NEW BRUNSWICK, N.J., March 8 (UPI) -- The prosecution rested its case Thursday in the New Jersey trial of a former Rutgers student accused of spying on a gay roommate.
The roommate subsequently killed himself.
The (Newark, N.J.) Star-Ledger said defense lawyers for Dharun Ravi likely would make a motion for dismissal of the charges after a courtroom break in New Brunswick.
Prosecutors presented more than 20 witnesses over 10 days of testimony. The newspaper said the witnesses included college students, law enforcement officers, Rutgers residence life officials and computer experts.
But much of the evidence presented came from digital records of tweets, text messages and instant message chats, the Star-Ledger said, involving Ravi, his roommate Tyler Clementi and other students.
The witnesses said Ravi turned on his computer Web cam in September 2010 and saw Clementi kissing a man in their Rutgers dorm room. Ravi immediately announced to his twitter followers he saw his "roommate making out with a dude. Yay," some witnesses said.
Ravi unsuccessfully tried to set up the Web cam a second time, two witnesses said.
Ravi is charged with bias intimidation as a hate crime, invasion of privacy and hindering apprehension. If convicted on the bias charges, he faces up to 10 years in prison.
Superior Court Judge Glenn Berman excused the jury until 9 a.m. Friday while the judge and the lawyers discuss what should be admitted into evidence, the newspaper said.
Clementi jumped to his death from the George Washington Bridge on Sept. 22, 2010.
