Southern University Hazing Investigation Leads to Second Arrest
Baton Rouge police have arrested a second suspect in connection with the tragic hazing-related death of Southern University student Caleb Wilson, authorities confirmed Monday.
25-year-old Kyle Thurman was taken into custody in Port Allen by West Baton Rouge Sheriff’s deputies and the U.S. Marshals Service, WDSU reported.
Thurman was booked into the West Baton Rouge Detention Center and is expected to be transferred to East Baton Rouge Parish Prison, where he will face a felony hazing charge, according to police.
Wilson, a 20-year-old junior engineering student and former member of Southern University’s Human Jukebox marching band, died on February 27 after being punched in the chest during a fraternity pledging ritual for Omega Psi Phi.
The arrest follows the surrender of a first suspect, former Southern University student Caleb McCray. The 23-year-old turned himself in late Thursday, (March 6) and faces charges of manslaughter and hazing.
During his initial court appearance on Friday, his bond was set at $100,000. His attorney, Phillip Robinson, maintains that McCray is innocent.
Authorities say Wilson and eight other pledges were lined up inside a warehouse at 3412 Woodcrest Drive, where fraternity members forced them to wear gray sweatsuits.
The pledges were then allegedly subjected to blows to the chest by McCray and two others using black boxing gloves. Each pledge reportedly received four punches, symbolizing Omega Psi Phi’s “four cardinal principles”—manhood, scholarship, perseverance, and uplift.
According to McCray’s arrest affidavit, he delivered the final blow before Wilson collapsed and suffered a seizure.
Investigators revealed that fraternity members did not immediately call 911 when Wilson experienced distress. Instead, they waited before transporting him to Baton Rouge General-Bluebonnet Hospital, where police were called around 2:40 a.m. that morning.
Initially, the individuals who dropped him off told medical personnel that Wilson collapsed while playing basketball at a park—an account that authorities later determined was a fabrication.
Baton Rouge Police Chief Thomas Morse Jr. had previously stated that Wilson’s death was the “direct result” of the hazing incident.
However, Wilson’s full autopsy report remains pending, but an arrest affidavit did note a small bruise on the right side of his chest.
Meanwhile, Baton Rouge Coroner’s Office Chief of Investigations Shane Tindall said Friday that it could take months to determine the official cause of death.
The case remains under investigation by Baton Rouge police and the East Baton Rouge District Attorney’s Office, with more arrests expected as authorities continue their probe into Wilson’s death.
