FAMU hazing evidence to be released today (2 p.m. update)
Update: A Florida A&M drum major who died after being hazed on a bus asked to go through the ordeal because it was seen as an honor, a criminal defendant in the case said in a deposition released Wednesday.
Twenty-six-year-old Robert Champion had asked all season to go through the hazing ritual, defendant Jonathan Boyce said.
“It’s a respect thing, you know,” Boyce told detectives. “Well, he was wanting to do it all … all season.”
Champions’ parents have said their son was a vocal opponent of the routine hazing in the band.
In an interview earlier this year, Champion’s father, Robert Sr., said the reason his son was hazed was because of his opposition to it.
Prosecutors are releasing more than 1,500 pages of evidence against the 13 people charged in Champion’s death last year. Eleven defendants are charged with a third-degree felony and two are charged with misdemeanors.
Earlier: ORLANDO, Fla.
Related Articles
Public safety drives Leesburg’s $4.2 million Fiscal Year ’27 budget
The adopted spending plan reflects modest growth in city revenues and continued emphasis on maintaining core municipal services, particularly public safety and sanitation, which together account for a significant share of general fund expenditures.
Lee County property assessment notices set to arrive as farm values jump 83%
The Lee County Board of Tax Assessors approved the 2026 assessment notices Wednesday and voted to include an informational insert designed to help taxpayers understand how property values, exemptions and appeals work.
‘Sounds Like a Mutiny.’ Secret Recording Exposes Claims of Toxic Leadership After a Marine’s Suicide
This week’s War Horse story follows the systemic failures before and after the death of Cpl. Drew Mobley who was the third in two years at Marine Corps Base Quantico to die by suicide.
