A Monroe County grand jury has recommended that charges be filed against three dozen members of a New York City college fraternity in connection with the death of a freshman who was killed during a "brutal" hazing ritual, Pocono Mountain Regional police said.

Five of the men and the fraternity involved in the incident are facing third-degree murder charges while others are facing charges of aggravated and simple assault, hindering apprehension and criminal conspiracy counts.The victim, Michael Deng, 19, of Oakland Park, New York, went to a weekend retreat in December 2013 at a rental home in Tunkhannock Township. He was the victim of the hazing incident and later died at the Geisinger Medical Center, Plains Township, from head injuries.The PMRP started their investigation into the death when they received notification of the death on Dec. 8, 2013. Plains Township police notified PMRP of the death after it received information from the hospital.It was learned through the course of the investigation that Deng and other pledges were blindfolded and ordered to carry a backpack filled with sand, weighing an estimated 30 pounds, across a snow-covered field while fraternity brothers charged and tackled them. PMRP said "the ritual was brutal."In a report released by PMRP on Monday, it was stated that "Deng was subjected to repeated blunt-force trauma, which was applied to three different organ systems of the body to include the head, torso and thighs."Deng was knocked unconscious. Police said Deng had trouble breathing and was carried unconscious to the home the fraternity had rented. Police said a call was then made to the national fraternity president, Andy Meng. Meng, police allege, encouraged the group to hide all fraternity items. During this time, various people left the residence, various members changed Deng's clothing and conducted Internet searches in an attempt to diagnose Deng's condition.Dr. Wayne Ross, a forensic pathologist at Geisinger, later conducted an injury causation analysis, police said, and said Deng was the victim of a hazing incident and that multiple individuals were involved in his death. Deng suffered multiple blows and impacts to his body, including sustaining a significant head injury, a massive bruise to the back due to repeated blunt-force impacts, which resulted in traumatic asphyxia. The delay in treatment of one to two hours significantly contributed to the death of Deng and the delay led to continued "physiological stressors that resulted in primary neurogenic shock as well as secondary shock."Ross ruled the death was caused by multiple traumatic injuries.The grand jury recommended charges against 37 people and the fraternity itself.Five were charged with criminal homicide in the third degree, involuntary manslaughter, aggravated and simple assault, hindering apprehension, hazing and criminal conspiracy. Charged were Charles Lai, Kenny Kwan, Raymond Lam, Daniel Li, Sheldon Wong and the fraternity - Pi Delta Psi Fraternity Inc.A total of 32 others were charged with such counts of aggravated and simple assault, hindering apprehension, hazing and criminal conspiracy.Meng, the fraternity president, faces less serious charges.Deng's family has filed a civil suit against the college and fraternity.