Friday November 1st, 2024 5:39AM

Jury could begin deliberations in hazing trial

By The Associated Press
ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) Attorneys are set to give closing arguments in the case of a former Florida A&M University band member charged with manslaughter and hazing in the death of a drum major who was beaten on a band bus during a hazing ritual. <br /> <br /> Once they're finished, Judge Renee Roche will give the jurors final instructions and deliberations could begin sometime Friday. <br /> <br /> Prosecutors called eight witnesses, including former band members who identified 27-year Dante Martin as orchestrator of the ritual known as ``crossing Bus C'' after a football game in Orlando in 2011. <br /> <br /> Robert Champion of Decatur, Georgia, died following the ritual that involved his fellow musicians kicking and pummeling him with fists and drumsticks. <br /> <br /> The defense presented no witnesses and Martin declined to testify. He faces up to 15 years in prison.
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