Defense Begins in Clementi Case

Lawyers representing Dharun Ravi, the Rutgers University student charged with invasion of privacy, bias intimidation, and evidence tampering in the case of Tyler Clementi, began their defense on Friday. Over the tense day, seven of Ravi’s family friends took the stand to say that the young man accused of a hate crime against Clementi, who committed suicide in 2010, had never done anything to indicate that he was homophobic, a point the defense is trying hard to drive home. The session ended Friday with a defense attorney hammering lead investigator Frank DiNinno on the credibility of Lokesh Ojha, one of the state’s primary witnesses. Questioning will pick up again when the case resumes on Monday.