Ex-FAMU Band Members Charged With Manslaughter

Twelve former members of the famed Florida A&M marching band face charges of manslaughter in the 2011 hazing death of drum major Robert Champion, prosecutors announced on Monday. Twenty-six-year-old Champion died in November 2011 after enduring a post-football-game ritual conducted by other band members on a bus.

Two of the defendants are newly charged, and 10 were previously charged with hazing, a third-degree felony, last spring. According to the Orlando Sentinel's reporting, it was not immediately clear why State Attorney Jeff Ashton decided to upgrade charges.

Manslaughter, a second-degree felony in Florida, is punishable by up to 15 years in prison.

Read more at the Orlando Sentinel.

Like The Root on Facebook. Follow us on Twitter.  

 

Tweet