Frat brothers get prison for paddling pledge

[BlueEyedButrfly]

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (Jan. 30) - Two fraternity brothers who paddled a pledge with wooden canes received a two-year prison term each Monday from a judge who said she wanted to send a message with the state's first prosecution under a felony hazing law.

Florida A&M University students Michael Morton, 23, of Fort Lauderdale, and Jason Harris, 25, of Jacksonville, were led from the courtroom in handcuffs, as was Harris' lawyer, Richard Keith Alan II, who was charged with indirect criminal contempt.

The students were charged with hazing Marcus Jones, 20, of Decatur, Ga., who suffered a broken ear drum and severe bruising to his buttocks after he was punched and struck with wooden canes.

Circuit Judge Kathleen Dekker said that one year might have been sufficient to punish Morton and Harris but that she added a second year to make sure that their sentences serve as a deterrent.

A jury in December convicted both under the new law, which makes it a felony to participate in hazing that results in serious bodily injury.

They could have from 12 months to five years under sentencing guidelines.

It was the second trial for Morton, Harris and three other Kappa Alpha Psi members. The first jury was unable to reach a verdict for any of the five defendants after raising questions about serious bodily injury, which is not defined in the law. The second jury also was unable to reach a verdict for the other three defendants, and they are to be tried a third time in March.


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[Tom Earp]

So, do not do it!

Guess it goes to show that so you so the crime then you do the time!

[JonInKC]

They're about to experience hazing taken to a whole new level.

From the CNN article:

Pregnant fiancee pleads for Morton's release

Morton told the judge that he grew up without a father in his home and asked to be released so he could be a father to his unborn child.


His fiancee, Lena Gallego, tearfully told the judge that she was more than four months pregnant and that Morton would never again appear in court unless it was to marry her.

Don't send her baby daddy to jail!

[Drolefille]

Originally Posted by OTW

From the CNN article:



Don't send her baby daddy to jail!

Saw that. I feel bad for the kid, but if he's supposed to be mature enough to raise a child, he shouldn't be beating people.

[AlphaFrog]

Originally Posted by OTW

From the CNN article:



Don't send her baby daddy to jail!

Here's the thing:
She's 4 months pregnant, so his sentance will be about 1/4 over by the time she gives birth. Then the kid will be without a father for a year and a half. Boohoo. That kid will not remember if it had a father for at least the first 3-4 years of it's life. Can you remember anything that happened to you before preschool & kindergarten? It's not that serious if he really wants to be a father.

[DSTRen13]

Originally Posted by AlphaFrog

Here's the thing:
She's 4 months pregnant, so his sentance will be about 1/4 over by the time she gives birth. Then the kid will be without a father for a year and a half. Boohoo. That kid will not remember if it had a father for at least the first 3-4 years of it's life. Can you remember anything that happened to you before preschool & kindergarten? It's not that serious if he really wants to be a father.

I don't think it's unreasonable for a mother to want the father of her child to be with her during the pregnancy, birth, and first years of the child's life. I guess it's a matter of opinion, but to me, that is definitely that serious.

(Maybe someone can explain this to me - the "victims" in these hazing cases all are willing participants, correct? So how is this something that anyone can be legally punished for? I'm sure that there is an explanation, but I've never really heard it, and I was just wondering about that.)

[valkyrie]

Two years seems excessive to me.

Originally Posted by BlueEyedButrfly

Circuit Judge Kathleen Dekker said that one year might have been sufficient to punish Morton and Harris but that she added a second year to make sure that their sentences serve as a deterrent.

They could have from 12 months to five years under sentencing guidelines.

Originally Posted by valkyrie

Two years seems excessive to me.

True, but that extra year was thrown in there because the judge doesn't want others to do the same thing.

Sadly, I doubt that this case will stop hazing altogether. Chapters will continue this bullshit.

But as JoninKC said -- they're about to receive a new kind of hazing in prison.

[AKA2D '91]

Originally Posted by OTW

But as JoninKC said -- they're about to receive a new kind of hazing in prison.

My chapter soror made a similar joke about that. Although, the situation is not funny, I did chuckle.

[Judgemitch]

44 states have laws prohibiting hazing. Every state has a law prohiting the intentional, negligent, or reckless injury of another person. Many of those hazing laws, Florida included, specifically state that the "victim's" consent is not a defense. Why?

We tell every prospective member that we do not haze. This creates in the mind of that person a belief that we will not hurt them. We also tell them that they must trust us. The combination of a promise and the requirement to trust results in a reliance that no harm will come.

Civil courts in many parts of the country have also opined that one cannot "consent" to a harmful activity when in the process of trying to fit in, be a part of the group, and proving oneself.

The bottom line is that no matter what you or I may believe SHOULD be allowed, hazing is prohibited by every campus, every glo and the civil laws of every state and the criminal laws of most.

Judge Mitch Crane
Sigma Phi Epsilon