13 Charged in Hazing Death at Florida A&M By ROBBIE BROWN ORLANDO, Fla. -- Thirteen people were criminally charged Wednesday with hazing in the death of a Florida A&M University marching band member who was beaten after a football game last fall.
Connect With Us on Twitter Follow @NYTNational for breaking news and headlines. Twitter List: Reporters and Editors Prosecutors announced wide-ranging charges in the case of Robert Champion, 26, whose death in November turned a spotlight on the prevalence of hazing within elite marching bands. "Hazing is something that will continue to happen out of sight until a student like Robert Champion pays the ultimate price," Lawson Lamar, the state attorney for the Ninth Judicial Court, said at a news conference. More than 20 people will also face misdemeanor charges in other hazing cases at Florida A&M that did not result in death, Mr. Lamar said. Of those charged in Mr. Champion's death, 11 were charged with felonies and 2 with misdemeanors. Police officers across the state are working to arrest the suspects, who have not yet been named. Felony hazing charges carry up to six years in prison. Mr. Champion died on Nov. 19 after being beaten, kicked and suffocated by fellow students during a hazing ritual aboard a bus after a football game against the school's rival, Bethune-Cookman University, prosecutors said. Under a tradition known as "Crossing Bus C," students would walk down the aisle of the bus while classmates punched them. Mr. Champion was found lifeless on the bus and pronounced dead at a hospital. Florida passed a strict antihazing law in 2005 after a college student drowned during a fraternity event. The law makes it easier for prosecutors to treat hazing as a felony. It would have been a legal challenge for prosecutors to prove that band members were guilty of murder or manslaughter, said George R. Dekle, a law professor at the University of Florida. With so many students participating in the hazing, he said, it would be difficult to persuade jurors that one student's actions caused Mr. Champion's death. There may also be civil charges brought in the case. The Champion family's lawyer, Christopher M. Chestnut, has said he wants the university and band director held responsible. The family sued the company that owns the bus, saying the driver stood by while hazing took place. Mr. Champion, 26, a clarinet player from Decatur, Ga., had dreamed since high school of attending Florida A&M, a 13,000-student African-American school in Tallahassee. The school's famed band, known as the Marching 100, has performed at Super Bowl halftime shows and President Obama's inauguration. Mr. Champion tried out twice before being selected as one of six drum majors in 2010. His parents say he was beaten so severely because he had voiced concerns about the band's hazing culture. They also say he was bullied because he was gay. Since Mr. Champion's death, Florida A&M has faced a series of reports of abuse and hazing. In December, three band members were arrested for allegedly beating a female classmate so severely that her thigh was broken and she had blood clots in her legs. And last month, two music professors resigned after being accused of participating in hazing fraternity pledges in 2010. The university has suspended the band and said it might not perform during this fall's football season. The band's director, Julian White, was initially fired and then placed on paid administrative leave. The case has raised awareness at universities across the country that hazing can bring criminal and legal repercussions, said Susan Lipkins, a psychologist who specializes in college hazing. "It's getting more common to see these issues handled in court," she said. "Universities have turned a blind eye for a long time. But they can no longer afford to do that." More: http://www.nytimes.com/2012/05/03/us/13-charged-in-hazing-death-at-florida-am.html?_r=1&google_editors_picks=true -- Together, we can change the world, one mind at a time. Have a great day, Tommy -- Together, we can change the world, one mind at a time. Have a great day, Tommy -- Thanks for being part of "PoliticalForum" at Google Groups. For options & help see http://groups.google.com/group/PoliticalForum * Visit our other community at http://www.PoliticalForum.com/ * It's active and moderated. Register and vote in our polls. * Read the latest breaking news, and more.
