Asian-American college fraternity guilty of manslaughter in hazing death of student Michael Deng

An Asian-American college fraternity at New York’s Baruch College fraternity has been found guilty of involuntary manslaughter and other offences for the 2013 hazing death of a pledge in a rented home in Pennsylvania’s Pocono Mountains.

Jurors announced the verdict Tuesday against Pi Delta Psi, which calls itself an “Asian American cultural fraternity”, after six days of testimony in the death of freshman pledge Michael Chun Deng of New York.

The fraternity was also found guilty of aggravated assault, hazing, hindering apprehension and conspiracy. It was acquitted of the most serious offences it faced, third-degree murder and voluntary manslaughter.

Its lawyer told the Pocono Record the fraternity plans to appeal.

Four members of the now-closed fraternity chapter previously pleaded guilty to voluntary manslaughter and await sentencing.

Authorities have said Deng was knocked unconscious and suffered a fatal head injury during a “gauntlet” ritual in which he was blindfolded and carried a weighted-down backpack across a yard in the home about 160km west of New York.