Hazing horror: Five charged over death of Michael Deng at Asian American fraternity house

Five people, including the former national president of an Asian American college fraternity, have been charged in the 2013 death of a New York City freshman during a brutal hazing ritual in Pennsylvania, police said.

Fraternity members at Baruch College physically abused “Michael” Chun Hsien Deng, then tried to cover it up as the 19-year-old lay dying in their rented house in the Pocono Mountains, police said Tuesday.

A grand jury recommended charges for 37 people in Deng’s December 2013 death. Pocono Mountain Regional police intend to arrest suspects in waves, moving from least to most culpable, to keep the courts from being overwhelmed.

The first five suspects, including former Pi Delta Psi President Andy Meng, were charged with hazing, conspiracy and hindering apprehension and were making arrangements Tuesday to turn themselves in. Fraternity officials did not immediately return emails seeking comment on the charges.

Pi Delta Psi calls itself an “Asian American cultural fraternity”.

“There is some measure of relief,” said the Deng family’s attorney, Douglas Fierberg, who is representing them in a lawsuit against the fraternity and some of its members. “It gives them a better indication of who was involved, what happened and who tried to cover up this death, and that’s information they never had.”