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Former student accepts deal in Rutgers suicide case

From Nina Raja, CNN
Molly Wei must participate in counseling associated with cyberbullying and alternate and cultural lifestyles.
Molly Wei must participate in counseling associated with cyberbullying and alternate and cultural lifestyles.
STORY HIGHLIGHTS
  • An ex-Rutgers student is admitted to a pretrial intervention program
  • Molly Wei is accused of invasion of privacy for viewing student's same-sex encounter
  • Wei is required to do community service and must testify against classmate Dharun Ravi
  • Tyler Clementi jumped from the George Washington Bridge after the incident
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(CNN) -- A former Rutgers University student who allegedly watched a web video secretly taken of a male student's sexual encounter with another man has been admitted to a pretrial intervention program.

Molly Wei pleaded not guilty Friday to two counts of invasion of privacy, according to a statement from the Middlesex County Prosecutor's Office.

The case exposed the issue of bullying and suicide on school campuses after a grand jury indictment alleged that Wei's classmate Dharun Ravi secretly streamed online the encounter between his roommate, Tyler Clementi, and another man in September 2010.

Clementi's body was recovered from the Hudson River on September 30, more than a week after he jumped from the George Washington Bridge, which spans the Hudson River separating New York and New Jersey.

Should Wei complete the three-year program without additional legal troubles, the invasion of privacy charges for allegedly watching the video will be dropped, the office said.

Wei will be required to complete 300 hours of community service and must participate in counseling associated with cyberbullying and alternate and cultural lifestyles.

The deal also requires that she testify against Ravi, who allegedly set up the camera.

A grand jury indicted Ravi on 15 counts including invasion of privacy, bias intimidation, tampering with physical evidence, witness tampering and hindering apprehension or prosecution.

Authorities said Ravi secretly placed a camera in the room and accessed it remotely.

He "then provided others an opportunity to view the encounter," Middlesex County Prosecutor Bruce J. Kaplan said in a written statement.

Two days later, Ravi attempted to view a second encounter between Clementi and the same male, alerting others on Twitter of the planned meeting, the statement said.

Ravi is accused of then deleting the tweet and replacing it with a false tweet in an effort to mislead investigators, according to the statement.