BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) — Multiple people are likely to face potential charges such as hazing, negligent homicide, manslaughter and obstruction of justice in the case of a 20-year-old Southern University student who died following an alleged off-campus fraternity ritual, according to a Louisiana district attorney.
It has been a week since the death of Caleb Wilson, a mechanical engineering junior at the school in Baton Rouge. While no arrests have been made yet, East Baton Rouge District Attorney Hillar Moore told The Associated Press on Thursday that, in his opinion, it is clear hazing was involved.
Wilson’s exact cause of death has yet to be determined and details of the alleged hazing incident have not been publicly released by the Baton Rouge Police Department or Moore’s office.
“This young man came here to go to school and to graduate in a cap and gown, and not leave in a black bag,” Moore said. “It’s a shame that this happened. And it’s a shame that hazing continues, despite all the previous deaths we have seen across the country.”
In Louisiana, hazing can be a felony under the Max Gruver Act, which passed in 2018 and was named after a Louisiana State University student who died of alcohol poisoning after a hazing ritual at the Phi Delta Theta fraternity house. In that case, a former member of the fraternity was convicted of negligent homicide and was sentenced to five years in prison. However, a judge suspended all but 2½ years of the term.
Moore said that in the death of Wilson, this will likely be the first time he uses the Max Gruver Act to prosecute. The legislation prohibits hazing, regardless of whether the targeted person voluntarily allowed it.
Under the act, if a person being hazed dies or is seriously injured then violators face up to a $10,000 fine and five years in prison. Additionally, organizations, representatives and officers of an organization, and educational institutions can also face penalties.
Louisiana Attorney General Liz Murrill vowed that there would be justice for Wilson.
“Caleb Wilson’s death was senseless – it should have never happened,” she posted on X on Thursday. “We must end hazing in our State. It’s our job to make sure that it doesn’t happen again.”
Remembering Caleb Wilson
Hundreds of Southern University students, alumni, staff and state leaders gathered for a vigil Wednesday evening in honor of Wilson. They carried candles, brass instruments and photos of Wilson, whose friends nicknamed him “Cheese” because of his big grin and his ability to make others smile.
Friends and family took turns telling stories of Wilson, who by an overwhelming number of accounts was joyous, bright, talented and driven.
“He walked this campus with a purpose,” Chaselynn Grant, a longtime friend of Wilson’s, told The Advocate. “I know he is smiling down.”
Among Wilson’s passions was music. He played trumpet for the university’s famous marching band, known as the “Human Jukebox,” which recently performed at the Super Bowl in New Orleans.
During the vigil, Wilson’s father recalled walking into his son’s apartment after his death and seeing his band uniform laid out and ready for Mardi Gras season.
“I want to thank y’all for the love you gave my son,” Corey Wilson said to a crowd of people at Wednesday’s vigil, The Advocate reported. “This was Caleb’s life.”
During the band’s performance at one of New Orleans’ Mardi Gras parades over the weekend, members donned black “mourning bands” across their uniforms and played Stevie Wonder’s “Love Light in Flight” in honor of Wilson.
In a post on Facebook, the band wrote that they carried Wilson’s spirit “with every step and every note.”
“This was more than just a performance,” the post read. “It was a tribute, a farewell and a promise that Caleb’s legacy will live on.”