NAU Fraternity Pledge Master Sentenced to Jail, Ordered to Deliver 305 Anti-Hazing Presentations After Freshman’s Alcohol Death

A Northern Arizona University student who oversaw fraternity initiations will spend two months in jail and deliver hundreds of anti-hazing presentations after a freshman pledge died from extreme alcohol poisoning during a forced drinking ritual.

Carter Eslick, 20, was sentenced Wednesday in Coconino County Superior Court for his role as pledge master of the Delta Tau Delta chapter when 18-year-old Colin Daniel Martinez died Jan. 31. Eslick pleaded guilty to felony hazing, a charge that carries far more severe penalties in Arizona than the misdemeanor hazing statutes still on the books in several other states.

Martinez’s blood-alcohol concentration reached 0.425%, according to autopsy results. For context, a BAC above 0.30% typically induces coma, and levels approaching 0.40% are widely considered lethal. Arizona’s legal driving limit for adults over 21 is 0.08%. The fatal toxicity level Martinez reached underscores how rapidly forced consumption of distilled spirits can overwhelm a young person’s metabolic capacity.

Court documents detail that Martinez was one of four pledges instructed to share two bottles of vodka specifically to induce vomiting. Rather than calling emergency services as Martinez deteriorated, witnesses spent the night repositioning his body and checking his pulse and breathing. This delay in seeking medical intervention is a recognized hallmark of hazing fatalities nationwide, where fear of organizational punishment routinely overrides the decision to dial 911.

Judge Stacy Krueger noted during sentencing that Eslick understood the danger of the ritual yet proceeded without objection from those present. Coconino County Attorney Ammon Barker stated that the prosecution aimed to expose the mechanics of hazing and compel bystander intervention before another death occurs.

Beyond the 60-day jail term, Eslick received three years of supervised probation with highly specific conditions. He must create and deliver 305 anti-hazing presentations — a number corresponding to each day Martinez lived — and submit regular progress reports to the court. His probation also bans all non-prescribed drug and alcohol use. Violating these terms exposes him to additional incarceration.

Eslick apologized directly to Martinez’s parents, who attended the hearing remotely. They told the court, via Phoenix station azfamily.com, that they are pursuing broader accountability and structural reform across Greek-letter organizations.

The institutional response to Martinez’s death moved quickly through both university and national channels. Northern Arizona University suspended the Delta Tau Delta chapter immediately following the incident. The fraternity’s national organization subsequently revoked the NAU chapter’s charter entirely, permanently dissolving its operations on the Flagstaff campus.

National fraternities typically revoke charters only after severe policy violations or criminal incidents, effectively removing the organization’s liability shield and forcing members out of affiliated housing. Delta Tau Delta’s national headquarters has faced multiple high-profile hazing incidents across various universities in recent years, intensifying scrutiny on how international chapters enforce risk management policies at the local level.

Arizona enacted stricter hazing legislation following previous campus deaths, elevating certain hazing acts to felonies when they result in serious injury or death. Unlike states where hazing remains a low-level infraction, Arizona law allows prosecutors to pursue significant prison time for organizers who mandate dangerous initiation activities.

The Delta Tau Delta national chapter closure at Northern Arizona University remains in effect as of October 2026, with no timeline announced for any potential return to the Flagstaff campus.