A prosecutor in Florida announced on Wednesday that the state charged 13 people in connection with Robert Champion’s death. Champion was a drum major from Florida A&M who allegedly was beaten to death during a hazing ritual on the band’s bus.
The Osceola and Orange county state attorney, Lawson Lamar, would not name or identify any of the suspects at a news conference that was televised Wednesday from Orlando. The attorney said he could not identify the suspects since the state was in the process of apprehending the 13. Law enforcement officials for Florida said that as of Wednesday only one of the suspects had been taken into custody.
Sheriff Jerry Demings of Orange County said 11 of the 13 faced felony hazing charges that carry a maximum of six years if the individual has no prior record. Over 20 misdemeanor charges for hazing were filed as well, for incidents that that prosecutors became aware of through investigating the death of Champion last November.
Champion died due to a brutal beating on a bus following the Florida A&M football game against Bethune-Cookman one of its biggest rivals. Shock waves were sent across university campuses across the country, where administrators have attempted to rein in the rituals of hazing at fraternities and other organizations on campus.
The victim’s parents have been very critical of how slow the criminal investigation has been. The prosecutor on Wednesday noted that the recent charges fell under a criminal statute for anti-hazing that became law in 2011. Charges that are more serious were not brought, says Lawson, because not enough evidence was found to charge anyone with murder.
