A former Creighton student accused of slashing the throat of another student in 2017 has agreed to a plea deal in the case.
In a court appearance on Tuesday morning, twenty year old Christopher wheeler pleaded no contest to a charge of Second Degree Assault. In exchange for the plea, Douglas County Prosecutors will drop a weapons charge against Wheeler.
Wheeler had initially turned down a plea deal in November, opting to take the case to trial, after his lawyers said they had evidence of hazing and that drugs and alcohol caused the incident. Last month a Douglas County judge rejected that defense. The judge said that although the hazing may have taken place, Wheeler also had a part in setting the events that night into motion by illegally purchased alcohol and willingly smoking marijuana.
Steve Lefler, Wheeler's attorney, had hoped the judge would allow evidence of the Phi Kappa Psi's history of hazing, a history that caused Creighton administrators to indefinitely suspend the fraternity. Lefler says that the frat members slipped hallucinogens into the bong Wheeler was smoking, but test of the smoking device came back with no such findings.
Wheeler is accused of going into the dorm room of a student he didn't know, and slashing her throat. The girl suffered non-life threatening injuries in the attack.
Wheeler faces a maximum of twenty years in prison when he is sentenced in June.