OAN Staff James Meyers
2:44 PM – Wednesday, January 8, 2025
A “skit” at a fraternity party that left a pledge with severe burns that reportedly charred more than 16% of his body, has led to four frat members facing felony charges, including the man who was injured, according to prosecutors.
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Caden Cooper, 22, Lucas Cowling, 20, Christopher Serrano, 20, and Lars Larsen, 19, were arraigned on Monday and pleaded not guilty to charges, which included recklessly causing a fire with great bodily injury, conspiracy to commit an act injurious to the public, and violating the social host ordinance, the San Diego County District Attorney’s Office announced in a news release.
The charges relate to a February 17th Phi Kappa Psi party. During the time of the party, the fraternity was already on probation by the university, according to the release.
All four students were active members and pledges of Phi Kappa Psi, officials stated.
Cooper was the fraternity’s president, Cowling was on the pledge board, and both Serrano and Larsen were pledges.
The district attorney’s office explained that Phi Kappa had thrown a party at their fraternity house, where Cowling, Serrano, and Larsen had “pre-planned a skit, during which Serrano would set Larsen on fire.”
“After consuming alcohol in Cowling’s presence, the underage students executed the skit, which caused burns to Larsen on 16% of his body, primarily on his legs. Larsen spent weeks in the hospital for treatment of third-degree burns,” the office continued.
Officials in the case have accused Cooper, Larsen, and Cowling of attempting to cover up what happened by lying to investigators, deleting social media evidence, and telling other fraternity members to get rid of all evidence and refrain from discussing what transpired.
It remains unclear if the students involved have obtained attorneys who can speak on their behalf. Phi Kappa Psi has not commented on the pending lawsuit against them.
University representatives stated that it was alerted to the incident after receiving an anonymous call in February, reporting the hazing. Meanwhile, the fraternity has been on an interim suspension, temporarily halting organizational activities while an investigation is conducted.
“The university has taken additional actions, but because of student privacy laws, those actions can not be disclosed,” the school said in a statement on Wednesday.
The university also noted that it reported the incident to university police, which then presented it to the district attorney’s office. The school then launched an administrative investigation that “addresses both individual student conduct and the conduct of the organization involved.”
“The university prioritizes the health and safety of our campus community and has high expectations for how all members of the university community, including students, behave in the interest of individual and community safety and wellbeing,” the school said.
Soon after, the students involved were prohibited from attending any other fraternity parties or recruitment events.
They have a court date set for March 18th.
If convicted of all charges, they face a “sentencing range of probation up to seven years and two months in prison,” NBC News reported.
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