NEW ORLEANS (AP) — Two more arrests have been made in connection with the death of a 20-year-old Southern University student who was repeatedly punched during an off-campus fraternity hazing ritual, Baton Rouge police announced Tuesday.
Kyle Thurman, 25, and Isaiah Smith, 28, have been arrested and face charges of felony criminal hazing for their role in the death of Caleb Wilson, a mechanical engineering junior at the school who died in late February.
Last week, police arrested Caleb McCray, 23, who faces charges of criminal hazing and manslaughter. He allegedly punched Wilson four times before the pledge collapsed unresponsive and appeared to suffer a seizure, police say.
Smith was seen on surveillance video removing Wilson from his vehicle and bringing him to a hospital, according to a police arrest warrant affidavit reviewed by The Associated Press.
The group that brought Wilson at the hospital initially told medical staff that Wilson collapsed while playing basketball at a park and left the hospital before police arrived, Baton Rouge Police Department Chief Thomas Morse Jr. told reporters last week.
Wilson died as a “direct result” of the hazing, Morse Jr. said.
Smith held the title “Dean of Pledges” and was in charge of the ritual during the hazing, the affidavit states. He turned himself in on Tuesday, police say.
Smith's lawyer, Franz Borghardt, said it is important to note that Smith is not accused of making physical contact with Wilson and that no one was aware of any underlying medical conditions he may have had.
“This was a freak accident; we’re not talking about force-feeding alcohol,” Borghardt said. “To be sure, everyone in that fraternity cares about Caleb. Our hearts go out to the Wilson family.”
Both Smith and Thurman participated in punching some of the nine pledges, but they are not described as hitting Wilson, according to police arrest warrant affidavits.
Smith’s father, Todd Smith, runs a flooring company where the hazing incident occurred, Borghardt said.
Todd Smith did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Thurman could not be reached for comment, and police and court officials were not able to provide information for his legal representation.
McCray's lawyer, Phillip Robinson, said he is innocent and urged the public to withhold judgment.
In Louisiana, hazing can be a felony under the Max Gruver Act, which passed in 2018 and was named after a Louisiana State University student who died of alcohol poisoning after hazing at the Phi Delta Theta fraternity house.
Under the act, if a person being hazed dies or is seriously injured, violators face up to a $10,000 fine and five years in prison. Organizations, representatives and officers of an organization, and educational institutions can also face penalties.
The fraternity Wilson was pledging, Omega Psi Phi, could face civil penalties under the act. A fraternity spokesperson said it is cooperating with authorities.
The fraternity's campus chapter has been ordered to cease activities and Greek life organizations have been barred from taking on new members for the remainder of the academic year, Southern University President Dennis Shields told reporters last week.
Hundreds of people turned out in early March for a vigil in honor of Wilson, a passionate trumpet player in the university's famed band.
FILE - This photo provided by the Baton Rouge Police Department shows Caleb McCray. (Baton Rouge Police Department via AP)
In this undated booking photo released by the Baton Rouge Police Department, Kyle Thurman, 25, is seen. (Baton Rouge Police Department via AP)
In this undated booking photo released by the Baton Rouge Police Department, Isaiah Smith, 28, is seen. (Baton Rouge Police Department via AP)
CRANS-MONTANA, Switzerland (AP) — In the aftermath of a fire inside a Swiss Alpine bar that killed 40 people celebrating the new year, survivors, friends and family members, the region’s top authorities and even Pope Leo have spoken to the public in remarks in French, Italian, German and English, reflecting the tradition of Swiss multilingualism.
Another 119 people were injured in the blaze early Thursday as it ripped through the busy Le Constellation bar at the ski resort of Crans-Montana, authorities said. It was one of the deadliest tragedies in Switzerland’s history.
Investigators said Friday that they believe sparkling candles atop Champagne bottles ignited the fatal fire when they came too close to the ceiling of the crowded bar.
Here’s a look at what people said in the wake of the disaster:
— “I’m looking everywhere. The body of my son is somewhere,” Laetitia Brodard told reporters Friday in Crans-Montana as she searched for her son, 16-year-old Arthur. “I want to know, where is my child, and be by his side. Wherever that may be, be it in the intensive care unit or the morgue.”
— “We were bringing people out, people were collapsing. We were doing everything we could to save them, we helped as many as we could. We saw people screaming, running,” Marc-Antoine Chavanon, 14, told The Associated Press in Crans-Montana on Friday, recounting how he rushed to the bar to help the injured. “There was one of our friends: She was struggling to get out, she was all burned. You can’t imagine the pain I saw.”
— “It was hard to live through for everyone. Also probably because everyone was asking themselves, ‘Was my child, my cousin, someone from the region at this party?’” Eric Bonvin, general director of the regional hospital in Sion that took in dozens of injured people, told AP on Friday. “This place was very well known as somewhere to celebrate the new year,” Bonvin said. “Also, seeing young people arrive — that’s always traumatic.”
— “I have seen horror, and I don’t know what else would be worse than this,” Gianni Campolo, a Swiss 19-year-old who was in Crans-Montana on vacation and rushed to the bar to help first responders, told France's TF1 television.
—“You will understand that the priority today is truly placed on identification, in order to allow the families to begin their mourning,” Beatrice Pilloud, the Valais region's attorney general, told reporters Friday during a news conference in Sion.
Pope Leo said in a telegram Friday to the bishop of Sion that he " wishes to express his compassion and concern to the relatives of the victims. He prays that the Lord will welcome the deceased into His abode of peace and light, and will sustain the courage of those who suffer in their hearts or in their bodies.”
— “We have numerous accounts of heroic actions, one could say of very strong solidarity in the moment,” Cantonal head of government Mathias Reynard told RTS radio Friday. "In the first minutes it was citizens — and in large part young people — who saved lives with their courage.”
— “Switzerland is a strong country not because it is sheltered from drama, but because it knows how to face them with courage and a spirit of mutual help," Swiss President Guy Parmelin, speaking on his first day in the position that changes hands annually, told reporters Thursday.
People bring flowers near the sealed off Le Constellation bar in Crans-Montana, Swiss Alps, Switzerland, Friday, Jan. 2, 2026, where a devastating fire left dead and injured during the New Year's celebrations. (AP Photo/ Antonio Calanni)
A woman holding a stuffed animal, whose daughter is missing, gather with others near the sealed-off Le Constellation bar in Crans-Montana, Switzerland, Friday, Jan. 2, 2026, where a devastating fire left dead and injured during the New Year's celebrations. (AP Photo/Baz Ratner)
People light candles near the sealed off Le Constellation bar in Crans-Montana, Swiss Alps, Switzerland, Friday, Jan. 2, 2026, where a devastating fire left dead and injured during the New Year's celebrations. (AP Photo/ Antonio Calanni)
