STROUDSBURG, Pa. (AP) – Four men charged in connection with a brutal fraternity hazing ritual that killed a New York City college student are due in a Pennsylvania court to plead guilty.
Police say fraternity members at Pi Delta Psi physically abused Chun “Michael” Deng, a Baruch (buh-ROOK’) College student, then tried to cover it up as the 19-year-old lay dying in their rented house in Pennsylvania’s Pocono Mountains, about 100 miles west of New York.
Five suspects were charged with third-degree murder and other offenses. Court records show four of them are scheduled to appear in court Monday afternoon to enter guilty pleas to unspecified charges.
Defense attorneys have called Deng’s death a tragedy but said their clients didn’t intend to kill him. They characterized it as a fraternity prank gone horribly awry.