The last three defendants prosecuted in the hazing death of Florida A&M drum major Robert Champion were convicted Friday of manslaughter and hazing with the result of death, reported CNN affiliate WFTV.
A jury deliberated about 2½ hours before returning guilty verdicts against Benjamin McNamee, 25; Aaron Golson, 22; and Darryl Cearnel, 28.
They will be sentenced June 26, according to Orange County, Florida, online court records. Until then, they’ll be held in the county jail.
Champion, 26, died in November 2011 after a band hazing ritual in which he was beaten aboard a school bus after a football game in Orlando, Florida. The initiation required pledges to run down the center of the bus while being punched, kicked and assaulted by senior members, band members have said.
A medical examiner ruled Champion’s death a homicide and said he died within an hour of being beaten. Champion suffered multiple blunt trauma blows, the medical examiner said.
A total of 15 defendants were charged originally, but most took plea deals, WFTV reported.
Last October, Dante Martin stood trial and was convicted of the same charges. He was sentenced to 77 months in prison.