Harassment of Rutgers Student May Not Be Considered Hate Crime
The recent suicide of a Rutgers student due to bullying from his classmates may not be able to be prosecuted as a hate crime, according to NYDailyNews.com.
A recent case that has been receiving national attention involves two Rutgers students who used a webcam to videotape and broadcast one of the student’s male roommates having sex with another male. The individual who was being taped, a freshman at Rutgers, jumped to his death from a bridge only three days after the incident.
The two students who set up the camera have been charged with invasion of privacy and cybersnooping and could face five years in prison each if convicted. Gay rights activists have called for hate crime or murder charges against the students. However, the prosecutor believes that they may not be able to bring hate crime charges against the students because of a lack of appropriate laws.
Traditionally, crimes are labeled as hate crimes if they are motivated because a perpetrator thinks the victim is a member of a certain group, including a racial group, a certain religion, or a certain sexual orientation, ethnicity, or nationality. Hate crimes are generally criminal acts which may include assault, harassment, damage to property, or more.
Hate crimes can be very serious because they traditionally carry harsher penalties than the same crime not labeled as a hate crime. In addition, it can be hard to defend yourself against hate crime allegations, because hate crimes involve determining a person’s particular motivations in committing a crime. If you have been charged with a New Jersey hate crime or another criminal offense, contact the dedicated New Jersey criminal defense attorneys at Lependorf & Silverstein at 609-240-0040 today.
