4 students charged in California fraternity hazing death

Four California college students face charges stemming from a fraternity hazing that caused the alcohol-induced death of a freshman at California Polytechnic State University. Carson Starkey, 18, of Austin, Texas, was found dead in December with a blood-alcohol level between 0.39 percent and 0.44 percent. He had to drink a bag full of alcoholic drinks as part of the fraternity pledging process, police said. Starkey was pledging the Sigma Alpha Epsilon fraternity, which has since been suspended.

ALSO...from The Wilmington News Journal: The Delaware Attorney General's office has charged University of Delaware fraternity Sigma Alpha Mu with hazing in connection with the death of former student Brett Griffin. The charge comes a week after Griffin's parents, Timothy and Julie Griffin, filed a wrongful death civil suit against that national chapter of Sigma Alpha Mu.Griffin, 18, died after an off-campus party in November. The civil suit also accuses the fraternity of hazing. It contends that Griffin was pressured into drinking an excessive amount of Southern Comfort. Fraternity brothers did not call for medical assistance for hours, the suit alleges, but waited until Griffin's lips turned blue.