Four San Diego State University Fraternity Members Charged After Pledge Sustains Severe Burns During ‘Skit’ – One America News Network
OAN Staff James Meyers
2:44 PM – Wednesday, January 8, 2025
A “skit” performed at a fraternity gathering, which resulted in a pledge suffering severe burns affecting over 16% of his body, has prompted felony charges against four fraternity members, including the injured individual, according to prosecutors.
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Caden Cooper, 22, Lucas Cowling, 20, Christopher Serrano, 20, and Lars Larsen, 19, appeared in court on Monday and entered not guilty pleas to charges that include recklessly causing a fire resulting in great bodily harm, conspiracy to commit an act harmful to the public, and breaching the social host ordinance, as reported by the San Diego County District Attorney’s Office in a news release.
The charges stem from a party held on February 17th by Phi Kappa Psi, which was already under probation by the university at that time, according to the release.
All four individuals were recognized as active members and pledges of Phi Kappa Psi, as stated by officials.
Cooper served as the fraternity president, Cowling was part of the pledge board, while Serrano and Larsen were both pledges.
The district attorney’s office clarified that during a party at their fraternity house, Cowling, Serrano, and Larsen had “pre-planned a skit, in which Serrano would ignite Larsen.”
“After consuming alcohol in Cowling’s presence, the underage students carried out the skit, which caused burns to Larsen affecting 16% of his body, primarily on his legs. Larsen required several weeks of hospitalization for treatment of third-degree burns,” the office elaborated.
Officials have accused Cooper, Larsen, and Cowling of trying to conceal the incident by misleading investigators, erasing social media evidence, and instructing other fraternity members to eliminate all traces of the event and refrain from discussing it.
It is currently unknown whether the students involved have retained legal counsel to represent them. Phi Kappa Psi has yet to comment on the pending litigation against them.
University representatives disclosed that the incident was reported to them following an anonymous tip received in February regarding the hazing. In the meantime, the fraternity is under an interim suspension, which pauses all organizational activities while an investigation is conducted.
“The university has implemented further measures, but due to student privacy regulations, those details cannot be shared,” the institution stated in a news release on Wednesday.
The university also mentioned that it informed campus police of the incident, who subsequently handed it over to the district attorney’s office. Following this, an administrative probe was initiated to investigate both individual student actions and the conduct of the involved organization.
“The university is committed to the health and safety of our campus community and holds all university members, including students, to high standards regarding individual and community safety and well-being,” the institution expressed.
Shortly thereafter, the students involved were barred from attending any further fraternity functions or recruitment events.
A court appearance is scheduled for March 18th.
If found guilty of all charges, they may face a “sentencing range of probation up to seven years and two months in prison,” as reported by NBC News.
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