A former fraternity officer at Northern Arizona University has been sentenced to 60 days in jail for his involvement in a hazing ritual that ended in the death of a student.
Carter Eslick, 20, pleaded guilty Wednesday in Coconino County Superior Court to felony hazing in connection with the Jan. 31 death of Colin Daniel Martinez. Eslick was serving as pledge master for Delta Tau Delta when the incident occurred.
Martinez died at the fraternity’s off-campus residence from alcohol poisoning. An autopsy determined that his blood-alcohol level was 0.45% soon after his death.
Carter Eslick in court (Mark Henle/The Arizona Republic via AP, Pool)
According to NBC News, Martinez was one of four pledges who were instructed to drink two bottles of vodka during the hazing ritual, apparently to make them vomit.
Witnesses said they tried to keep watch over Martinez as he slept, repositioning him several times while looking for indications of alcohol poisoning.
Speaking in court with Martinez’s parents in attendance, Eslick said he accepted “full responsibility for the hand I played in that ritual.”
Eslick’s sentencing comes as other college-campus stories draw national attention, including the unexplained deaths of two University of Mississippi students—one of them connected to a fraternity—and allegations involving a cocaine distribution operation at Penn State.
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Booking photos of Ryan Creech, Carter Eslick and Riley Cass appear over an image of a Delta Tau Delta fraternity house near Northern Arizona University in Flagstaff, Arizona. The three were arrested on suspicion of hazing after freshman Colin Daniel Martinez died of alcohol poisoning following a fraternity rush event. (Fox 10 Phoenix)
Ryan Strang, one of the Ole Miss students found dead during the past week, was a member of Phi Delta Theta and was discovered at an off-campus house. Investigators found packages of kratom—a commercially available substance sometimes called “gas station heroin”—at the locations linked to both deaths. Authorities had not determined whether the drug contributed to either case.
Phi Delta Theta has not been accused of wrongdoing in connection with Strang’s death.
Investigators examined a residence near NAU after a freshman died following a fraternity rush event in January. (Fox 10 Phoenix)
“The loss of two young lives is a profound tragedy,” Phi Delta Theta said in a statement. “Phi Delta Theta joins the University of Mississippi and the broader Ole Miss community in mourning Robert and Aidan Hamilton and extending our deepest sympathies to their families, friends, chapter brothers, classmates, and all those who knew and loved them.”
The fraternity added that the deaths highlight the need for colleges and student organizations to prioritize health, safety and well-being. It urged members of the Phi Delta Theta community to keep the Strang family, the Mississippi Alpha Chapter and everyone affected by the tragedies in their thoughts.