In the three months since a Florida A&M University drum major was beaten to death, his parents have waited as authorities arrested seven people in a pair of other hazing cases tied to the school’s renowned Marching 100.
Robert Champion Sr., left, and his wife, Pam, lead a procession into the funeral service for their son, Florida A&M University band member Robert Champion, in Decatur, Ga., on Nov. 30. (Associated Press)
Four FAMU band members were arrested last month for punching and paddling band pledges. Three other band members were charged in December with hazing after a female band member’s beating left her with a broken thigh and blood clots.
Both of those episodes happened within weeks of Robert Champion’s fatal beating on a FAMU bus outside an Orlando hotel after a performance, but no one has been charged in that case.
His parents, Robert Sr. and Pamela, trust the process but find the investigation’s pace troubling, said their attorney, Chris Chestnut.
“It’s very disheartening, discouraging and disappointing to see arrests made for hazing with minor injuries, but none for a murder,” Chestnut said.
