Frat Leader Sentenced After Teen Pledge Dies with Shocking Blood-Alcohol Level

A former Northern Arizona University fraternity leader has been sentenced to jail for his role in a hazing ritual that ended with an 18-year-old pledge dying from alcohol poisoning.

Carter Eslick was sentenced Wednesday to 60 days in jail and three years of supervised probation in connection with the death of Colin Daniel Martinez.

Eslick had pleaded guilty in August to one felony count of hazing.

Martinez died Jan. 31 after attending an off-campus rush event connected to the Delta Tau Delta fraternity.

Flagstaff police were called to the residence after Martinez was found unresponsive.

He could not be revived and was pronounced dead.

An autopsy later determined that Martinez died from acute alcohol poisoning.

His blood-alcohol concentration was 0.425% — more than five times Arizona’s legal driving limit of 0.08% for adults 21 and older.

Investigators said Martinez was one of four prospective fraternity members who took part in a drinking ritual during the event.

According to court records, pledges were brought to the house and told to participate in drinking games involving large amounts of vodka.

Prosecutors said Eslick, who served as the fraternity’s pledge master or new-member educator, provided alcohol and led the ritual.

Investigators said the four pledges consumed approximately 3.5 liters of vodka during the event.

Witnesses later said Martinez became unresponsive and showed troubling breathing patterns.

Court records indicate people at the gathering searched online for signs of alcohol poisoning during the early morning hours, but authorities were not called until several hours later.

Eslick was arrested along with two other fraternity leaders, Ryan Creech and Riley Cass.

However, prosecutors ultimately decided not to pursue felony charges against Creech and Cass.

Eslick was the only fraternity member indicted and convicted in connection with Martinez’s death.

During sentencing, Judge Stacy Krueger said others involved in the incident had either withheld information or misled investigators.

She also noted that Eslick had been cooperative and truthful during the investigation, but said someone still had to be held accountable.

Eslick apologized in court and said he accepted responsibility for his role in what happened.

“I take full responsibility for the hand I played in that ritual,” he said.

He told Martinez’s family that if he had understood someone’s life could ultimately depend on his actions, he never would have participated.

Martinez’s father, Chris, also addressed the court.

He said his family wakes up every morning confronting the reality that Colin is never coming home.

“No parent should ever have to bury their child,” he said.

The family has also called for stronger reforms aimed at preventing hazing in college Greek organizations.

In addition to his jail sentence, Eslick must serve three years of probation and complete a series of anti-hazing presentations.

He could face an additional 305 days in jail if he fails to meet the conditions of his probation.

Northern Arizona University suspended the Delta Tau Delta chapter following Martinez’s death, and the national fraternity later shut the chapter down entirely.

The case has become another warning about how quickly fraternity drinking rituals can turn deadly.

For Martinez’s family, the sentence brings some measure of accountability, but nothing can undo the loss of an 18-year-old whose life ended during what was supposed to be a college fraternity rush event.