text: The 18-year-old student who was filmed biting the head off a live hamster has been expelled from his fraternity, withdrawn from college and submitted for mental assessment. DailyMail.com last weekend exposed Brady Eaves, the privately-educated stepson of a former Mississippi governor candidate, as the teenager who shrieked with laughter as he murdered the small animal in a video from a drunken Spring Break party. The footage, allegedly filmed in Florida, could see Eaves charged with felony animal cruelty charges, which carry a maximum jail term of five years and $5,000 in fines. In a statement branding his actions 'disturbing' and 'disappointing', Eaves' stepfather and mother revealed he has been withdrawn from the University of Mississippi, where he was on a scholarship, and submitted for mental health tests. It comes after Phi Delta Theta openly condemned Eaves' actions and expelled him from the fraternity. Pictured: This is Brady Eaves (right), the privately-educated fraternity brother, described by friends as an 'animal lover', who was filmed biting the head off a live hamster during a drunken spring break party . Horrific: This video shows University of Mississippi student Brady Eaves, 18, biting the head off a live hamster at a spring break party in Florida. The stunt could see him charged with felony animal cruelty . A censored picture of the hamster's head and front arms shared exclusively with DailyMail.com via Snapchat . Elite family: His stepfather is John Arthur Eaves Jr, pictured with his mother Angel Eaves, during the 2007 campaign for governor of Mississippi. Eaves Jr, the Democratic candidate, lost and is now a pro-life lawyer . His stepfather John Arthur Eaves Jr, who was the Democratic candidate in Mississippi's 2007 gubernatorial elections, and mother Angel Eaves told the press: 'Let everyone please be assured that we do not take the subject of animal cruelty lightly, nor do we in any way condone the behavior displayed in the recent video of our son that has gone viral on the internet. 'The actions that appear in the video go against everything that our son has been taught, and we can assure everyone that his actions are not what he believes in his heart, nor are true to his character.' They added: 'As parents we are obviously and very seriously concerned about the well-being of our son. We have withdrawn him from school, and fully intend on professionally assessing why he behaved in such a horrible way, and what we must do as a family to keep this type of behavior from ever happening again.' Sources close to Eaves told DailyMail.com he was top of his class at private Jackson Preparatory School, and described him as an 'animal lover' whose numerous pets include a raccoon and a parrot. However, last weekend the teenager from Madison, MS, swept the internet in a video that showed him pull a hamster from a cage, bite off its head, and hurl its body into the distance. He is a star soccer player with a scholarship at the University of Mississippi where he is a Phi Delt brother . Eaves (circled) is pictured at Jackson Preparatory School after winning his scholarship to college . Graphic: He bites, spits, then throws the rest of the animal over a fence. Sources close to Eaves described him as an 'animal lover' who has numerous pets including a raccoon and a parrot at home in Madison, MS . Beaming: Eaves, and other party-goers, shriek with laughter and beam gleefully into the camera. Sources told DailyMail.com the students force-fed the hamster vodka and 'hot-boxed' its cage with marijuana . According to sources connected to the incident, the party of college students force-fed the hamster vodka and 'hot-boxed' its cage with marijuana before the sickening stunt. His stepfather John Arthur Eaves Jr, a born-again Christian who was slammed for blaming unemployment on the state's Hispanic population during his 2007 election campaign, did not respond to DailyMail.com's request for a comment last week before releasing a statement a day later. Now CEO of Eaves Law Firm in Jackson, Mississippi, Eaves Jr has unsuccessfully run for state governor and U.S. Congress. He lost to the Republican incumbent Haley Barbour, winning 42 per cent of the vote, following controversial claims about the state's growing Latino population. His clients today include victims of the Costa Concordia cruise boat crash. He has three sons from his first marriage, and a young daughter with Brady's mother, advertising executive Angel Eaves, in leafy Madison, MS. In the video, his stepson Brady is surrounded by friends in beachwear who shriek with laughter as he pulls the animal from a blue cage. The footage starts with the voice of one party-goer balking: 'Oh my f***ing God! No way!' Screaming: Eaves bellows a yell and smiles into the camera as party-goers look on open-mouthed . Others can be heard jeering: 'So good! So good!' Hurling the hamster over a fence, Eaves bellows a yell as others are seen grinning and laughing behind him. The video was uploaded to YouTube on Friday night under the name 'psycho drunk spring breaker bites head off of hamster'. Within minutes, it was removed from the video-sharing site for violating its codes of conduct. Caching the video, animal rights group PETA launched a manhunt to track Eaves down. Stephanie Bell, PETA's Cruelty Casework Director, told DailyMail.com they plan to press charges. 'It is horrific,' Bell said. 'Animal abuse is a community concern. People who abuse animals rarely do so only once and almost never stop there. 'The link between cruelty to animals and inter-personal violence is undeniable. Many of our nation's serial killers and most school shooters share a history of animal abuse. 'Often, humans and animals are abused at the same time. For example, the guy who kicks the family dog is likely abusing his spouse and children too. Cruelty to animals is always a red flag.' First, as the parents of Brady Eaves, let everyone please be assured that we do not take the subject of animal cruelty lightly, nor do we in any way condone the behavior displayed in the recent video of our son that has gone viral on the internet. The actions that appear in the video go against everything that our son has been taught, and we can assure everyone that his actions are not what he believes in his heart, nor are true to his character. While we are extremely disappointed and greatly disturbed by his actions, as his parents, we know Brady to be a very bright and talented young man with a huge heart. As parents we are obviously and very seriously concerned about the well-being of our son. We have withdrawn him from school, and fully intend on professionally assessing why he behaved in such a horrible way, and what we must do as a family to keep this type of behavior from ever happening again. Raising teenagers in today’s world, as most caring and loving parents realize, can challenge the best of us. We will continue to love our son with all of our hearts and be right there by his side as our family addresses this situation. We would sincerely appreciate that all parents who have gone through similar incidents with their children, and the entire community please keep us in their thoughts and prayers. Thank you, . John & Angel Eaves .
target: Brady Eaves, 18, was filmed biting the head off a live hamster at a party .
  He is the stepson of John Arthur Eaves Jr, Democratic candidate for Mississippi governor in 2007, now an esteemed pro-life lawyer .
  The teenager is a University of Mississippi scholar, Phi Delta Theta frat member, star soccer player, was a top student at private school in Jackson .
  Sources told DailyMail.com he is an 'animal lover' with a pet raccoon .
  They said Eaves and his friends fed the hamster vodka and 'hot-boxed' its cage with marijuana before the sickening stunt was caught on camera .
  Eaves could be charged with felony animal cruelty charges if it was filmed in Florida, where there is 5-year maximum jail term and $5,000 fine .