Frat Hazing Death: Charges Filed Against 22 NIU Students
A frat hazing death has resulted in charges being filed against 22 students at Northern Illinois University, according to The Associated Press.
Arrest warrants were reportedly issued for nearly two dozen members of the Pi Kappa Alpha fraternity on Monday. Five of the frat’s members have been charged with felony hazing in the death of 19-year-old David Bogenberger. Seventeen members are presently being sought for misdemeanor alcohol charges.
As a result of the unsanctioned event held by the fraternity and the alleged hazing, officials have temporarily removed the organization from the university.
The Chicago Sun-Times reports that Bogenberger was found dead at the fraternity nearly six weeks before charges were filed in the hazing death. The website explained the freshmen had “a blood-alcohol level more than four times the .08 limit at which a driver is legally considered drunk. An autopsy concluded that he died of heart arrythmia, but it listed alcohol intoxication as ‘a significant condition’ that contributed to his death.”
If the five students are found guilty of felony hazing, each students could face up to three years in prison. The 17 other individuals currently facing misdemeanor alcohol charges could wind up behind bars for up to a year for their role in the 19-year-old’s death.
According to the Daily Herald, Bogenberger’s family has pleaded with officials to crack down on hazing at the university.
The family said:
“We appeal to every college administrator and to every fraternity official to stop the hazing and initiation rituals that claimed David, and that have claimed so many other promising young people. No other family should endure what we are going through. Yet, we are losing these talented, beautiful and hopeful young people because of illegal drinking unrestrained by maturity and exacerbated by social pressure.
“We also must acknowledge the concern we feel for the families of those charged today. The events of Nov. 1 and 2 unalterably changed the course of too many lives. And for what?
“We have no desire for revenge. Rather, we hope that some significant change will come from David’s death. Alcohol poisoning claims far too many young, healthy lives. We must realize that young people can and do die in hazing rituals. Alcohol-involved hazing and initiation must end.”
The fraternity has yet to responded to the charges.
Do you think the 22 Northern Illinois Students should go to jail for their role in the frat hazing death of David Bogenberger?
