Former fraternity leader pleads guilty to hazing causing pledge death

Carter Eslick, 20, a former pledge master for the Delta Tau Delta fraternity at Northern Arizona University, has pleaded guilty to felony hazing following the death of 18-year-old pledge Colin Daniel Martinez.

According to court documents, the incident occurred during an off-campus rush event where Martinez and three other pledges shared two bottles of vodka to induce vomiting. Martinez was found unresponsive on January 31, and an autopsy revealed a life-threatening blood-alcohol level of 0.425%.

Under a plea agreement with prosecutors, Eslick faces no more than four years of probation. A judge will determine the final sentence, which could include up to one year in jail, at a hearing scheduled for September 30. The university suspended the fraternity chapter following the death, and the national organization has since closed the NAU chapter.