San Diego frat boys plead not guilty to setting pledge on fire

Prosecutors claim four students involved in house party stunt that left teenager with third-degree burns

San Diego State University in California (Getty)

Four members of San Diego State University (SDSU)’s Phi Kappa Psi fraternity have pleaded not guilty to criminal charges relating to a stunt that allegedly involved deliberately setting one of its new members, known as a pledge, on fire, causing him to suffer third-degree burns.

The defendants – Caden Cooper, 22; Lucas Cowling, 20; Christopher Serrano, 20; and Lars Larsen, 19 – were arraigned on Monday on charges that included recklessly causing a fire with great bodily injury, conspiracy to commit an act injurious to the public and violating the social host ordinance.

If convicted on all of those charges, the quartet could face sentences ranging from probation to seven years and two months in state prison.

The incident at the heart of the case took place at a fraternity house party on February 17 last year, according to prosecutors, which was presided over by Cooper, Phi Kappa Psi’s president, and Cowling, a member of its pledge board.

It was there that Serrano was allegedly challenged to set Larsen on fire, a stunt that ultimately caused the latter to suffer 16 percent burns across his body, according to the San Diego County District Attorney’s Office.

The prosecution accuses Cooper and Cowling of lying to investigating police officers in the aftermath of the episode, deleting evidence from social media and ordering their fellow fraternity members to follow suit.

In the wake of Monday’s arraignment, the four defendants have been allowed to remain free from custody on their own recognizance.

They have been instructed to abide by the conditions of their release and take no further part in fraternity parties or recruitment events until further notice.

According to Fox 5 San Diego, Phi Kappa Psi was one of seven of SDSU’s 14 fraternities that was placed on an interim suspension over alleged student misconduct in October 2023, pending an internal investigation.

“Interim suspensions are put into place as part of an effort to address behavioral concerns within a recognized student organization while the concerns are investigated,” the institution’s Office of the Dean of Students said at the time.

“SDSU prioritizes the health and safety of our campus community and takes reports of alleged misconduct seriously.”

Fox 5 reported speaking to a number of students who described a series of parties at SDSU that had gotten out of control in the run-up to the university’s ordering the suspension and moving to consider disciplinary measures.

“Society here and the culture here is unlike anything I’ve ever experienced,” one sorority member told the network.

“It’s very normal for people to ‘black out,’ very normal for people to be sent to the hospital and I do think it’s kind of catching up on itself.”