Parents of Rutgers student: No harsh punishment

NEWARK, N.J. - March 22, 2011 (WPVI) -- The parents of the Rutgers University student who killed himself after authorities said his intimate encounter with a man was captured by a webcam don't want his roommate to receive "harsh punishment."

But the family's lawyer tells The Star-Ledger of Newark that Tyler Clementi's parents want the invasion-of-privacy case prosecuted.

Attorney Paul Mainardi says the family feels it's important to establish it was not "a college prank."

His roommate, Dharun Ravi, and classmate Molly Wei are each charged with two counts of invasion of privacy. The freshmen both withdrew from Rutgers.

Prosecutors are still considering additional bias crime charges because Clementi was gay. He killed himself in September.

Jane and Joseph Clementi issued a statement saying they'll launch a foundation to raise awareness about bullying and how the Internet affects young people's privacy.

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Information from: The Star-Ledger, http://www.nj.com/starledger

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