Dante Martin hazing
Dante Martin hazing, Orange Circuit Judge Renee Roche, saying that "forgiveness doesn't have a role in the legal system," sentenced former FAMU band member Dante Martin to more than six years in prison Friday for organizing the fatal hazing of drum major Robert Champion.
It was the harshest sentence yet in the beating death of the drum major three years ago in Orlando.
Martin was one of 15 people charged in Champion's death but the only ex-band member to get prison time in the case.Before imposing her sentence, the judge described Martin as a "remarkable young man" with "limitless potential" and a strong support system, basing her view on two hours of testimony from family and friends, including a former band member who pleaded with her to give the 27-year-old a second chance.
"On the other hand, the circumstances of this death were so profoundly disturbing," Roche said.
Martin's lawyers had asked the judge to spare him a prison sentence, suggesting he could be a persuasive voice against hazing if given the chance.
In October, an Orange County jury found Martin guilty of manslaughter and other charges in the hazings of Champion and two other band members. He faced up to 22 years in prison, and Assistant State Attorney Mark Interlicchio asked for a term of nine years, four months — the length recommended by state sentencing guidelines.
At Friday's hearing, Martin, who had refused to speak with detectives investigating Champion's death and who did not testify at his trial, spoke publicly for the first time about the hazing. He addressed the Champions from the witness stand, saying he prays for them and promising to speak out against hazing.
"Sometimes we just go with what is tradition," Martin said of hazing at FAMU. "We don't second-guess it, we don't doubt it."
Champion's father, Robert Sr., followed Martin to the witness stand. He said his son didn't believe in violence.
"My son was against hazing," the father said. "Not one time in court have you heard that my son put his hand on anybody."
He said he felt sorry for Martin's family but added, "Today we've got to set an example that this has got to stop now."Champion's mother also spoke, saying, "Mr. Martin, you have no idea what my days and my nights are like. You have no idea what they have become."
Dino Michaels, one of Martin's attorneys, focused the blame on FAMU, saying, "Florida A&M University has no business fielding a band."
The hazings occurred Nov. 19, 2011, on a band bus after the famed Marching 100 had performed at the Florida Citrus Bowl during halftime of an annual football game between FAMU and traditional rival Bethune-Cookman University. The bus was parked at the Rosen Plaza hotel, where the marching band was staying.
Prosecutors argued that Martin, as the senior student leader on the bus, organized the hazings, which also included beatings known as a "hot seat."
"He was directly responsible … for directing those other band members to hand out those savage beatings," Interlicchio said.
Martin's lawyers, however, said their client's punishment should be similar to other band members who participated in the hazings known as "Crossing Bus C."
Nine ex-band members have been sentenced for their roles in Champion's death and nearly all were given community-service sanctions and probation. Ex-band member Jessie Baskin of Miami, who was facing nine years in prison, was ordered to serve 51 weeks in jail.
Trials are set for later this year for three other band members.
Martin's lawyers contend he was no more culpable for Champion's death than other participants, though he was regarded unofficially as the "Bus C President" who organized hazings during the marching band's junkets.
"There was not a scintilla of evidence that [Martin] encouraged anyone to hit or kick Mr. Champion or anyone else," Escobar stated in court documents.
The hazing required Champion to make his way, shirtless, from the front of the parked bus to the back, bulling through a gantlet of band members blocking the aisle. The band members punched and kicked the drum major and clubbed him with a drum mallet and other objects, including an orange traffic cone.
A medical examiner concluded Champion died of soft tissue bleeding caused by the flurry of blows he absorbed.
Martin's lawyers provided the judge with letters, hoping to paint a more sympathetic portrait of Martin. Some were written by former FAMU band members who remembered Martin not as a hazing ringleader, but as a musician who encouraged others in the ensemble to improve themselves and the band.
The lawyers said they plan to appeal the jury verdict and sentence.
The hazing scandal led to the suspension of the band, the unexpected retirement of its director and the ouster of the university's president.
Champion's parents, who deny their son voluntarily participated in the hazing, have sued FAMU, alleging the historically black school allowed a culture of hazing to fester in its famous marching band. The band has performed at presidential inaugurations, the Grammy Awards and the Super Bowl.
It was the harshest sentence yet in the beating death of the drum major three years ago in Orlando.
Martin was one of 15 people charged in Champion's death but the only ex-band member to get prison time in the case.Before imposing her sentence, the judge described Martin as a "remarkable young man" with "limitless potential" and a strong support system, basing her view on two hours of testimony from family and friends, including a former band member who pleaded with her to give the 27-year-old a second chance.
"On the other hand, the circumstances of this death were so profoundly disturbing," Roche said.
Martin's lawyers had asked the judge to spare him a prison sentence, suggesting he could be a persuasive voice against hazing if given the chance.
In October, an Orange County jury found Martin guilty of manslaughter and other charges in the hazings of Champion and two other band members. He faced up to 22 years in prison, and Assistant State Attorney Mark Interlicchio asked for a term of nine years, four months — the length recommended by state sentencing guidelines.
At Friday's hearing, Martin, who had refused to speak with detectives investigating Champion's death and who did not testify at his trial, spoke publicly for the first time about the hazing. He addressed the Champions from the witness stand, saying he prays for them and promising to speak out against hazing.
"Sometimes we just go with what is tradition," Martin said of hazing at FAMU. "We don't second-guess it, we don't doubt it."
Champion's father, Robert Sr., followed Martin to the witness stand. He said his son didn't believe in violence.
"My son was against hazing," the father said. "Not one time in court have you heard that my son put his hand on anybody."
He said he felt sorry for Martin's family but added, "Today we've got to set an example that this has got to stop now."Champion's mother also spoke, saying, "Mr. Martin, you have no idea what my days and my nights are like. You have no idea what they have become."
Dino Michaels, one of Martin's attorneys, focused the blame on FAMU, saying, "Florida A&M University has no business fielding a band."
The hazings occurred Nov. 19, 2011, on a band bus after the famed Marching 100 had performed at the Florida Citrus Bowl during halftime of an annual football game between FAMU and traditional rival Bethune-Cookman University. The bus was parked at the Rosen Plaza hotel, where the marching band was staying.
Prosecutors argued that Martin, as the senior student leader on the bus, organized the hazings, which also included beatings known as a "hot seat."
"He was directly responsible … for directing those other band members to hand out those savage beatings," Interlicchio said.
Martin's lawyers, however, said their client's punishment should be similar to other band members who participated in the hazings known as "Crossing Bus C."
Nine ex-band members have been sentenced for their roles in Champion's death and nearly all were given community-service sanctions and probation. Ex-band member Jessie Baskin of Miami, who was facing nine years in prison, was ordered to serve 51 weeks in jail.
Trials are set for later this year for three other band members.
Martin's lawyers contend he was no more culpable for Champion's death than other participants, though he was regarded unofficially as the "Bus C President" who organized hazings during the marching band's junkets.
"There was not a scintilla of evidence that [Martin] encouraged anyone to hit or kick Mr. Champion or anyone else," Escobar stated in court documents.
The hazing required Champion to make his way, shirtless, from the front of the parked bus to the back, bulling through a gantlet of band members blocking the aisle. The band members punched and kicked the drum major and clubbed him with a drum mallet and other objects, including an orange traffic cone.
A medical examiner concluded Champion died of soft tissue bleeding caused by the flurry of blows he absorbed.
Martin's lawyers provided the judge with letters, hoping to paint a more sympathetic portrait of Martin. Some were written by former FAMU band members who remembered Martin not as a hazing ringleader, but as a musician who encouraged others in the ensemble to improve themselves and the band.
The lawyers said they plan to appeal the jury verdict and sentence.
The hazing scandal led to the suspension of the band, the unexpected retirement of its director and the ouster of the university's president.
Champion's parents, who deny their son voluntarily participated in the hazing, have sued FAMU, alleging the historically black school allowed a culture of hazing to fester in its famous marching band. The band has performed at presidential inaugurations, the Grammy Awards and the Super Bowl.