Thirteen people were charged today in the hazing death of Florida A&M drum major Robert Champion last fall in what the prosecutor said was "an American tragedy."
Florida State Attorney Lawson Lamar refused to release the identities of those charged "so they don't flee."
Champion, 26, was a member of the college's famed "Marching 100" band when he collapsed and died Nov. 19 on a bus parked outside an Orlando, Fla., hotel after a football game. The death was ruled a homicide and police said hazing contributed to his death.
Lamar called Champion's death "nothing short of an American tragedy" at a news conference today.
"While Robert and his family were sacrificing and preparing for his entrance into college, which eventually should have given him a bright and meaningful future, no one could expect that his experience could include being pummeled to death," he said.
