Friends of Dharun Ravi, the former Rutgers University student accused of bullying his gay roommate into a suicidal bridge jump, said in letters of support that he has an awkward sense of humor, but is neither hateful nor homophobic.
"He loved to joke around with people, though his humor could sometimes be classified as sarcastic," wrote Mohini Singali in a letter included in court filings by Ravi's attorneys on Friday asking a judge to sentence him to probation rather than prison. "Not many people were a fan of this, but that is who Dharun was. Never did he have any intentions to injure anyone."
Ravi, 20, was convicted in March on charges that include bias, intimidation, invasion of privacy and evidence tampering.
Sentencing is scheduled for May 21. The most serious charges each carry a maximum sentence of five to 10 years. As an Indian citizen raised in New Jersey, Ravi may be deported after serving his sentence. If probation is granted, deportation would be less likely, Ravi's lawyers wrote.
Ravi spied on his roommate, Rutgers freshman Tyler Clementi, 18, with a webcam, watched with another student, then tweeted about it. Clementi leaped to his death from the George Washington Bridge days later.
The letters, many from high school classmates, are part of the ongoing defense campaign to characterize Ravi's actions as a bad prank gone awry. In Friday's filing, defense lawyers portray Ravi as an ostracized young man who withered under the blazing glare of the news media. (See The Full Sentencing Memo Below.)
"Immediately upon arrest, Dharun became the face of cyber-bullying and homophobia in the media," the defense lawyers wrote in documents submitted to Superior Court in Middlesex County. "As an eighteen year old who has become the subject of scholarly articles, television specials and countless newspaper and magazine articles, he withdrew from his friends and anyone who wanted to keep in contact with him."
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