Omega Psi Phi Hazing Death Case Update: 3 Arrested As HBCU Mourns

Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Inc. members Caleb McCray, Isaiah Smith and Kyle Thurman have been arrested in the investigation regarding the death of Southern University and A&M College student Caleb Wilson.

McCray, 23, who was arrested near the end of last week faces the most serious charges: both criminal hazing and manslaughter charges. As The Associated Press reported, McCray “allegedly punched Wilson four times before the pledge collapsed unresponsive and appeared to suffer a seizure, police say.”

Thurman, 25, and Smith, 28, face charges of felony criminal hazing. Per a police arrest warrant affidavit review by The Associated Press, they reported that “Smith was seen on surveillance video removing Wilson from his vehicle and bringing him to a hospital.” According to the affidavits, Smith was also the “Dean of Pledges” and was in charge of the ritual that was happening.

Smith’s lawyer, Franz Borghardt, said, “This was a freak accident; we’re not talking about force-feeding alcohol,” he told The Associated Press. “To be sure, everyone in that fraternity cares about Caleb. Our hearts go out to the Wilson family.” Borghardt also confirmed to the AP that Smith’s father, Todd, runs a flooring company out of where the alleged hazing incident occurred. WAFB said that he was “leasing the warehouse.”

The affidavits state that “both Smith and Thurman participated in punching some of the nine pledges, but they are not described as hitting Wilson,” per The Associated Press.

Baton Rouge Police Chief Thomas Morse Jr. previously told reporters, “Caleb Wilson died as a direct result of a hazing incident where he was punched in the chest multiple times while pledging to Omega Psi Phi fraternity,” CNN reported.

McCray’s attorney, Phillip Robinson, told CNN, “I maintain my client’s innocence and urge the public to withhold rushing to judgment until all the evidence is heard.”

As part of the Max Gruver Act passed in 2018, hazing can be classified as a felony in Louisiana. If hazing results in death or serious injury, violators of the act, including organizational leaders, face a penalty of up to $10,000 in fines and five years in prison.

The fraternity’s campus chapter has been ordered to “cease all activities,” and students involved in Wilson’s death could face expulsion, Southern University President Dennis Shields said.

All campus Greek life organizations are on lockdown with instructions not to add new members during the remainder of the school year.

The tragic incident has caused grief among friends and family on Southern’s campus and beyond. An on-campus vigil was held in Wilson’s honor on Wednesday.

In tribute to Wilson, a member of his college band, The Human Jukebox, a traditional second line filled New Orleans, Louisiana’s Treme neighborhood on Thursday, The Advocate reported, with hundreds of people participating in the procession.