Ravi Not Antigay, Witnesses Say

Witnesses said Friday that Dharun Ravi, the roommate of Tyler Clementi, never expressed antigay views, but apparently the subject never came up at all.

Ravi and Clementi were roommates at Rutgers University in New Jersey, and Clementi committed suicide by jumping off the George Washington Bridge in September 2010 after finding out that Ravi used a webcam to view him in a romantic encounter with another man. Ravi is now being tried on bias intimidation, invasion of privacy, and other charges.

Whether Ravi voiced antigay sentiments "is key to the prosecution's contention that Ravi targeted his roommate ... because Clementi was gay," reports the New Jersey paper The Record. Ravi's attorneys say he used the webcam for security purposes. The prosecution rested its case Thursday, and the defense began calling witnesses Friday.

Seven friends of Ravi's family testified in Middlesex County court Friday that they never heard the young man say anything negative about gay people. But they "never had any discussions with Ravi about it either, they said when cross-examined," according to The Record.

The trial will continue Monday. Read more here.