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Five months ago Florida A&M drum major 26 year old Robert Champion died on chartered bus in Orlando, Florida following a performance against a rival school. Champion was severely beaten by FAMU band members and had bruises on his chest, arms, shoulder and back. When authorities arrived, Champion was found unresponsive on the bus and later passed away.
On Wednesday, 13 people were charged for their roles in the hazing death of Champion in November, according to a report by the Associated Press.
State Attorney Lawson Lamar said 11 of the 13 people will face a hazing resulting death charge, a third-degree felony. If convicted, they could face up to nearly six years in prison. The other two people will face a misdemeanor charges.
In 2005 the Florida Hazing Law was passed after the death of a University of Miami student died in a hazing incident. "We can prove participation in hazing and a death. We do not have a blow or a shot or a knife thrust that killed Mr. Champion. It is an aggregation of things which exactly fit the Florida statute as written by the Legislature," Lamar told the AP.