NEW BRUNSWICK, N.J., Feb. 19 (UPI) -- Jury selection is set to begin in the New Jersey trial of a man who either pulled a prank or committed a hate crime, officials say.
Dharun Ravi allegedly used his laptop and camera to record and Internet-broadcast his Rutgers University dorm roommate Tyler Clementi with another man in 2010, leading to Clementi's suicide, prosecutors say. Charged with spying, Ravi's trial in Middlesex County Superior Court is scheduled to be televised on the truTV Channel, and has brought conflicting comment from legal analysts regarding the penalty for such an offense.
Jury selection is scheduled to begin Tuesday.
The Newark (N.J.) Star-Ledger said Sunday the case crosses the lines of bullying, cyber stalking, hate crime and invasion of privacy, or it may merely be a college prank.
The trial, which is expected to last four weeks, is expected to expose the uncertainty of the justice system when dealing with what Susan Abraham, a New York law school and former New Jersey prosecutor, called "this kind of emotional bullying. Should it be treated in criminal courts, or some other way? The problem with criminalizing these postings and the things young people do on the Internet is a lot of them don't know what the rules are. Maybe they should."
