15 fraternity members charged in WSU pledge’s alcohol-related death, prosecutors say

Fifteen current and former fraternity members have been charged in connection with the alcohol-related death of a freshman pledge at Washington State University in 2019, prosecutors said.

Samuel Martinez, 19, of Bellevue, died in November 2019 of alcohol poisoning after the Alpha Tau Omega fraternity hosted an initiation event, according to the news release. His blood alcohol content was .372, a supplemental report published by the Pullman Police Department in January 2021 said. A person is considered intoxicated in Washington if their BAC is .08 or higher.

The fraternity members were charged with furnishing alcohol to minors, a gross misdemeanor, Denis Tracy, the Whitman County Prosecuting Attorney, said in a news release. The crime is punishable by up to a year in jail and a $5,000 fine.

“While the charges may lead to some level of accountability, this is not justice. It does not bring us closure. We are deeply disappointed that no one will face a charge of hazing in this case...,” according to a statement from the Martinez family, KREM reports.

Big/little night

Martinez died after the fraternity hosted “big/little night” at an off-campus house rented by some of the members, according to the report.

The freshman members were assigned “big brothers,” and members celebrated the pairings at a party on Nov. 11, the report said. A big brother is an upperclassmen who acts as a mentor to new members. These events have occurred in the past and typically involve a lot of drinking.

Martinez’s big brother told officers he, Martinez and Martinez’s “twin brother” all shared a half gallon of rum that night, the report said. The “twin,” who is a fellow new member with the same big brother as Martinez, told officers the bottle was nearly gone within 30 minutes, according to the report.

The morning after the event, members found Martinez unconscious and attempted CPR but were unsuccessful, the report said. He was declared dead at the fraternity house.

A coroner said the death was accidental, according to the report.

Martinez’s big brother told officers he never forced the 19-year-old to drink and he “seemed to be okay,” the report said.

Charges recommended

Investigators with the Pullman Police Department requested that some members of the fraternity be charged in connection with Martinez’s death in January, according to the report.

Pullman police recommended Martinez’s big brother and one other member be charged with hazing, according to the report. Despite a one-year statute of limitations, the department chose to recommend hazing charges because the “offense is substantiated by the investigation and [the department] wanted that documented in [its] reports,” Gary Jenkins, Pullman police chief, told McClatchy News in an email.

Washington defines “hazing” as “any method of initiation into a student organization or living group … that causes, or is likely to cause, bodily danger or physical harm, or serious mental or emotional harm, to any student or other person attending a public or private institution of higher education.”

The fraternity members were not charged with hazing.

The department also recommended Martinez’s big brother and five other residents of the house where the party took place be charged for furnishing liquor to minors in February.

“Because of the large number of people/witnesses interviewed, and most of them are not full time Pullman residents, and some [of] them not completely cooperative, logistics in conducting in person interviews added to the length of time it took to investigate,” Jenkins said.

Officials did not name the members who are charged.

This story was originally published June 2, 2021 at 3:17 PM with the headline "15 fraternity members charged in WSU pledge’s alcohol-related death, prosecutors say."