Four fraternity brothers from a California college are now facing legal consequences after a shocking incident in which a pledge suffered severe burns during a party.
Fraternity brothers charged for hazing incident
San Diego County District Attorney Summer Stephan revealed in a statement released Monday that four individuals associated with a San Diego State University fraternity have been charged in connection to a so-called “skit” that ended with a pledge being set on fire.
The suspects—Caden Cooper, 22; Lucas Cowling, 20; Christopher Serrano, 20; and Lars Larsen, 19—are being accused of recklessly setting a fire that resulted in serious bodily harm, conspiracy to commit acts harmful to the public, and violating local social host regulations.
According to the San Diego District Attorney’s Office, the Phi Kappa Psi fraternity hosted a large party at its house on February 17, 2024, despite being on probation for previous infractions involving hazing and alcohol-related misconduct.
Authorities allege that Cowling, Serrano, and Larsen had premeditated a performance where Serrano would ignite Larsen on fire as part of the event.
Unfortunately, the situation escalated beyond control. Larsen sustained burns over approximately 16% of his body, particularly his legs.
The injuries were severe enough to necessitate weeks of treatment in a hospital for third-degree burns.
At the time of the incident, Cooper served as fraternity president, Cowling was in charge of the pledge board, and Serrano and Larsen were participating pledges.
Investigators reported that neither Serrano nor Larsen had reached the legal drinking age when the event occurred, yet both consumed alcohol under Cowling’s watch.
Fraternity brothers allegedly tried to impede investigation
Authorities have also accused Cooper, Cowling, and Larsen of taking coordinated steps to obstruct the investigation.
They allegedly deceived law enforcement officers, erased digital evidence from social media, and instructed other fraternity members to delete content and refrain from discussing the event.
The incident came to light after San Diego State University received an anonymous tip, which prompted campus police involvement.
The university initiated its own administrative inquiry to examine the behavior of both individual students and the fraternity as a whole.
Following this incident, San Diego State University placed the fraternity under interim suspension, effectively halting all its group activities while investigations continue.
The university also put additional corrective measures in place, but noted that specific actions could not be disclosed due to student privacy regulations.
“The university has taken additional actions, but because of student privacy laws, those actions cannot be disclosed,” the institution clarified in a statement issued Wednesday, reaffirming its commitment to addressing this matter comprehensively.
The four defendants are expected to attend a readiness hearing scheduled for March 18, with a preliminary hearing set to follow on April 16.
The court has imposed several restrictions on the accused while the case progresses while the defendants are still in school.
These include prohibiting their participation in fraternity events such as parties, recruitment activities, and requiring strict adherence to all laws, especially those concerning illegal alcohol use.
If convicted on all counts, they could each face a maximum sentence of seven years and two months in prison.
Hazing bill signed into law
President Joe Biden officially enacted the “Stop Campus Hazing Act,” over three years after a tragic hazing incident left a University of Missouri-Columbia freshman permanently disabled.
This new legislation is intended to bring hazing awareness to the forefront by demanding that colleges and universities disclose occurrences of hazing in their annual security reports and enforce education and prevention initiatives across campuses.
Although the bill passed through Congress back in September, it wasn’t signed into law until just before Christmas. Senator Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota co-led the initiative, citing the heartbreaking experience of Danny Santulli—a fellow Minnesotan—as her motivation for action.
On October 20, 2021, Santulli, who was a teenage freshman involved in the Phi Gamma Delta fraternity (also known as FIJI), was subjected to dangerous hazing rituals. He was coerced into consuming a full bottle of Tito’s vodka and pressured to drink beer through a tube during a fraternity event.
The consequences were devastating—Santulli became unresponsive, with a blood alcohol concentration of 0.468%, a figure that is six times Missouri’s legal limit.
When his condition deteriorated to the point of cardiac arrest, fraternity members finally transported Santulli to the hospital.
By the time they took action, he had stopped breathing. Although CPR managed to restart his heart, the damage to his body was irreversible. Santulli is now unable to see, walk, or communicate.
According to his family, the financial toll of his medical care has surpassed $2 million, adding to the emotional burden of an incident that could have been avoided.
