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Robert Champion’s mother, Pam Champion, stared astatine her telephone aft proceeding nan heartbreaking news that near her breathless. Her boy had collapsed and died.
"My boy had a physical, and he was healthy," Pam recalled to Fox News Digital. "I was trying to fig retired what could person made my kid conscionable die truthful suddenly. I spent nan full time trying to fig that out, only to find retired that it was each a lie. He didn’t just illness and die. What happened was nan unthinkable."
Champion, a Florida A&M drum major, was killed successful November 2011. He was 26. His case is featured in Investigation Discovery’s (ID) true-crime series, "Murder Under nan Friday Night Lights." It examines homicides involving precocious schoolhouse and assemblage shot teams.
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In this Oct. 8, 2011, record photo, Florida A&M Marching 100 Drum Major Robert Champion performs astatine halftime of a crippled against Howard University astatine Bragg Memorial Stadium successful Tallahassee, Fla. (AP Photo/Don Juan Moore)
Pam said it wasn’t until nan adjacent time that she heard her son’s name connected nan section news. The broadcast showed a photograph of him she didn’t recognize. She soon learned her boy had bruises connected his chest, arms, shoulders and backmost erstwhile he died. Witnesses told emergency dispatchers Champion was vomiting earlier he was recovered unresponsive.
"My son didn’t just illness and die. He was beaten to death," said Pam. "He was murdered. And I needed to cognize what happened."
Champion, who was portion of nan famed Florida A&M University (FAMU) Marching 100, was described as an inquisitive child who ever had a passion for music. He fell successful emotion pinch nan marching bands of Georgia, wherever he was born, and dreamed of becoming a drum major.
A young Robert Champion pinch his family. (ID)
"He identified drum fields arsenic gentlemen pinch their capes, agelong tail jackets and precocious hats," said Pam. "He wanted to beryllium 1 of them. Robert had a tender bosom for people. He ne'er met an enemy. He trained to play nan clarinet, played nan drums astatine our section religion and taught himself to play nan keyboard. Music was his love. And he wanted to stock that emotion pinch others. He recovered joyousness successful performing successful beforehand of a ample assemblage and dancing.
"He was ample successful stature but very gentle. He moreover volunteered to beryllium an organ donor because he wanted to thief prevention a life. And that’s how he felt astir people."
As Champion thrived astatine FAMU, Pam vividly recalled one speech she had with her son.
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Robert Champion starring his band (ID)
"Rob was talking astir really group were trying to get him to do something," Pam explained. "He ne'er identified what that was, but he didn’t want to do it. My remark to him at nan time was, ‘You don’t have to do thing you don’t want to do. You’re in control.’ But in position of him utilizing the term ‘hazing,’ that ne'er occurred."
Champion appeared "tired" the past clip his mother saw him.
"He didn’t seem nan same," Pam recalled. "He was backing retired of nan driveway. I said, ‘Rob, nan only point I want for you is to beryllium happy.’ And he said, ‘Oh mom, you cognize me.’ It wasn’t unusual for him to enactment successful his room playing his instruments, but it was conscionable thing astir his demeanor. But he ne'er disclosed thing that went connected wrong nan marching band."
Robert Champion died successful 2011. He was 26. (ID )
According to nan Orange County Medical Examiner, Champion died of "hemorrhagic daze owed to soft insubstantial hemorrhage, owed to blunt unit trauma." The section revealed that, conscionable hours earlier his death, Champion had marched pinch his set during a shot crippled betwixt Florida A&M and Bethune-Cookman University.
Pam claimed she had to telephone nan schoolhouse galore times to get immoderate specifications astir what happened to her boy that night.
"It took six months for nan Orange County prosecutor at nan time to interaction america astatine all," said Pam. "We heard thing from them. Everything we sewage came from the media."
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Pam and Robert Champion Sr. were wished to find retired what really happened to their son. (Getty Images)
According to Pam, a newsman stopped by her location with "stacks of complaints that roseate high," revealing a horrifying civilization of hazing wrong nan band.
"This was nary concealed to nan school, the unit that went on," Pam alleged. "And nan difficult point for maine was, you had unit wrong nan set that was expected to be educating the students astir hazing. There’s corruption and negligence. … And for nan schoolhouse to return a stance and say publicly that they were not responsible for my son’s death – really debased tin you go? Was my boy Robert responsible for his ain death?"
Interviews pinch defendants and different set members revealed Champion endured a sadistic ritual known as "crossing over." The assemblage maintained that Champion, who witnessed others being hazed, consented to nan ritual to summation respect among chap set members.
Florida State Attorney Lawson Lamar announces charges successful nan hazing decease of FAMU drum awesome Robert Champion May 2, 2012, successful beforehand of nan Orange County Courthouse successful Orlando, Fla. (Jacob Langston/Orlando Sentinel/Tribune News Service via Getty Images)
With chances for initiation ending pinch nan shot season, chap set members said Champion agreed to tally done a gauntlet of group kicking and beating him pinch drumsticks, mallets and fists. The hazing took spot aboard "Bus C," which was described as the band's notorious venue for hazing aft its performances during FAMU shot games.
What awaited Champion was a punishing ordeal successful which astir 15 group pushed, struck, kicked and grabbed astatine participants arsenic they tried to wade down nan aisle from the bus's driver's spot to touch nan backmost wall, according to interviews. One witnesser said bigger band members waited astatine nan backmost to make nan last fewer steps nan astir difficult. Several others who went done it said nan ordeal leaves participants dizzy and breathless astatine a minimum.
After finishing nan gauntlet, Champion vomited and complained of problem breathing. He quickly fell unconscious and couldn't be revived. An autopsy concluded Champion died from daze caused by terrible bleeding.
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Robert Champion, left, and his woman Pam time off aft a news convention astir caller developments of nan hazing decease of their boy Robert D. Champion, a FAMU drum major. (Red Huber/Orlando Sentinel/Tribune News Service via Getty Images)
Champion's death illustrated really ingrained hazing was successful nan band, though erstwhile hazing incidents were good documented astatine nan schoolhouse in lawsuits and arrests. Two set members antecedently received superior kidney injuries during hazing beatings, and different personnel suffered a surgery thighbone conscionable weeks before Champion's death.
Still, going aboard "Bus C" was voluntary, suspect Caleb Jackson told detectives. Pam said she and her family had a difficult clip believing Champion, who was outspoken astir hazing, would work together to specified brutality. They noted that "no 1 signs up for murder."
Even though set members are required to motion a promise promising not to participate successful hazing, initiations were planned that nighttime for Champion and 2 different set members. Along with "crossing over," the autobus was besides known for "the basking seat," which progressive getting kicked and beaten pinch drumsticks and bass drum mallets while covered pinch a blanket.
A assemblage recovered Dante Martin of Florida A&M University's Marching 100 set blameworthy of manslaughter successful nan fatal hazing of drum awesome Robert Champion. (Red Huber/Orlando Sentinel/Tribune News Service via Getty Images)
Fifteen erstwhile set members were charged in Champion’s death. Purported ringleader Dante Martin was sentenced to 6½ years successful situation successful 2015. Jessie Baskin served conscionable awkward of a twelvemonth successful region jailhouse aft entering a no-contest plea to manslaughter. Most of nan others were sentenced to organization work and probation.
Jackson, 26, pleaded nary title to manslaughter and hazing successful 2013. He was sentenced in 2015 to 4 years successful prison. Jackson’s sentencing ended each prosecution successful nan case.
Longtime set head Julian White resigned successful 2012 and contributed to nan resignation of assemblage President James Ammons.
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Shawn Turner, Florida A&M University marching set drum major, enters an Orange County courtroom June 14, 2012. Turner was appointed a nationalist defender successful nan hazing decease of drum awesome Robert Champion. (Pool photograph by Red Huber/Orlando Sentinel/Tribune News Service via Getty Images)
That aforesaid year, a study from nan Florida Board of Governors inspector general’s office concluded nan assemblage lacked soul controls to forestall aliases observe hazing. It cited a deficiency of connection among apical assemblage officials, nan police department and nan agency responsible for disciplining students.
A spokesperson for FAMU didn't instantly respond to Fox News Digital's petition for remark astir Pam speaking retired successful nan series.
Former FAMU percussionist Caleb Jackson April 16, 2013, earlier he entered a plea of nary title successful Orange County court. (Red Huber/Orlando Sentinel/Tribune News Service via Getty Images)
Today, Pam is co-founder of Be A Champion, a instauration that intends to raise consciousness of nan unit of hazing and different forms of bullying.
"We person to make it nationalist that this isn’t acceptable," said Pam. "We person to travel done pinch reliable laws. … Every year, a young student loses their lives to this bully fluffy connection called hazing. That has to stop. … And students person nan powerfulness to extremity this. They just don’t know they person that power. They person nan powerfulness to refuse. We request to combat this infectious illness we telephone hazing, one that is good covered, treatable and preventable.
Pam Champion, mother, 2nd right, and Robert Champion, father, right, perceive arsenic nan verdict is publication Oct. 31, 2014, aft a assemblage recovered Dante Martin, a erstwhile personnel of Florida A&M University's Marching 100 band, blameworthy of manslaughter successful nan fatal hazing of drum awesome Robert Champion Jr. (Red Huber/Orlando Sentinel/Tribune News Service via Getty Images)
"Robert was known to speak retired against violence," Pam reflected. "He wanted to thief others. I’m here to do that for him."
ID's "Murder Under nan Friday Night Lights" is disposable for streaming connected Max. The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Stephanie Nolasco covers intermezo astatine Foxnews.com.
