AG: No Charges in Penn State Frat Suicide

There will be no charges against a Penn State Altoona fraternity accused of hazing one pledge so badly he committed suicide.

Marquise Braham was 18 when he killed himself in March 2014 — the result, his family says, of a punishing cycle of hazing at the hands of the Phi Sigma Kappa fraternity. But on Tuesday, Attorney General Kathleen Kane announced that a grand jury had declined to bring evidence in the case, even though it found troubling examples of behavior in the matter.

“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,” Kane said in a statement released with the grand jury report. “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.”

Braham’s family said it was “disappointed” in the grand jury’s decision, and vowed to continue its civil lawsuit against both the Penn State Altoona and Phi Sigma Kappa.

“The bottom line is this: Penn State University knew Marquise was being hazed and in deep psychological crisis, before he ever returned home for spring break and lost his life,” the family said in a statement released through a spokesman. “Phi Sigma Kappa fraternity also knew the same because they were directly hazing Marquise. They all knew and, sadly, did nothing to intervene and save his life. The civil suit filed by the family will bring out the truth and compel justice for Marquise and his family.”

The full grand jury report is below.