Ex-fraternity leader jailed after pledge died of vodka alcohol poisoning

A former fraternity leader has been jailed for two months over his involvement in a hazing incident that caused the death of a pledge.Carter Eslick, 20, was also given three years of supervised probation during a Coconino County Superior Court hearing. He had admitted a felony hazing charge over the death of 18-year-old Colin Daniel Martinez at an off-campus house at Northern Arizona University on 31 January.A post-mortem found Martinez died of alcohol poisoning, recording a blood-alcohol level of 0.425 per cent — over five times the state’s legal limit for drivers aged 21 and over.Court documents noted Martinez was one of four Delta Tau Delta pledges who shared two bottles of vodka to ensure they vomited. Witnesses described checking his pulse and breathing and adjusting his sleeping position during the night to watch for alcohol poisoning.This booking photo provided by the Coconino County Sheriff's Office shows Carter Eslick, a leader of a Northern Arizona University fraternity who was arrested, Jan. 31, 2026, in the death of Colin Daniel Martinez. (Coconino County Sheriff's Office via AP, File) (Coconino County Sheriff's Office)Coconino County Attorney Ammon Barker stated no sentence could undo the harm to Martinez's family.“My hope is that this case helps people understand the serious dangers of hazing and encourages them to speak up and intervene before another family experiences this kind of loss," Barker said in a statement. Eslick was the fraternity’s pledge master at the time and was responsible for welcoming new members. He’s no longer a student at NAU. He could face additional jail time if he doesn't meet the conditions of probation, which include delivering 305 anti-hazing presentations and keeping the court updated on his progress. Eslick can't use alcohol or drugs unless prescribed, and he must complete any treatment required after an assessment.A sign is displayed for the Northern Arizona University campus in Flagstaff, Ariz., Feb. 2, 2026. (AP Photo/Cheyanne Mumphrey, File) (Copyright 2026 The Associated Press. All rights reserved)The university suspended the fraternity after Martinez’s death, and the national organization later closed the NAU chapter.Spotlight on fraternitiesThe spotlight remains on fraternities after a woman who filed a lawsuit saying she was sexually assaulted by seven men at a Cornell University fraternity house told police weeks after the incident that she could "say with 100% confidence I was raped," according to a report by CBS New York, which said it obtained a transcript of her interview with investigators. The woman, identified only by the pseudonym Jane Doe in the lawsuit, filed a complaint Sept. 16 saying she was sexually assaulted at the Chi Phi fraternity house after being pressured into snorting ketamine, smoking marijuana and drinking alcohol. She became completely incapacitated while fraternity members were sexually assaulting her, she said.The transcript, which has not been publicly released, raises new questions surrounding the local district attorney's decision not to prosecute anyone at the time.