Nationwide — Three men, Isaiah Smith, Kyle Thurman, and Caleb McCray, have been arrested in connection with the alleged hazing death of Southern University student Caleb Wilson. Police say Wilson, one of nine pledges, was taken to an off-campus warehouse, where fraternity members punched him in the chest while wearing boxing gloves.
Investigators say Smith, the fraternity’s ‘Dean of Pledges,’ struck at least one person. Thurman allegedly punched half of the pledges, while McCray hit the others. After Wilson collapsed, fraternity leaders reportedly moved the other pledges to another room, changed Wilson’s clothes, and drove him to a hospital in Smith’s car.
Lawyers for the suspects insist their clients are innocent.
“He experienced a traumatic event himself. This is a tough situation all the way around. I am confident in my client’s innocence,” McCray’s lawyer, Phillip Robinson, said, claiming there is more to the story.
“This is nothing that anybody wanted,” said Smith’s lawyer, Franz Borghardt. “I think we’re still in a state of shock about what’s going on.”
Legal experts suggest the case may not go to trial, as police have likely gathered multiple witness statements.
“I think they’re going to be trying to look for mercy, rather than trying to be defiant in this case,” Attorney Joe Raspanti said. “That would be my advice, if I were representing them.”
If convicted, the suspects face serious penalties under Louisiana’s 2018 anti-hazing law, which upgraded the crime to a felony.