East Hartford Man Pleads No Contest in Death of UConn Student

An East Hartford man has pleaded no contest to charges stemming from the beating death of former student .

The Hartford Courant reports that Edi Rapo, 20, pleaded no contest Friday morning in Rockville Superior Court.

According to the Courant, under a plea agreement, Rapo's full sentence would be 10 years, suspended after five and a half, followed by five years of probation. His sentencing is scheduled for September 9.

On the morning of April 23, 2010, during UConn’s Spring Weekend, authorities say Rapo punched Karzoun in the head after an altercation on the Storrs campus, according to a police report. Karzoun died days later.

Rapo was charged with second-degree manslaughter, tampering with physical evidence, second-degree breach of peace, false statement in the second degree and second-degree forgery.

In light of Karzoun’s death, university officials recommended a , along with several changes that they believed would reduce the size of crowds and crime on and around campus, and deter non-students from participating in festivities.

There were no school-sponsored events and access to campus and its parking lots was limited. Guests were also banned from residence and dining halls. 

17 combined arrests during the event. In 2010, the department made 84 criminal arrests, according to a press release from the university.