Three More Found Guilty of FAMU Hazing Death
Justice has been served for the family of Robert Champion. The last three defendants charged with the death of the Florida A&M major by hazing have been convicted, WFTV reports.
Jurors came to their decisions to convict Benjamin McNamee, Darryl Cearnel and Aaron Golson after two-and-a-half hours of deliberation. The verdict closes a three-year-old case that put a harsh spotlight on ritualized hazing within the school's famed band.
The defendants were charged with manslaughter and hazing for the death of the 26-year-old in 2011, when Champion was beaten to death aboard a band bus parked outside an Orlando hotel room. A total of 15 defendants were charged, with two currently serving jail time and the others offered plea deals for probation and community service.
In 2012, Champion's family was offered $300,000 as a settlement for his death, but turned it down, calling the offer "an insult."
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(Photo: Stephen M. Dowell/Orlando Sentinel/TNS via Getty Images)
