A state attorney on Wednesday charged 13 individuals in connection with the hazing death of a Florida A&M University drum major in November. The charges range from misdemeanor hazing to felony hazing, which carries a maximum sentence of six years.
State attorney Lawson Lamar said he wouldn't release the names of those charged, since most of them remain at large.
The death of the drum major, 26-year-old Robert Champion, was "nothing short of an American tragedy," he said. "The tradition of hazing in our nation's colleges and universities is something that will continue to occur out of sight until a student like Robert Champion pays the ultimate price."
Mr. Champion collapsed aboard a bus in Orlando after a hazing incident following a football game against rival Bethune-Cookman University. The medical examiner's office in Orlando ruled the death a homicide, caused by internal bleeding resulting from blunt-force trauma.
Mr. Champion, who was previously healthy, died within an hour of the hazing incident, according to the medical examiner's report. An autopsy found "extensive contusions of his chest, arms, shoulder and back," the report said.
The case has ratcheted up pressure on Florida A&M to address a hazing culture on campus. Last week, two faculty members accused of being present during a separate hazing incident in 2010 submitted their resignations.
Posted By: Reginald Culpepper
Wednesday, May 2nd 2012 at 4:08PM
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