ORLANDO, Florida -- Four people have reached plea deals in the 2011 hazing death of a Florida A & M University Drum Major and all have settled for less than the maximum penalties of their charges. Experts say hazing is a crime that has proved difficult for prosecutors, but some say they expect others charged in the FAMU case to see stiffer penalties as a trial date nears.
The latest defendant in the FAMU hazing case to reach a deal with prosecutors is Rikki Wills. Wills was a fellow drum major in FAMU’s “Marching 100” band and prosecutors say he was also aboard the bus the night Robert Champion died after being beaten in a brutal hazing ritual. Wills’ no contest plea means the manslaughter charge against him has been dismissed, and he won’t face any jail time. And some say, it’s a familiar scenario when it comes to getting convictions in hazing cases:
“Courts have been very, very light on hazing in the United States. We’ve had about 173 hazing deaths. The combined total of those deaths have only been just a couple years in jail," said Hank Nuwer a Journalism professor at Franklin College in Indiana. He tracks hazing incidents around the world and has also written four books on the subject.
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