5 Charged with Criminal Homicide in Hazing Death of Baruch College Student
— -- More than 30 people were charged -- including some with criminal homicide -- in connection with the death of Chun "Michael" Deng, 19, a Baruch College student who died after a hazing incident in the Pocono Mountains in Pennsylvania.
Five people and Pi Delta Psi Fraternity Inc. were charged with criminal homicide, involuntary manslaughter, aggravated assault, simple assault, hindering apprehension, hazing and criminal conspiracy, the Pocono Mountain Regional Police Department said today.
Twenty-seven people were charged with hindering apprehension, hazing and criminal conspiracy, police said.
Three people were charged with aggravated assault, simple assault, hindering apprehension, hazing and criminal conspiracy, and two people were charged with simple assault, hindering apprehension, hazing and criminal conspiracy, police said.
Authorities say members of the Pi Delta Psi fraternity at the New York City-based college pushed Deng during a Dec. 2013 hazing ritual while on a retreat in the Poconos, where he was blindfolded and wearing a backpack filled with 20 pounds of sand.
At one point he fell over and hit his head, police said.
After Deng lost consciousness, other fraternity members brought him into the house, but they never called 911 for help, police said. Instead they put him near the fire, changed his clothes and searched the Internet for information about his symptoms, police added.
After two hours, Deng was taken to a local hospital by three of the fraternity members, where he later died.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
