Commonwealth v. Pi Delta Psi, Inc.

I. Introduction

Near the close of the 2013 fall semester, student members of Pi Delta Psi, Inc. traveled from their college campus in Manhattan to the Pocono Mountains. They rented a house to perform the final rites and rituals of their new-member program, as they had quietly done in previous semesters. This time, something went horribly wrong.

A ritual known as "The Crossing," a gauntlet where members tackle and body-slam associate members, 1 killed a freshman. The Commonwealth filed charges against the student members; certain national officers; and Pi Delta Psi, Inc., itself. A jury…