Robert Champion’s Parents Say Hazing Penalties Not Stiff Enough
Pam and Robert Champion, Sr. hold the drum major hat their son wore. Robert Champion, Jr. died after a hazing incident involving the Florida A&M University “Marching 100.”
JIM BURRESS / WABE
The parents of Robert Champion — the Florida A&M University drum major from DeKalb County who died after a hazing ritual — say the punishment doesn’t fit the crime.
Wednesday, prosecutors in Florida charged 13 people in Robert Champion’s death. Eleven face felony charges with a maximum penalty of six years in prison. Two others face misdemeanors.
In an interview with NPR Friday, Champion’s mother, Pam, said her son’s death needs to send a stronger message.
“We fully understand why the charges that they made [were] made; Still, we as parents still believe that there should be stiffer penalties.”
Florida’s anti-hazing laws are some of the strictest in the country. Had Champion’s death happened in Georgia, those responsible might only face misdemeanors under this state’s laws.
The Champion family says that’s why there’s a need for a uniform, federal law.
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