No Criminal Charges In Penn State Student's Suicide

HARRISBURG, PA - There is no evidence to support criminal charges in the death of a Penn State Altoona student who committed suicide after alleged hazing while pledging to his fraternity, according to the Pennsylvania Office of the Attorney General.

Marquise Braham was 18 in March 2014 when he jumped to his death from a building in Uniondale, N.Y.

Braham’s father, Rich, a senior editor ABC News, is pursuing a lawsuit against both Penn State and the Phi Sigma Kappa fraternity.

He alleges that his son was forced to consume “gross” amounts of alcohol, chug Listerine, swallow live fish, fight other fraternity pledges, burn himself with candle wax, and kill, gut, and skin animals.

A grand jury report claimed to have found no evidence of a link between Braham’s death and the fraternity pledging process.

However, the report underscores many ongoing issues in the pledging process. The grand jury said the report should “shine a light on what can happen to vulnerable 18 year olds when they go off to college.”

Phi Sigma Kappa has already been suspended from the school for six years after an investigation by the school.

“Penn State staff knew Marquise was suffering physically, psychologically, and academically,” the lawsuit states. “Rather than intervene, report, and prevent such illegal misconduct from continuing, as required by Pennsylvania law and Penn State’s own policies and procedures, Penn State disregarded this information, failed to act, and actually counseled Marquise over a period of months to endure the hazing, telling him, among other things: “You poor thing . . . Your keeping a good spirit tho. Keep your chin up boo!! . . . Stay strong little buddy. You are almost done and you’ve been so strong. Your kicking [expletive]!=).”

“As the grand jury makes very clear in its report, it is imperative that we take steps to protect young college students who are experiencing a vulnerable stage in their lives,” Attorney General Kathleen Kane said in a statement. “We must do more to prevent these students from falling victim to dangerous situations when many are acclimating to being on their own for the first time.”

The grand jury tasked with investigating Braham’s death heard testimony from 11 witnesses, including some of Braham’s fraternity brothers. It also received summaries of interviews conducted with seven individuals.

The grand jury determined the evidence, which included two suicide notes, showed Braham had been contemplating suicide for a long time prior to his death.

Multiple witnesses further confirmed that Braham, who was the secretary of his fraternity, loved his fraternity brothers and was proud to be a member.

Ultimately, the grand jury found that hazing at Phi Sigma Kappa was a fraternity-wide problem and not limited to a few individuals. Those factors, as well as the alleged unwillingness or inability of former pledges to name persons allegedly responsible for the hazing, led the grand jury to decide against the recommendation of criminal charges for certain individuals.

According to Rich Abraham, Penn State kept its knowledge of hazing a secret from his family.

In addition to the university, the original lawsuit named both the fraternity’s local chapter and the national organization, two student officers of the fraternity, a resident adviser, and the director of residence life.