13 People Charged for the Death of Robert Champion

Finally, some real movement in the Robert Champion/FAMU case. 13 people were charged for his death in the band bus.

The Grio reports

State Attorney Lawson Lamar said 11 of the 13 people will face a hazing resulting death charge, a third-degree felony. If convicted, they could face up to nearly six years in prison. The other two people will face a misdemeanor charges.

The names of those charged will not be released until they are all arrested, Lamar said. It was also not immediately clear whether they were all band members.

Legal experts had predicted prosecutors may file more serious charges like manslaughter and second-degree murder. The Champion family attorney, Christopher Chestnut, said they were disappointed.

"They had hoped for more serious charges. They were hoping for a stronger message. He was beaten to death," he said.

Prosecutors, however, didn't think they had enough evidence.

"The testimony obtained to date does not support a charge of murder, in that it does not contain the elements of murder," Lamar said. "We can prove participation in hazing and a death. We do not have a blow or a shot or a knife thrust that killed Mr. Champion. It is an aggregation of things which exactly fit the Florida statute as written by the Legislature."

I wished for more serious charges, but this is a start.

A Man Convicted in the Murder of Marcellus Andrews

A man was finally convicted for the murder of 19-year-old Marcellus Andrews. Marcellus was beaten to death while being taunted by gay slurs in August.

Here is the latest news:

A Black Hawk County jury has convicted a man of voluntary manslaughter in the beating death of a college student in Waterloo. 

The Waterloo-Cedar Falls Courier  says the jury returned the verdict Friday afternoon in the case against 20-year-old Paris Anding. He was charged in the August beating death of 19-year-old Marcellus Andrews during a fight.

Prosecutors say Anding swung a baseball bat and hit Andrews in the head. The defense claimed Anding was protecting his aunt.

Andrews’ death drew nationwide attention from gay rights activists after witnesses were quoted in local media saying Andrews was taunted with anti-gay slurs. Waterloo police said there was no indication of a hate crime. Andrews’ family and friends downplayed the idea and said he wasn’t gay.

Voluntary manslaughter has a max of 10 years, and there is no minimum. I hope this helps the Andrews family. Paris should pay for this horrible crime.


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