College freshman, David Bogenberger, was found unresponsive last month in the Pi Kappa Alpha fraternity house and later pronounced dead from cardiac arrhythmia. The sole contributing factor was alcohol. Toxicology results revealed a blood alcohol level over 0.33, more than three times the legal driving limit for a legal aged adult.
Investigators discovered that many underage students were required to drink a large amount of alcohol during a freshman hazing process at the fraternity. The unsanctioned even was deliberately kept a secret from university and fraternity leaders due to the nature of the activities. Now five fraternity leaders are being charged with felony hazing charges and 17 other members will face misdemeanors.
If convicted, felony hazing charges can carry a punishment of up to three years in prison with misdemeanor charges facing one year in jail.
Northern Illinois University is also considering bringing their own form of punishment, ranging from suspensions to expulsion, to as many as 31 students including a sorority house who may have also been involved.
The Bogenberger family said in a statement, “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.”
“The consequences on each of these defendants are very serious, life changing… but a lot of lives changed on November 1,” said family attorney, Peter Coladarci.