Molly Wei (pictured), one of the Rutgers University students accused of spying on gay classmate Tyler Clementi prior to his suicide, entered into a plea deal Friday that will require her to testify against the other student charged in the case, New Jersey’s Star-Ledger reports.
Wei, 19, will have to testify against Dharun Ravi, also 19, who is accused of setting up the online filming of Clementi’s intimate encounter with another man last September at the New Jersey school and advertising it on Twitter. Clementi, 18, killed himself by jumping off the George Washington Bridge between New York and New Jersey after learning of the filming. Ravi, who was Clementi’s roommate, is charged with a hate crime, invasion of privacy, and evidence tampering.
In Middlesex County, N.J., superior court Friday, Wei, who is charged with two counts of invasion of privacy, pleaded not guilty to watching the online video with Ravi in her dorm room, and a judge accepted her application to enter into a pretrial intervention program that could result in dismissal of the charges. In addition to testifying against Ravi, who is set to appear in court May 23, she must complete 300 hours of community service and receive counseling on cyber-bullying and dealing with people with “alternative lifestyles,” the Star-Ledger reports.
Clementi’s family released a statement saying they would not object to Wei’s admission into the program, as they believe her actions “were substantially different in their nature and extent than the actions of Tyler’s former roommate.” Tyler’s father, Joe Clementi, told the court the family hopes that by going through the program, Wei “will become a better person and show kindness to people.”
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