Secret Service agent charged in near-fatal hazing with canes and paddles that led to victim’s kidney failure

Key Points:

• Marquez Christopher Pinder, a Secret Service agent in Florida and "dean of pledges" for the Kappa Alpha Psi fraternity at the University of Miami, along with two others, Jared Lamar James and Elijah Delano Dyous, were arrested for involvement in a brutal, dayslong college hazing ritual that nearly caused a victim's death.
• The suspects face charges including attempted manslaughter with a deadly weapon, aggravated battery with a deadly weapon, and hazing with a deadly weapon, following severe beatings of two pledges that resulted in one victim requiring extensive skin grafts and suffering kidney failure.
• The hazing occurred over several days in early April at locations in Sweetwater and unincorporated Miami-Dade County, involving prolonged beatings with canes and paddles reportedly triggered by incorrect answers about the fraternity.
• Kappa Alpha Psi's national president emphasized that the suspects are not current students, have no official affiliation or authority within the fraternity, and that the organization does not condone hazing, pledging full cooperation with law enforcement.
• Authorities highlighted the serious consequences of hazing, noting victims end up in hospitals or worse, and the investigation is ongoing with the suspects in custody and no information yet on their legal representation.