Penn State frat didn’t cause student’s suicide, says grand jury
Hazing rituals including skinning live animals played no part
A state grand jury has found that fraternity hazing was not the cause of a Penn State Altoona student’s suicide and says the fraternity should receive no criminal charges.
On Tuesday, the grand jury released a report indicating 18-year-old Marquise Braham left notes mentioning that he had thoughts of suicide since he was a child.
The report also references the lack of evidence linking Braham’s supposed hazing by the Phi Sigma Kappa fraternity and his death.
Braham’s family adamantly disputes that his hazing had no effect on his mental stability and initial decision to end his own life. Since his death in March 2014, Braham’s family has pressed charges on Penn State and the fraternity.
The suit made several claims against the Phi Sigma Kappa fraternity including that he was forced to consume “gross amounts of alcohol” and mouthwash, commit abuse towards animals including swallowing live fish and skinning live animals and stay awake for 89 hours straight.
After being initiated into the fraternity, he was expected to participate in hazing the next class of pledges. It was later revealed that it was hard for him to watch, according to a text he sent to a friend. Braham ended him own life the day before he was supposed to return to school, according to the suit.
Though Braham’s parents’ allegations caused friction between the fraternity and the university (Penn State put the fraternity on suspension for six years) the grand jury found no correlation between Braham’s death and his hazing.