Author: Hank Nuwer

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ITHACA, N.Y. — Prosecutors say it was a mock kidnapping, part of a fraternity tradition, that led to the death of 19-year old George Desdunes.

On Thursday, four defendants stood before a judge, all former pledges of the Sigma Alpha Epsilon fraternity at Cornell University. EJ Williams, Max Haskin and Ben Mann, all 19, are charged with first degree hazing and unlawfully dealing with a child. Williams is also charged with criminal nuisance. A fourth defendant who is under the age of 19 was also charged, but his name has not been released.

Prosecutors say the four took a complicit Desdunes and another frat brother to a campus apartment around 1 a.m. February 25th after Desdunes called a designated driver for a ride home from a bar. Investigators say the pledges bound Desdunes’ hands and feet with zip ties and duct tape and quizzed him on the history of the fraternity. When Desdunes answered incorrectly, prosecutors say the pledges gave him water, flavored syrups, sugar or vodka and made him do exercises, such as sit-ups.

Desdunes passed out on the way home around 5 a.m. and the pledges left him on a couch in the library of the frat house. That is where a custodian found him later that morning.

Desdunes was taken to Cayuga Medical Center and pronounced dead. His blood alcohol content was .35 percent.

“The grand jury has reviewed this case very carefully, has lodged misdemeanor offenses against these young men, but certainly has made very clear that they are not responsible for the death of Mr. Desdunes,” say Ray Schlather, Haskin’s attorney.

A representative from Cornell University said none of the students are currently enrolled. The Sigma Alpha Epsilon house has been suspended and vacated.

The three named defendants pleaded not guilty to all of the charges.

“He certainly intends to fight this and clear his name and it is expected that when the dust finally settles, that’s exactly what will happen,” Schlather said of his client.

All of these charges are misdemeanors and carry a maximum punishment of one year incarceration. It’s not yet known whether the case will go to trial.

Attorneys for Mann and Williams declined to comment. Representatives of the Sigma Alpha Epsilon fraternity did not appear in court, and prosecutors say a corporate summons will be issued.

For background, get a library copy
of my book Broken Pledges and
interview with historian Dr. Robert Waite.

Video

Here is the background video on the banned Lincoln chapter.

Judge in Hamilton County Carmel basketball hazing case gets off with slap on wrist after North Carolina drinking episode.

Excerpt from Kenyon Collegian

After administrators learned of the incident, the DKEs, who began the year on probation after a pledge was injured during last spring’s initiation, will be on continued probation until May 31, 2014.

“During that period of time,” said Christina Mastrangelo, director of student activities and Greek life, “if the chapter violates College, housing or Greek council policy, then it will result in immediate five-year suspension of the chapter from the College.”

According to DKE President Garrett Fields ’12, on Feb 27, two weeks after the incident, Mastrangelo approached the fraternity’s pledges after her office received several reports of concern. “On the day of Greek 101,” Fields said, “Christina [Mastrangelo] pulled our pledges aside because she had heard reports of concern and wanted full clarity. After talking to the pledges, the administration drafted a formal charge.”

“They were not interviewed as a group,” said President S. Georgia Nugent. “They were separated so they wouldn’t have any chance to collude in a story that wasn’t necessarily true.”

Due to their probation, the fraternity has been under increased scrutiny this year. “I had been meeting with the DKEs throughout the fall and spring semester to revise their pledging process and make it a hazing-free new member education program,” Mastrangelo said, “so it was very disheartening to receive such serious allegations.”

Speaking about the incident, Nugent said, “It’s things like that that are getting towards borderline hazing.”

In an attempt to prevent hazing, which Kenyon’s student handbook defines as “any action or situation, regardless of intention, whether on or off Kenyon premises, that results in or has the potential of resulting in physical, mental, or emotional harm, discomfort, or distress to a group’s members or prospective members,” the Greek Council Constitution requires all chapters to submit a calendar of pledge events for review and approval. The DKEs’ calendar contained to no mention of the hazing event.