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 Investigation underway at PSU Altoona following suicide 
 
 
 
 
 
 By: Maria Miller 
 
 ALTOONA, Pa. -- A Penn State University Altoona fraternity has been suspended and an investigation is underway after the death of one of its members last week. 
 
 
 
 Investigators said Marquise Braham committed suicide at his home in New York, but his family alleges it was the result of severe hazing. 
 
 
 
 They are harsh allegations from that raise a lot of unanswered questions. While the investigation locally has just started, police have already hit a roadblock: The people they need to speak with most, Braham's fraternity brothers, aren't saying a word and immediately requested attorneys. 
 
 
 
 The 18-year-old was a freshman at Penn State Altoona, an active member on campus and a new recruit for Phi Sigma Kappa fraternity. 
 
 
 
 "He pledged a frat, which isn't against the law, but somehow he ended up dead from it," said Braham's father, Richard Braham in an interview with NBC New York. "How did that happen? That's what I want to know." 
 
 
 
 Braham's father said part of initiation included severe hazing, which left him feeling a lot of guilt for what he did and what he saw. 
 
 
 
 "He expressed to his friends that he was not comfortable and that he was not OK doing that," Braham said. "He didn't want to do that kind of thing. I think it's somewhere in there that the truth lies as to why Marquise jumped off the roof of Long Island Marriott." 
 
 
 
 New York investigators ruled his death a suicide but are continuing to investigate and so are police in Logan Township, Blair County. 
 
 
 
 Police have already searched Braham's Altoona apartment and have tried questioning his Phi Sigma Kappa brothers, but said they're not talking. 
 
 
 
 "Each day we look into this a little further and we have had several individuals invoke their right to counsel prior to an interview," said Logan Township Police Chief Ron Heller. "That's where we stand right now." 
 
 
 
 "There are many of us who are really struggling with this situation and the emotional reactions that come from it," said Lori J. Bechtel-Wherry, chancellor and dean at Penn State Altoona. 
 
 
 
 Bechtel-Wherry said the university is deeply saddened to hear of Braham's death and confirmed the fraternity has been suspended, pending the ongoing investigation. 
 
 
 
 "They cannot attend the Greek Council, they're not able to engage in community service activities they had planned and a host of other things," Bechtel-Wherry said. "Essentially that will allow us to do an investigation." 
 
 
 
 "It's an unfortunate accident to this young man from New York," Heller said. "We're going to do everything we can to make certain that if the allegations are true, that those involved are prosecuted." 
 
 
 
 6 News contacted Phi Sigma Kappa International Thursday, but has not yet received a reply. 
 
 Investigation underway at PSU Altoona following suicide ||||| Story highlights Marquise Braham, 18, jumped to his death from the roof of a Marriott hotel on Long Island 
 
 He may have been subjected to hazing, abuse at an off-campus fraternity house, police say 
 
 "He's kind, gentle, fun, sarcastic," says the victim's father, Rich Braham 
 
 The suicide of a Phi Sigma Kappa fraternity member at a Pennsylvania university may have been caused by hazing, police said Thursday. 
 
 Marquise Braham, 18, jumped to his death Friday from the roof of a Marriott hotel on Long Island while home for spring break, authorities said. 
 
 "He's kind, gentle, fun, sarcastic," the victim's father, Rich Braham, told CNN affiliate News 12 Long Island. "Just good to be around. His entire life was in Christ-centered education." 
 
 A freshman at Penn State Altoona, Braham may have been subjected to hazing and physical abuse at an off-campus fraternity house before he committed suicide, said Ron Heller, chief of the Logan Township Police Department. 
 
 "There are allegations of hazing, drug abuse, physical abuse and alcohol abuse," said Heller, whose police force has jurisdiction of Logan Township, where the fraternity house is located. "The state of Pennsylvania does not have a specific hazing (section), but a harassment section which would clearly cover this, and if we link the young man's death to hazing, the individuals could be charged with criminal homicide in Pennsylvania 
 
 "Depending on the nature of what this hazing was, it could rise to an assault, and if this young man was distraught over what happened, whether he received hazing or was part of it, we can link that to the perpetrators. If we can link it, we can charge them." 
 
 Shari Routch, director of university relations for Penn State Altoona, said the university's Phi Sigma Kappa chapter has been suspended pending the investigation. 
 
 "Penn State is looking into alleged violations by the fraternity of the university's code of conduct," Routch said. "There is a separate ... criminal investigation conducted by Logan Township police. We have zero tolerance for hazing, zero tolerance for violations of code of conduct and violations for any illegal activity." 
 
 Michael Carey, executive vice president of Phi Sigma Kappa, said the national fraternity was "aware of the serious allegations" against its members and urged them to cooperate with law enforcement officials. The fraternity also was conducting an internal investigation. 
 
 "It would be improper to comment or speculate on the validity of any allegations of hazing or misconduct of the chapter until we have fully investigated this matter," Carey said. 
 
 Rich Braham said he imagined his son's fraternity involvement to be like the movie "Animal House." 
 
 "You know, the pledging process," he told News 12 Long Island. "There probably would be some drinking, hopefully not too much. You know, wearing togas." 
 
 Heller said Marquise Braham apparently had discussed the hazing with an aunt and several friends. 
 
 "In Pennsylvania law, there is a section of causing or aiding a suicide," Heller said. "If you cause by force, stress, or deception someone to commit suicide, you can be charged with criminal homicide in Pennsylvania." 
 
 Routch said the university, which has nearly 4,000 students, was offering grief and counseling sessions for students and staff. 
 
 "We really want to be a support system for the campus community," she said. "We are a very tight-knit campus and want to support our individuals who have been affected by this." 
 
 The university has two fraternities and two sororities, Routch said. 
 
 "In the midst of allegations," she said, "we do as a community offer our sincerest condolences to Marquise's family and friends."
– Another potential case of murder charges related to college hazing: An 18-year-old freshman at Penn State Altoona killed himself last week while home on spring break on Long Island by jumping from the roof of a hotel, reports CNN. Police are investigating reports that hazing drove Marquise Braham to commit suicide, and the local police chief says it could result in homicide charges. "Depending on the nature of what this hazing was, it could rise to an assault, and if this young man was distraught over what happened, whether he received hazing or was part of it, we can link that to the perpetrators." One twist in this case is that Braham's family thinks the main problem was that Braham was the haz-er, not the haz-ee, and felt guilty about it, reports the Altoona Mirror. Braham served as the fraternity secretary of his Phi Sigma Kappa chapter and participated in the hazing of pledges, says a family spokesperson. A photo from his cellphone obtained by the Mirror shows a young man blindfolded with a gun to his head (apparently a pledge, not Braham), and texts refer to the use of the drug ecstasy within the frat. Before his suicide, Braham reportedly spoke to an aunt about his need to confess. "It's what happened in Altoona that sent him off the roof of the Marrott in New York," says his father, Rich. "It's clear he didn't want to go back there." The school has suspended the fraternity while the investigation continues, and Braham's former frat brothers aren't talking to police, reports WJAC.