ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — Two former band members who were on the bus the night a Florida A&M University drum major was fatally beaten during a hazing ritual identified Dante Martin as the ring leader of the events.
Former band member Lizette Sanchez testified Wednesday that Martin decided who was allowed to participate in the "crossing Bus C" rituals. She said she was seeking a reprieve from being shunned by others who'd gone through it previously, and completed the ritual shortly before Robert Champion of Decatur, Georgia, in November 2011.
Champion died from injuries sustained during the ritual, which involved getting kicked and punched. Martin is charged with manslaughter and hazing.
Also on Wednesday morning, Jonathan Boyce described witnessing Champion collapse shortly after the ritual, which followed a football game in Orlando.
