Frat members at San Diego State University charged after pledge set on fire during party skit

Four members of San Diego State University’s Phi Kappa Psi fraternity are facing felony charges after a skit performed at a party last year led to a pledge being set on fire.

The member set on fire suffered third-degree burns that covered more than 16% of his body as a result of the skit performed on Feb. 17, prosecutors said.

Caden Cooper, 22; Lucas Cowling, 20; Christopher Serrano, 20, and Lars Larsen, 19, were each charged Monday with at least one felony, and all four pleaded not guilty. Larsen was the person set on fire.

The charges include 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 of all charges, the defendants could face seven years in prison.

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The four charged were all either active members or pledges of the Phi Kappa Psi fraternity. Cooper was the fraternity’s president and Cowling was on the Pledge Board, while Serrano and Larsen were pledges, prosecutors said.

Larsen and Serrano, who were not of legal drinking age, also drank alcohol before the skit while in the presence of Cowling.

In recent years, the university’s fraternities have engaged in activities that have prompted investigations, with at least half a dozen having been put on probation in the past two years, according to the university.

In 2020, the university probed allegations that a frat leader promoted blackout drinking. That came a year after the death of a freshman who fell out of a bunk bed and cracked his skull after drinking with his fraternity the night before.

The Phi Kappa Psi fraternity was already on probation by the university for violating its policies on alcohol and hazing when the burning incident at the party happened nearly a year ago.

The party involved a skit that included Serrano setting Larsen on fire, according to prosecutors.

Cowling, Serrano and Larsen planned the skit in which Serrano set Larsen on fire, according to prosecutors. Larsen was in the hospital for weeks with third-degree burns, mostly to his legs.

After the incident, Cowling, Larsen and Cooper lied to law enforcement investigating the incident, deleted evidence on social media and told other fraternity members to delete evidence and not talk to anyone about what happened, according to prosecutors.

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The four were released from jail and ordered to return to court March 18 to prepare for a preliminary hearing scheduled for April 16.

They were also ordered not to participate in any fraternity parties or recruitment events and to follow alcohol laws.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.