Three former Cornell University undergraduates have been found not guilty of hazing a sophomore who died during a fraternity ritual last year, in a case that drew attention to dangerous behavior among American college students.

The three defendants — Max Haskin, Ben Mann and Edward Williams — were accused of making George Desdunes drink excessive amounts of alcohol during an induction ritual for the Sigma Alpha Epsilon fraternity, of which they were all members. They were charged with hazing in the first degree and unlawfully dealing with a child (referring to serving alcohol to a person under 21), both misdemeanors. But on Tuesday, Judge Judith A. Rossiter of Tompkins County Court acquitted them of all charges.

Raymond M. Schlather, one of the defense lawyers, said Wednesday that the court had “determined without any hesitation or equivocation that these guys are innocent.” He added, “Having said that, I emphasize that there are no winners, because someone is dead and the family is in pain, and frankly, the lives of three young men are irrevocably harmed.”

Mr. Desdunes’s mother, Marie Lourdes Andre, was unavailable for comment on Wednesday.

“She’s absolutely devastated,” her lawyer, Douglas Fierberg, said. “She’s in shock and terribly saddened that her son could be killed by these individuals and there be no criminal responsibility.”