NAU Fraternity Ex-Leader Pleads Guilty in Pledge's Hazing Death

A former leader of a Northern Arizona University (NAU) fraternity has pleaded guilty to a felony hazing charge in connection with the death of an 18-year-old pledge.

Carter Eslick, 20, entered the plea on Monday in Coconino County Superior Court in Flagstaff. He admitted to hazing Colin Daniel Martinez, who died after an off-campus rush event in January.

As part of the plea agreement, prosecutors have recommended a sentence of no more than four years of probation. A judge will decide the final terms at a September 30 hearing and could also impose up to one year in jail.

Martinez was found unresponsive on January 31 while pledging to the now-defunct Delta Tau Delta chapter at NAU. An autopsy revealed his blood-alcohol level was 0.425 percent, a concentration considered life-threatening.

Court documents state that Martinez was one of four pledges who shared two bottles of vodka, with the expectation that they would vomit. Witnesses told investigators they adjusted Martinez's sleeping position and checked his pulse and breathing throughout the night for signs of alcohol poisoning.

Eslick was serving as the fraternity's pledge master at the time, responsible for welcoming new members. He is no longer a student at NAU.

Coconino County Attorney Ammon Barker said the plea does not diminish the profound harm caused or the sorrow of Colin's death.

The university suspended the fraternity after Martinez's death, and the national organization subsequently closed the NAU chapter.