22 Convicted of Hazing in Ill. Univ. Student Death
Authorities deemed a recent conviction of 22 former fraternity members the largest hazing prosecution in the country’s history.
22 people were convicted of misdemeanors on May 8 in relation to a Northern Illinois University student’s death while pledging a fraternity in 2012.
Authorities called the ruling the largest hazing prosecution in the country’s history after David Bogenberger, 19, died of alcohol-related causes during a Pi Kappa Alpha party, according to dailyherald.com.
Bogenberger, who was a freshman at the school when he died, was reportedly urged by fraternity members and their guests to consume excessive amounts of alcohol in a short amount of time as part of a hazing ritual. Bogenberger was left unconscious at the party and found dead the next morning with a .351 percent blood alcohol content.
Five Pi Kappa Alpha fraternities pleaded guilty to reckless conduct. James Harvey, 23, Alexander Jandick, 23, Steven Libert, 23, Patrick Merrill, 22, and Omar Salameh, 24 were sentenced to 24 months conditional discharge, will pay a $1,000 fine and do 100 hours of community service. Seventeen other men pleaded guilty to misdemeanor hazing and were sentenced to two years of court supervision, 100 hours of community service and a $500 fine.
The rulings followed emotional testimony by the victim’s parents, who criticized the defendants for not calling paramedics and not “caring one iota for David’s or the fellow pledges’ well-being.”
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