Robert Champion, the FAMU drum major who died after a hazing incident in Orlando, was a FAMU drum major from Southwest DeKalb High School near Atlanta.
photo: David Tulis/Special to the Orlando Sentinel
Published April 20, 2015Associated Press
ORLANDO, Fla. – The trial of the remaining three former band members charged in the hazing death of a Florida A&M drum major is set to begin.
Jury selection is expected to occupy much of Monday.
Defendants Benjamin McNamee, Aaron Golson and Darryl Cearnel are being tried together, and each faces 15 years for the November 2011 death of 26-year-old Robert Champion.
Champion of Decatur, Georgia, was beaten during a brutal hazing ritual after a football game in November 2011.
The incident exposed a culture of hazing within FAMU’s famed Marching 100 band.
Fifteen former band members were charged with manslaughter. One served one year in county jail. Others plea bargained for probation and community service. The band was suspended for more than a year.