Maxwell Gruver died in a

hazing Hazing (American English), initiation, beasting (British English), bastardisation (Australian English), ragging (South Asian English) or deposition refers to any activity expected of someone in joining or participating in a group that humiliates, ...

ritual while pledging at the

Louisiana State University Louisiana State University (officially Louisiana State University and Agricultural and Mechanical College, commonly referred to as LSU) is a public land-grant research university in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. The university was founded in 1860 nea ...

chapter of

Phi Delta Theta Phi Delta Theta (), commonly known as Phi Delt, is an international secret and social fraternity founded at Miami University in 1848 and headquartered in Oxford, Ohio. Phi Delta Theta, along with Beta Theta Pi and Sigma Chi form the Miami Triad ...

. He reportedly had condiments thrown at him while reciting the

Greek alphabet The Greek alphabet has been used to write the Greek language since the late 9th or early 8th century BCE. It is derived from the earlier Phoenician alphabet, and was the earliest known alphabetic script to have distinct letters for vowels as we ...

and was forced to drink

alcohol Alcohol most commonly refers to: * Alcohol (chemistry), an organic compound in which a hydroxyl group is bound to a carbon atom * Alcohol (drug), an intoxicant found in alcoholic drinks Alcohol may also refer to: Chemicals * Ethanol, one of sev ...

if he made mistakes. Phi Delta Theta suspended the university's chapter after the incident and ten men were arrested. Four of the men were

indict An indictment ( ) is a formal accusation that a person has committed a crime. In jurisdictions that use the concept of felonies, the most serious criminal offence is a felony; jurisdictions that do not use the felonies concept often use that of an ...

ed on charges of

negligent homicide Negligent homicide is a criminal charge brought against a person who, through criminal negligence, allows another person to die. Examples include the crash of Aeroperu Flight 603 near Lima, Peru. The accident was caused by a piece of duct tape ...

in March 2018. Gruver was one of several pledges who died in hazing rituals nationwide in 2017, including Timothy Piazza at

Penn State University The Pennsylvania State University (Penn State or PSU) is a public state-related land-grant research university with campuses and facilities throughout Pennsylvania. Founded in 1855 as the Farmers' High School of Pennsylvania, Penn State became ...

, Andrew Coffey at

Florida State University Florida State University (FSU) is a public research university in Tallahassee, Florida. It is a senior member of the State University System of Florida. Founded in 1851, it is located on the oldest continuous site of higher education in the st ...

, and Matthew Ellis at

Texas State University Texas State University is a public research university in San Marcos, Texas. Since its establishment in 1899, the university has grown to the second largest university in the Greater Austin metropolitan area and the fifth largest university ...

Facts

Gruver's death was said by the coroner to have been caused by "acute alcohol intoxication with aspiration." In 2017, a warrant was issued for 10 members of the

college fraternity A fraternity (from Latin ''frater'': "brother"; whence, "brotherhood") or fraternal organization is an organization, society, club or fraternal order traditionally of men associated together for various religious or secular aims. Fraternity in ...

Phi Delta Theta for the charge of hazing. On the night before his death Gruver attended what was called a "Bible Study" where pledges were asked questions about the fraternity and had to drink alcohol each time they answered incorrectly. They also had to perform some physical exercises during the "Bible Study" including

wall sit A wall sit is an exercise done to strengthen the quadriceps muscles.Getting Ready for That Ski Trip
Ni ...

s while other members walked across their knees. The warrant stated that pledges were also required to lift other members while standing on a book. The pledges drank to excess and Gruver passed out on the couch and checked on him until 3:00 am at which time he was left alone between 3:00 am and 9:00 am. Gruver had also vomited remnants of spaghetti which blocked his airway. In the morning his pulse was weak and he was taken to a hospital where he died.

Grand jury

The

grand jury A grand jury is a jury—a group of citizens—empowered by law to conduct legal proceedings, investigate potential criminal conduct, and determine whether criminal charges should be brought. A grand jury may subpoena physical evidence or a pe ...

declined to bring charges in one case and failed to reach consensus in four others. They indicted four men on charges of negligent homicide. There was no consensus whether the national fraternal organization was criminally liable for the death.

Consequences

Matthew Naquin was convicted of negligent homicide in July 2019 for his role in the hazing. Naquin had previously been asked by other fraternity members to tone down interactions with pledges that they described as "extreme and dangerous". The Louisiana State University chapter of Phi Delta Theta was suspended after the incident by the fraternity's national organization. They also terminated the memberships of the accused, issuing a statement that the termination "effectively severs ties with those alleged to be involved."

References

{{reflist Deaths from hazing 2017 deaths Louisiana State University people Phi Delta Theta Criminal homicide University folklore