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Saturday 1 November 2014
Ex-FAMU band member convicted in hazing death
ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — A former Florida A&M
band member accused of being the ringleader
of a brutal hazing ritual known as "Crossing Bus
C" that killed a drum major was convicted Friday
of manslaughter and felony hazing.
Prosecutors said Dante Martin, 27, was known
as "the president of Bus C" and organized the
initiations that required fellow band members
to try to make their way through a pounding
gauntlet of fists, drumsticks and mallets from
the front of the bus to the back in November
2011 after a football game. Two other band
members went through the bus before Robert
Champion, 26, of Decatur, Georgia. Martin was
convicted of misdemeanor hazing counts in
their beatings.
Champion's parents sat silently as the verdicts
were read. Martin sat with his head down.
Martin's sentencing was set for Jan. 9 and he
was taken into custody. Manslaughter is
punishable by up to 15 years in prison in
Florida.
Champion complained of trouble breathing and
vomited after the ritual, then collapsed and died
in a parking lot. His death cast a pall over the
school's nationally acclaimed band, which had
played at Super Bowls and before U.S.
presidents. The band was suspended for more
than a year after the death and several school
officials resigned in the aftermath.
Defense attorneys told jurors the ritual was
more akin to a competition and that there was
no actual hazing. They said Champion and the
others voluntarily took part.
"You can't take it in isolation and act like it was
just any other band," defense attorney Richard
Escobar said during closing arguments. "Brutal
as it was, foolish as it was…it was competitive."
Prosecutor Jeff Ashton said testimony made it
clear that band members were looking for a
measure of respect and acceptance by "crossing
Bus C." But he challenged the defense's
argument.
"Tradition didn't kill Robert Champion," Ashton
said. "Tradition isn't to blame. Tradition is not
an excuse…It's not a defense to those that got
caught."
Several other former band members have
pleaded guilty to lesser charges, and three
others await trial.
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