Group Wants Murder Charges In Rutgers Case

The Equality Forum wants murder by manslaughter charges filed in the death of Rutgers student Tyler Clementi.

Malcolm Lazin is the Founder and Executive Director, of Equality Forum, a national and international GLBT civil rights organization.

He says the circumstances of Clementi’s suicide warrant the charges.

Prosecutors say Clementi's roommate and another student used a webcam to broadcast on the Internet live images of Clementi having the intimate encounter.

Clementi jumped off the George Washington Bridge sometime after Sept. 22 after he discovered that his roommate, Dharun Ravi, had broadcast a sexual encounter that he had without his knowledge.

Ravi and Molly Wei, are facing invasion of privacy charges.

Lazin says the two people who taped Clementi in a sex act will likely get probation in the case because they don’t have prior records.

The more serious charges would likely lead to some jail time.

Lazin says the case legally is close to charges faced in a drunken driving case where someone dies, because the taping was premeditated.

Lazin said the criminal law should get an example that such behavior is unacceptable.

Authoriries said last week they are considering bias charges against Rutgers Ravi and Wei.