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Robert Champion Hazing Case: 13 people charged in the death of Florida A&M band member

FAMU hazing death was retaliation: parents
Florida A&M Marching 100 Drum Major Robert Champion at Bragg Memorial Stadium on Oct. 8, 2011 in Tallahassee, Fla. AP Photo/Don Juan Moore

(CBS/AP) TALLAHASSEE, Fla. - Thirteen individuals will be charged in connection to the hazing death of Florida A&M university student Robert Champion, a prosecutor has announced.

Pictures: Florida A&M hazing case

State Attorney Lawson Lamar says 11 of the 13 people charged will face the felony charge. The others will face a misdemeanor charge.

Lamar announced the charges at a news conference Wednesday. The charges come more than five months after 26-year-old Robert Champion died aboard a chartered bus parked outside an Orlando hotel.

Detectives say Champion was hazed by band members following a performance. Witnesses also told emergency dispatchers Champion was vomiting before he was found unresponsive aboard the bus.

The medical examiner's office says Champion had bruises to his chest, arms, shoulder and back. His internal bleeding caused him to go into shock, which killed him.

Lamar also says a conviction for felony hazing could bring up to nearly six years in prison.

Complete coverage of the Florida A&M hazing case on Crimesider

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