Ex-fraternity member pleads guilty to hazing an Arizona university
pledge to death
[August 11, 2026]
By SARAH RAZA
A former
leader of a Northern Arizona University fraternity pleaded guilty Monday
to hazing and causing a pledge’s death by making him drink excessively
at an off-campus rush event.
Carter Eslick, 20, entered the plea to a felony hazing charge involving
the death of Colin Daniel Martinez, 18, in Coconino County Superior
Court in Flagstaff. |
A sign is displayed for the Northern Arizona University campus in
Flagstaff, Ariz., Feb. 2, 2026. (AP Photo/Cheyanne Mumphrey, File0 |
|
Under an agreement with prosecutors, Eslick would serve no more
than four years of probation. A judge will determine the length
and could also impose up to a year in jail at a Sept. 30
sentencing hearing.
Martinez, who was pledging to the now-defunct Delta Tau Delta
fraternity chapter at NAU, was found unresponsive Jan. 31. An
autopsy found his blood-alcohol level was 0.425%, which is
considered life-threatening.
Coconino County Attorney Ammon Barker said the plea doesn't
diminish the “profound harm caused or the sorrow of Colin's
death.”
The Associated Press left an email and voicemail for Eslick's
attorney, Burges McCowan, requesting comment on Monday. The AP
also left a phone message with the attorney for Martinez's
family.
Eslick was serving as the fraternity's pledge master at the
time, responsible for welcoming new members. He's no longer a
student at NAU. Martinez was among four men pledging to Delta
Tau Delta who shared two bottles of vodka to ensure they
vomited, according to court documents. Witnesses reported
adjusting Martinez's sleeping position and checking his pulse
and breathing to look for signs of alcohol poisoning throughout
the night, the documents said.
The university suspended the Delta Tau Delta fraternity after
Martinez's death, and the national organization closed the NAU
chapter.
All contents © copyright 2026 Associated Press. All rights
reserved |
|
|
