January may see four students sentenced to genuine prison time: NY Times writer Rick Rojas

Januarycould see the harshest jail time for a hazing death. Michael Deng’s family has requested a suitable punishment.

The school is based in New York. The homicide occurred in Pensylvania.

Excerpt from The New York Times

Four fraternity members from New York City are expected to be sentenced on Monday after they pleaded guilty to charges that stemmed from the death of a Baruch College freshman who fell unconscious during a hazing ritual at a weekend retreat in rural Pennsylvania four years ago.

Neary two years after the death of the 18-year-old student, Chun Hsien Deng, prosecutors in Monroe County, Pa., announced that 37 people had been charged, and that the four men — as well as the fraternity itself, Pi Delta Psi — faced the most serious counts, including third-degree murder and aggravated assault.

Last month, after a seven-day trial, a jury acquitted the fraternity, Pi Delta Psi, on charges of third-degree murder and voluntary manslaughter, but the fraternity was found guilty of numerous other charges, including aggravated assault, involuntary manslaughter and hindering apprehension by concealing or destroying evidence.

The students had come to the Poconos from New York City in the winter of 2013 for a retreat for potential members to be initiated into Pi Delta Psi, an Asian-American fraternity. Mr. Deng, who went by Michael, was one of the pledges, and the authorities said he was knocked out during a ritual in which he was forced to cross a frozen yard while wearing a blindfold, carrying a backpack weighed down with sand while being pummeled by other fraternity members.

Prosecutors said the students delayed in seeking medical aid for Mr. Deng, and instead tried to resuscitate him themselves and called fraternity leaders who told them to hide anything bearing the fraternity’s name or symbol.

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Prosecutors praised the verdict against Pi Delta Psi, which the jury reached on Nov. 21, as holding the fraternity responsible for the “senseless and completely avoidable death of a strong, smart, promising college freshman.” The fraternity, which has a sentencing scheduled next month, faces penalties of fines of as much as $25,000 for each charge and could be restricted from operating in Pennsylvania.