Defense Attorneys Want Word ‘Hazing’ Excluded From Trial

Defense attorneys for the four Florida A&M band members charged in a drum major’s death are going before a judge to ask that the word “hazing” not be allowed to be used at their trial next week.

Defense attorneys on Wednesday also are hoping the judge reconsiders their challenge to Florida’s hazing law. They say it’s so vague that what happened on the band bus can be considered a competition, not hazing.

Judge Rene Roche already has denied a motion asking that the law be ruled unconstitutional, but she allowed defense attorneys to file a new challenge.

Fifteen former band members were charged with manslaughter and hazing in the November 2011 death of Robert Champion, of Decatur, Georgia. All but the four remaining defendants have had their cases settled.