record his roommate's sex encounter with another man, will learn the name of that man, who has so far been identified only by his initials.
According to news reports, New Jersey Superior Court Judge Glenn Berman told attorneys at a pretrial conference Jan. 20 that the man's name will be on a list of potential witnesses on a questionnaire jurors will fill out. Attorneys customarily provide the lists to ensure no potential juror knows a potential witness.
Ravi also attended the pretrial conference in New Brunswick, N.J., The Star-Ledger said. Jury selection is set for Feb. 17 and the trial is expected to start by early March. Ravi, 19, last month refused to plead guilty to any of 15 charges accusing him of bias intimidation and using a webcam to remotely spy on his former roommate, Tyler Clementi, in their dorm room in September 2010.
Clementi later committed suicide. If convicted, Ravi could face up to 10 years in prison.
According to authorities, Ravi viewed Clementi from the room of another friend, Molly Wei. In May, Wei pleaded not guilty to two counts of invasion of privacy, according to a statement from the Middlesex County Prosecutor's Office. She has now reached a plea deal with prosecutors that requires her to testify against Ravi.
Ravi and Wei both withdrew from Rutgers after they were charged following Clementi’s death.
Authorities said that after viewing Clementi, Ravi used his Twitter account to tell friends he saw the freshman “making out with a dude.” Ravi also is accused of trying and failing to set up the webcam a second time so others could watch Clementi and the man.
