DeKALB | Two of the suspects in the Oct. 21 alleged assault outside of Grant North have turned themselves in to police and are awaiting trial.

Martell D. Hunter, 19, and his brother Danell Hunter, 18, both of Chicago, turned themselves in to University Police on Nov. 2. Martell, a freshman undecided major, was issued a banning letter by the judicial department, preventing him from setting foot on the NIU campus.

Preliminary trial hearings for the brothers, which will be held individually, are scheduled Nov. 17, 2006.

Warrants were issued for Martell Hunter and two non-NIU students on Oct. 25, and for Danell Hunter on Oct. 27 for their alleged involvement in an assault that left freshman Justin Pisellini unconscious and two others injured.

Danell had briefly relocated to California after the incident, and was rumored to have enlisted in the Navy, said Lt. Matthew Kiederlen, the acting chief of the University Police. That rumor turned out to be false, however.

“We received initial statements from the alleged defenders, and then had one phone call with Danell, where we learned that he was in California,” Kiederlen said. In addition, no contact has been made with Martell after receiving his initial statement.

Martell Hunter is being charged with two counts of aggravated battery and one count of robbery, with bond set at $50,000. Danell Hunter is being charged with two counts of aggravated battery, with bond set at $30,000.

After being processed at the UP station, the brothers were transferred to the DeKalb County Jail, where they were released after posting bond.

The news that the brothers had turned themselves in did not spread quickly. Though the suspects were detained Nov. 2, University Police did not release the information until Monday.

“Even good news doesn’t filter through as quickly as one would hope,” Kiederlen said.

The exact locations of the two remaining suspects, Christopher Jones and Gregory Daniels, remain unknown.

“The warrants are still outstanding, and it’s only a matter of time until they are picked up,” Kiederlen said.

Although Pisellini says he is past the events of that night, he is still glad that some justice may be served.

“I’m glad that they have been arrested, but I have put this behind me and haven’t really been thinking about it,” he said. “I hope they get sentenced and have to do jail time other than waiting for the court date.”

With crime escalating lately, it’s largely up to students to protect themselves, Kiederlen said.

“The reality is that we work as hard as we can, but that we can’t be everywhere at once,” Kiederlen said. “We aren’t the sole aspect of a personal safety regimen. We have to be aware that the person who can make us the safest is ourselves.”