ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — Defendants in the hazing death of a Florida A&M drum major have been given the stiffer charge of manslaughter by the new prosecutor and a longer wait until their case goes to trial.
Recently sworn-in State Attorney Jeff Ashton added the second-degree felony count Monday for each of 10 band members who were charged last May with third-degree felony hazing in the 2011 death of 26-year-old Robert Champion of Decatur, Ga.
Prosecutors also charged two new defendants with manslaughter Monday. The manslaughter charge announced during a status hearing carries a penalty of up to 15 years in prison.
The move could put pressure on the 12 defendants to seek plea bargains before the case makes it to a courtroom.
MARCH 4, 2013 3:03 P.M.
ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) -Prosecutors are charging 12 former Florida A&M University band members with manslaughter in the 2011 hazing death of a drum major.
Ten of the band members had been charged last May with felony hazing for the death of 26-year-old Robert Champion, but prosecutors said Monday they are raising the charges to manslaughter. They also have charged two additional defendants with manslaughter.
Champion died in Orlando in November 2011 after he collapsed following what prosecutors say was a savage beating during a hazing ritual. It happened on a bus parked in a hotel parking lot after Florida A&M played Bethune-Cookman in their annual rivalry football game.
Authorities say Champion had bruises on his chest, arms, shoulder and back and died of internal bleeding. Witnesses told emergency dispatchers that the drum major was vomiting before he was found unresponsive aboard the bus.
