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Two more suspects have been arrested in the hazing death of HBCU student Caleb Wilson. 28-year-old Isaiah Smith surrendered to Baton Rouge Police on Tuesday and is expected to be booked into East Baton Rouge Parish Prison, according to a police spokesperson. Smith, a graduate student at Southern University, has been charged with felony hazing, his defense attorney Franz Borghardt confirmed.
Per police records and reporting by local news outlet The Advocate, Smith served as “Dean of Pledges” for Southern's Omega Psi Phi fraternity chapter and was responsible for overseeing pledges during the hazing incident. Witnesses told police that Smith was in charge at the time of the hazing.
The hazing ritual involved pledges being hit in the chest with a boxing glove at a warehouse on 3412 Woodcrest Drive, leased by Todd Smith, owner of California Hardwood Floors. Police believe Isaiah Smith owns the black Dodge Charger used to take Wilson to Baton Rouge General-Bluebonnet Hospital. Surveillance footage shows Smith helping hospital staff remove an unresponsive Wilson from the car.
On Monday, police arrested 25-year-old Kyle Thurman in Port Allen. He was taken into custody by West Baton Rouge deputies and U.S. Marshals and booked into the West Baton Rouge Detention Center. The first arrest came on March 6, when former Southern University student Caleb McCray, 23, turned himself in to Baton Rouge police. McCray is charged with manslaughter and hazing in Wilson's death. His bond was set at $100,000 during a Friday court appearance.
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The Omega Psi Phi members involved with Caleb Wilson's death reportedly lied about what occurred. Initial reports stated that Wilson and other pledges were in a park at the time of his death, but sources revealed they were actually in a warehouse in Baton Rouge.
According to The Advocate, pledges were taken to a warehouse on Woodcrest Drive during the ritual and made to wear gray sweatsuits. Lined up by height, Wilson and eight other pledges endured punches to the chest delivered by McCray, Thurman, and Smith, using a pair of black boxing gloves, as stated in McCray's arrest warrant affidavit.
The punches were said to symbolize the fraternity's “four cardinal principles”—manhood, scholarship, perseverance, and uplift—according to a source familiar with the investigation. While Smith reportedly struck at least one pledge, he did not punch Wilson.
McCray delivered the final punch, after which Wilson collapsed and began seizing. Despite the medical emergency, fraternity members delayed calling 911, opting to transport Wilson to the hospital later. The arrest affidavit cited an autopsy report noting a small bruise on the right side of Wilson's chest.
