mohammed is watching from neighboring lebanon, and he joins us live. good to see you. what can you tell us about the latest violence? well, syrian opposition activists told us today that they are begging the international community for their help, for their intervention, after this barbaric massacre, that s what they re calling it, that happened yesterday in the town in homs province. now, they described intense shelling, mortars raining down on the town, and then as you mentioned, they said the pro regime militias went in and started indiscriminantly slaughtering men, women, and children. we have seen gruesome, stubbing videos today. what we have heard from opposition activists corroborate what we have seen on the videos. women and children in blankets on the floors of rooms in houses. we have seen horrible videos of children which they appear that their heads have been bashed in, their lifeless bodies strewn across floors in the houses. horrifyi horrifying. we know the u.
11 participants, that s one of them with hazing. in convicted the maximum anyone could face would be six years in prison. again, the question is why not murder or manslaughter charges? one answer says state prosecutors is that it would be tough getting convictions with the evidence that they have. the testimony obtained to date does not support a charge of murder in that it does not contain the elements of murder. we can prove participation in hazing and a death. we do not have a blow or a shot or a knife thrust that killed mr. champion. it is an aggregation of things which exactly fit the florida statute as written by the legislature. well, that statute was written seven years ago with the best intentions to hold people accountable for hazing deaths. you have to wonder, though, does the very fact that it s on the books allow some people to pay lighter penalties for causing someone s death than would otherwise be the case? the attorney for the champion family says so. he
ac 360 starts now. piers, thank you. good evening, it s 10:00 here on the east coast. we begin tonight, keeping them we begin tonight keeping them honest with the question that seems to have no simple answer. how can someone be fatally beaten, kicked and suffocated, allegedly by more than a dozen people, and yet none of those people, not one, face murder or manslaughter charges. that s one key question in the killing of florida a&m band member robert champion. he died from a brutal hazing, and he died from crossing bus c, where the victim is made to walk down the aisle of the band bus while bandmates hit him. in convicted the maximum anyone could face would be six years in prison. again, the question is why not murder or manslaughter charges? one answer says state prosecutors is that it would be tough getting convictions with the evidence that they have. the testimony obtained to date does not support a charge of murder in that it does not contain the elements of murder
while bandmates hit him. today florida prosecutors charged 11 alleged participants with what s called felony hazing. they charged two others with misdemeanors. if convicted, the maximum anyone could face for beating someone to death would be six years in prison. again, the question is why not murder or manslaughter charges? one answer, say prosecutors, is that it would be tough getting convictions with the evidence that they have. the testimony obtained to date does not support a charge of murder in that it does not contain the elements of murder. we can prove participation in hazing and a death. we do not have a blow or a shot or a knife thrust that killed mr. champion. it is an aggregation of things which exactly fit the florida statute as written by the legislature. well, that statute was written seven years ago with the best intentions to hold people accountable for hazing deaths. you have to wonder, though, does the very fact that it s on the books allow some people
today florida prosecutors charged 11 alleged participants with what s called felony hazing. they charged two others with misdemeanors. if convicted, the maximum anyone could face for beating someone to death would be six years in prison. again, the question is why not murder or manslaughter charges? one answer, say prosecutors, is that it would be tough getting convictions with the evidence that they have. the testimony obtained to date does not support a charge of murder in that it does not contain the elements of murder. we can prove participation in hazing and a death. we do not have a blow or a shot or a knife thrust that killed mr. champion. it is an aggregation of things which exactly fit the florida statute as written by the legislature. well, that statute was written seven years ago with the best intentions to hold people accountable for hazing deaths. you have to wonder, though, does the very fact that it s on the books allow some people to pay lighter penalties