Opening statements set for Friday in Rutgers webcam case

Opening statements are set for Friday in the trial of former Rutgers University freshman Dharun Ravi, who is charged with using a laptop webcam to secretly view his college roommate in a sexual encounter with another man.

Jury selection in the high-profile case was completed Thursday in Middlesex County Superior Court in New Brunswick. The trial is expected to last up to four weeks.

Ravi's roommate, Tyler Clementi, 18, committed suicide by jumping off the George Washington Bridge on Sept. 22, 2010, days after learning that he had been spied on.

Though not part of the 15-count indictment handed up against Ravi, Clementi's death has brought international attention to the case, which gay-rights advocates say underscores the problems of bullying and intimidation aimed at homosexuals.

Ravi, who turns 20 Tuesday, could be sentenced to 10 years in prison if convicted of bias-intimidation, or hate-crime, charges.

Through his attorneys, Ravi, of Plainsboro, N.J., has said he did not intend to intimidate or harass Clementi. Supporters of Ravi describe the case as a prank gone bad.

The indictment handed up by a county grand jury last year also charged Ravi with invasion of privacy, hindering prosecution, and witness tampering.