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Thirty-seven members of the Pi Delta Psi fraternity at Baruch College in New York City have been charged in the hazing-related death of<span style="color: Red;">*</span>Chun “Michael” Deng, according to multiple reports.
Five<span style="color: Red;">*</span>fraternity<span style="color: Red;">*</span>members were charged with third-degree murder on Monday and<span style="color: Red;">*</span>32<span style="color: Red;">*</span>others face criminal charges in assault, hindering apprehension and hazing, according to<span style="color: Red;">*</span>The New York Times.
In December of 2013, Deng, a 19-year-old freshman at Baruch, was attending a fraternity retreat in Pennsylvania where he allegedly was forced to carry a backpack filled with 30 lbs. of sand and walk blindfolded across a frozen yard. The<span style="color: Red;">*</span>hazing ritual — called the “glass ceiling” — had Pi Delta Psi members attempting to get in his way and tackling him, according to a<span style="color: Red;">*</span>Times‘ account of a Pocono Mountain Regional Police Department statement.
The statement, it reports, went on to say<span style="color: Red;">*</span>that these tackles allegedly involved members picking him up and throwing him on the ground, an act referred to as “spearing.” Although Deng complained of head pains, the hazing continued until he was knocked out. The fraternity delayed in seeking medical help, the Times reported.
Fraternity members told authorities that they saw Deng fall<span style="color: Red;">*</span>to the ground, but couldn’t make out who pushed him because it was dark, according to an affidavit obtained by CNN. They said they then brought Deng, who was unconscious, inside near a fire, where they called the Pi Delta Psi national president Andy Meng. Meng told the men to hide all fraternity materials, according to the affidavit.
The next morning, members transported Deng to the hospital, where he died of head trauma.
A week after Deng’s death, Meng released a statement condemning the chapter, and announcing<span style="color: Red;">*</span>that National Pi Delta Psi was revoking its affiliation with Baruch College.
The Baruch chapter “has violated the values and rules of our organization, including our strict no hazing policy,” Meng wrote. “As such, they shall no longer be recognized as having any association with Pi Delta Psi. Additionally, we will also revoke the individual memberships of any member found involved in this incident.”
Monroe County District Attorney David Christine told the Times that he thinks the charges are fair, and that he’ll follow the grand jury’s recommendations.
These charges of third-degree murder, which does not imply premeditation, could land some fraternity members<span style="color: Red;">*</span>in prison for up to 20 years.
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