LSU Fraternity Member Charged With Negligent Homicide After Maxwell Gruver’s Hazing Death
Eight fraternity brothers were charged this week in connection to the death of Louisiana State University student Maxwell Gruver. Gruver died in September in what police called a potential hazing incident.
Ten people in total were charged in connection with Gruver’s death. Eight were members of the university’s Phi Delta Theta fraternity, while the other two were connected in some way to the fraternity but were not current members or students at LSU, police said.
Arrest warrants were issued for Matthew Alexander Naquin, Zachary Castillo, Elliot Eaton, Patrick Forde, Sean Paul Gott, Zachary Hall, Ryan Isto, Hudson Kirkpatrick, Sean Pennison and Nicholas Taulli, according to KATC-TV.
Naquin, one of the fraternity brothers, was charged with negligent homicide, the most serious charge among them, according to the LSU Police Department. The remained of the students as well as the other two men were charged with hazing.
“Today’s arrests underscore that the ramifications of hazing can be devastating,” LSU President F. King Alexander said in a statement. “Maxwell Gruver’s family will mourn his loss for the rest of their lives, and several other students are now facing serious consequences — all due to a series of poor decisions.”
Gruver’s death was ruled an accident, while an autopsy revealed he died as a result of “acute alcohol intoxication with aspiration.” The findings showed Gruver had a blood alcohol level of .495 — more than six times the average legal level.
A search warrant executed by police showed that Gruver may have died after a hazing ritual known as “Bible Study” during which pledges were made to drink excessive amounts of alcohol for answering a question about the fraternity incorrectly. Police seized phones with text messages about the alleged “Bible Study” as well as surveillance camera from the night of his death. Witness statements revealed pledges were allegedly “forced to drink in excess.”
Phi Delta Theta’s national headquarters revoked the fraternity’s LSU charter in the wake of Gruver’s death. The organization also said in a statement it was conducting its own investigation and would support the prosecution of those involved to the “fullest extent of the law.”
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