Advertisement
Supported by
Ex-L.S.U. Student Convicted in Fraternity Hazing Death of Freshman
Matthew Naquin, 21, faces up to five years in prison for negligent homicide. His conviction is the latest example of the increasingly hard line prosecutors are taking with hazing deaths.
A former student at Louisiana State University was convicted Wednesday of negligent homicide for his role in the hazing death of an 18-year-old fraternity pledge who became extremely intoxicated during an initiation ritual in 2017.
The conviction of Matthew Naquin, 21, of Fair Oaks Ranch, Tex., is the latest example of the hard line increasingly taken by prosecutors when fraternity activities turn deadly, whether from alcohol abuse or physical violence that might have once been dismissed as roughhousing.
Prosecutors argued that Mr. Naquin was the ringleader of a hazing event called “Bible study” that required the Phi Delta Theta pledges to chug alcohol if they gave the wrong answer to trivia questions or failed to correctly recite the Greek alphabet. His lawyer said many fraternity members took part in the ritual and argued that Mr. Naquin had been unfairly singled out.
Maxwell Gruver, 18, of Roswell, Ga., died on Sept. 14, 2017, the day after the fraternity event, prosecutors said. He had a blood alcohol content of 0.496 percent, more than six times the legal limit for driving, and had aspirated vomit into his lungs.
Mr. Naquin could face up to five years in prison when he is sentenced on Oct. 16, said his lawyer, John S. McLindon. Mr. Naquin faces a separate charge of obstruction of justice for allegedly deleting information from his phone, he said.
Hillar Moore III, the East Baton Rouge district attorney, said in an interview Wednesday that Mr. Naquin “stood out” among the fraternity members who tormented pledges during the activity, which required them to stand in a dark hallway facing a wall while a strobe light flashed and loud music played.
“Everyone kept saying he was the one who led everything, who made people drink more, who asked questions,” Mr. Moore said. “This is grain alcohol — this is 180-proof or 190-proof alcohol. It is what they put tissue samples in to study them in a lab, when you have to wear a hood.”
The conviction of Mr. Naquin echoed other hazing prosecutions in recent years, including that of a former Florida A&M University student convicted of manslaughter in 2014 and four former Baruch College students who pleaded guilty to voluntary manslaughter in 2013 after they were initially charged with murder.
“We want this to send a message to the country that hazing should not exist,” Stephen Gruver, Max’s father, told The Advocate, a Louisiana newspaper, outside the courtroom on Wednesday. “It’s dangerous and we have to all work together to bring an end to hazing.”
Prosecutors argued that Mr. Naquin targeted Mr. Gruver for especially harsh treatment because he did not want him to join the fraternity, while Mr. Naquin’s lawyer argued that the pledge continued to drink of his own accord after the hazing event had ended.
Mr. Moore said there was “absolutely no winner in this case.”
“It is difficult for the defendant’s family and it is difficult for the victim’s family,” he said. “We have never alleged that the defendant wanted him dead or wanted to kill him, but his actions led to this young man’s death.”
Mr. Naquin was one of 10 students arrested after Mr. Gruver died, but he was the only one charged with negligent homicide. He was expelled from L.S.U. in the month after the death.
Three students were charged with hazing, a misdemeanor, the prosecutor said, adding that two had pleaded no contest and would be sentenced on July 26. The third has not yet entered a plea.
Mr. McLindon said his client was considering an appeal.
“It was a hazing event, but there were probably 10 other active members up there that night and at least five of them were handing out alcohol,” he said in an interview. “Matthew didn’t do anything differently from those boys, but he got picked out because he is very loud.”
“He has a very loud voice and everyone agreed he was the loudest one there,” Mr. McLindon said. “Unfortunately the jurors equated being loud to somehow being a leader and making that jump to criminal negligence.”
L.S.U. was shocked by the death in 2017 and suspended all Greek life activities on campus for several weeks that fall. It also revoked the on-campus registration of Phi Delta Theta until 2033 and convened a task force to study Greek life on campus.
In a statement on Wednesday, Ernie Ballard, a spokesman for L.S.U., expressed sympathy for Mr. Gruver’s family and “all those impacted by this trial and the verdict reached today.”
“Hazing is an irresponsible and dangerous activity that we do not tolerate at L.S.U.,” he said. “These tragedies, and the penalties that follow, can be prevented, and we have been working diligently to put more safeguards, education and reporting outlets in place for our students regarding hazing.”
Liam Stack is a religion correspondent on the Metro desk, covering New York, New Jersey and Connecticut. He was previously a political reporter based in New York and a Middle East correspondent based in Cairo. More about Liam Stack
Advertisement