Dante Martin Hazing - A former Florida A&M University student Dante Martin has been found guilty of manslaughter and felony hazing in the 2011 death of Robert Champion Jr., a fellow band member.
On Friday, an Orange County court judge sentenced 27-year-old Dante Martin to six years in prison for organizing a cruel initiation called "Crossing Bus C," which every band member was obliged to go through.
According to reports, Martin and 15 others students were charged in 2011 for participating in the beating initiation ritual that led to the death of drummer Robert Champion Jr.
"I honestly am ashamed that I can even remotely be part or associated with anything that could take the life of a human being," Martin said in court on Friday. "It hurts me. I'm terribly sorry."
26-year-old Robert Champion Jr. died after literally "Crossing Bus C," which required him to run through the center of a school bus while being kicked, punched and attacked by veteran band members and seniors.
Champion was found dead in the parking lot an hour after going through the brutal initiation ritual on a school bus after a football game in Orlando, Florida.
A medical examiner, who ruled his death as a homicide, said he suffered multiple blunt trauma blows and internal bleeding resulting from the assault of "Crossing Bus C."
"I just want to let you know. I forgive you. I don't hate you at all," Pam Champion, Robert's mother told Martin in court. "And I don't want you shedding tears for my family because my fight is not over. My fight is not with you."
Reports indicate that nine former band members have also pleaded guilty to lesser charges related to the fatal hazing. About six of them have received probation and community service while three others are scheduled to go on trial later in the year.
FAMU has a long history of marching bands renowned across the country for their creativity and elaborate dance formations. After Champion's death, the school's band known as the Marching 100 was suspended for the 2012-2013 school year.
The news of the Dante Martin hazing sentence has since gone viral. It has inevitably fueled debates regarding the safety and necessity of long held initiatory practices in schools across the country.
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