Dharun Ravi's last offer from the prosecution was a guilty plea in return for no jail time but a lot of community service and probably some other odds and ends. He rejected it, believing that he had done nothing that was legally culpable. The jury, which deliberated over twelve hours, disagreed. Now, Ravi is facing a sentencing hearing that will determine how much of up to ten years he'll be spending in prison. I'm sure he will appeal, but for now, he played his chances, and he lost.
For more background information, see my post about the NYer article.
Here is an article about the guilty verdict: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/03/16/dharun-ravi-guilty-of-invasion-of-privacy_n_1353616.html
For more background information, see my post about the NYer article.
Here is an article about the guilty verdict: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/03/16/dharun-ravi-guilty-of-invasion-of-privacy_n_1353616.html
Thinking more on this . . . I think that Ravi's choice to prove that he is innocent of the charges are just one more example of how he has not yet gained the ability to fairly appreciate real consequences and make a good decision after weighing them. Ravi made a series of poor choices by texting and IMing about his roommate (they were all available for evidence) and then filming his roommate's actions. Even after being put in the nation's (and even the world's) limelight for "causing" Clementi's suicide, Ravi continued to believe that he would not be convicted. While it is his life, so he has the right to decide to take the deal, Ravi should have acknowledged his record of poor decision making and his inability to contemplate the outcomes. To me, his failure to take the deal with no time attached was one more example of his somewhat haughty, yet also, immature way of thinking. It seems he is overly-assured people will see things his way, and he is now learning that isn't always the case. He's now going to face these real consequences, and I hope that he begins to learn how to anticipate them better.
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