TUNKHANNOCK TOWNSHIP — There are reports of “imminent arrests” in the death of a college student in the Poconos.
It happened in December of 2013, and ABC News says as many as 30 people could be charged. ABC News says this was a hazing incident that got horribly out of hand, and several young people could be hit with criminal charges, including homicide.
Chun Michael Deng was pledging to the Pi Delta Psi fraternity at New York City’s Baruch College.
Authorities say Deng was with fellow college students at a retreat in December, at a home they had rented near Long Pond in Monroe County.
According to court papers, Deng was blindfolded and to forced wear a back pack weighted with 20 pounds of sand. Deng died after suffering “blunt force head trauma.”
“I can say it involved physical contact which became very aggressive,” said Chief Harry Lewis.
According to investigators, others at the house didn’t call 911. They waited two hours, then finally took Deng to a hospital, near Wilkes-Barre, where he died the next day.
A Deng family lawyer says signs point to a cover-up, and other fraternity members are responsible for the death of Chun Michael Deng.
ABC’s chief legal affairs anchor Dan Abrams says videos shot at the house will determine who is charged, and with what.
“It’s going to be hard for someone on video to say ‘I didn’t do that.’ The question is going to be for those who weren’t exactly on the video, maybe some who weren’t even there, were they involved in the cover up?” Abrams said.
Abrams called the case “complicated” and he adds it was wise for prosecutors to take their time in filing charges.
The Baruch chapter of the Pi Delta Psi fraternity was disbanded after Deng’s death.
ABC News reports charges against students could range from hazing to homicide.
