The Florida Supreme Court has upheld the state’s hazing law and the sentencing of the man convicted in the 2011 Hazing death of Florida A&M University band drum major Robert Champion.
Attorneys for Dante Martin argued before the Supreme Court in February that the hazing statute was vague and that the hazing ritual known as “Crossing Bus C” was a competition and therefore the hazing statute did not apply. They also tried to claim FAMU’s Marching 100 band was not a student organization. Justices were skeptical of the claims during oral arguments, and unanimously upheld the law and the conviction in their ruling Thursday.
Martin is serving a seven-year prison sentence for being the ringleader in Champion’s death. He died after he was beaten aboard a bus parked outside an Orlando hotel following the annual Orlando Classic football game.
