Too often, we cover deaths associated with hazing rituals.

Alcohol poisoning is typically the cause.  However, last year, an aspiring college drum major at Florida A&M was beaten to death during the ritual:

Robert Champion was known for his opposition to the hazing rampant in the Florida A&M University marching band, but he was vying to be lead drum major and wanted the respect he could earn by enduring a brutal ritual known as “crossing over.”

With chances for initiation ending with the football season, fellow band members say, Champion agreed to run through a bus lined with people kicking and beating him with drumsticks, mallets and fists.

The decision would be fatal.

Previous hazing incidents at the school well-documented at the school, and had resulted in lawsuits and arrests. It is reported that two band members received serious kidney injuries during hazing beatings several years ago, and another member suffered a broken thigh bone just weeks before Champion’s death.

There is an update to the case, as an individual has plead guilty to Champion’s death:

A man charged in the hazing death of a Florida A&M drum major is going to plead guilty and cooperate with prosecutors, his attorney said Friday.

Caleb Jackson will plead guilty to felony hazing and manslaughter as soon as April, attorney Chuck Hobbs said at a hearing at the Orange County Courthouse.

Jackson currently is being held in the Leon County Jail for violating his probation.

Drum major Robert Champion died in November 2011 in Orlando after he collapsed following what prosecutors say was a savage beating during a hazing ritual. A dozen former Florida A&M band members have been charged with manslaughter and felony hazing.

“He has two hopes, the first being able to help the state with respect to understanding and getting a clearer picture of what happened the night Robert Champion died,” Hobbs said. “He is hopeful that he can play some small part in bringing closure to the family.”

Hobbs said no promises or guarantees have been made by prosecutors regarding Jackson’s cooperation.

“It would be his hope that by cooperating, such would bode well when it comes time for his sentencing,” Hobbs said.