Charges Filed In Yale Choir Attack

Mar. 5 - KGO (KGO) -- The San Francisco District Attorney's Office announced charges today in the beating of a Yale University singing group over New Year's. Their families had been pressing the police and prosecutors for the past nine weeks, and today, they finally did. The ABC7 I-Team first broke this story in January.

District Attorney Kamala Harris announced the arrest warrants in the Yale choir assault case. Members of a group called The Baker's Dozen came to San Francisco on a concert tour. They were beaten outside a New Year's Eve party in their honor at a Richmond District home.

The injuries ranged from black eyes, to a sprained ankle, a serious concussion, and a jaw broken in two places.

Kamala Harris, San Francisco D.A.: "We have charged the two defendants with several felony assault cases."

Nineteen-year-old Richard Aicardi is charged with two counts of felony assault and one count of battery. He's a graduate of Sacred Heart High School and now attends Notre Dame de Namur in Belmont. He's the son of prominent San Francisco pediatrician Eileen Aicardi.

Hunter Fairman, Witness: "I actually opened the door for Rich Aicardi and let him in the house."

Rich Aicardi wore a Santa hat to the New Year's Eve party, and in past I-Team reports, witnesses told us he loudly criticized members of The Baker's Dozen when they sang the National Anthem at midnight.

Hunter Fairman: "Rich was behind me and he said that these were a bunch of, that this is the gayest s--t he ever heard and what a bunch of fags."

Then, one Yale student told us Rich Aicardi tried to get him to fight.

Sharyar Aziz, Yale University Student: "It was a lot of 'get out of here, you don't belong here.' There was a reference to 'this is the 4-1-5.'"

Witnesses told us -- and Aiciardi's mother confirmed -- that he used his cell phone to call his brother, Michael, to bring reinforcements to take on The Baker's Dozen.

Reno Rapagnani, Hosted Party: "He said, 'I'm 20 deep, my boys are coming.'"

A surveillance camera on a nearby church caught their van. As the singers trickled out of the party, they say they were ambushed -- as many as eight assailants on a single person.

Sources close to the investigation tell us Brian Dwyer, a close friend of Rich Aicardi and fellow graduate of Sacred Heart, has confessed to assaulting Yale student Evan Gogel as he curled up in the fetal position on the ground. Gogel suffered a serious concussion.

Prosecutors also charged Dwyer with felony assault and battery.

Kamala Harris: "It's important that we recognize again that those who are responsible for this attack will be held accountable and justice will take place."

In today's charges, no one's been tied directly to the most serious injury -- Sharyar Aziz's jaw, broken in two places. Doctors had to install two permanent metal plates. They've removed the wires that had held his jaw in place.

Lawyers for the Yale students are disappointed police haven't made more arrests.

Whitney Leigh, Attorney for Yale Students: "There's more than enough evidence to charge Richard Aicardi with the assault on Sharyar Aziz and three additional people in addition to Brian Dwyer with the assault on Evan Gogel. The police understand that, they asked her to bring the charges and she should have done that."

The defense attorneys for Dwyer and Aicardi say they will surrender their clients to the authorities in the next 48 hours. We're already getting a glimpse of their defense -- that it's very hard to get the straight story of what happened that night, with all the people involved, and with many of them under the influence of alcohol.

MORE ON THIS STORY:

>> BLOG: Parents Disappointed (3/6)
>> BLOG: Two Headlines (2/16)
>> BLOG: New Developnments (2/12)
>> BLOG: It's Just A Question (1/11)
>> BLOG: Outrage Over Attack (1/9)

>> MORE: Read the letter sent to the Marines by lawyers representing the Yale students

>> PHOTOS: Slideshow of injuries to The Baker's Dozen

I-TEAM REPORTS:

>> Dwyer Self-Surrenders In Choir Assault Case (3/6)
>> Exclusive: D.A. Discusses Choir Assault Case (2/13)
>> Yale Families Demand Action From Marines (2/12)
>> Witness Account Of Attack On Yale Choir (1/17)
>> Police Present Choir Assault Case To D.A. (1/16)
>> 11 Days Later, SFPD Interviews Yale Choir (1/12)
>> Newsom Responds To Choir Assault Case (1/11)
>> SFPD Under Fire Over Yale Choir Assault (1/10)
>> Yale Choir Assaulted; No Arrests By SFPD (1/8)

Have a tip on this or another investigation? E-mail the ABC7 I-Team or call 1-888-40-I-TEAM.

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