Former LSU student, 21, is sentenced to five years in prison over hazing death of a Phi Delta Theta fraternity pledge who was forced to drink 190-proof liquor for failing to recite the Greek alphabet properly
- Matthew Naquin, 21, was sentenced on Wednesday after being found guilty of negligent homicide in the 2017 death of 18-year-old Max Gruver
- Gruver had been at LSU a month when he died of alcohol poisoning in 2017
- Authorities described his death as a hazing ritual – dubbed ‘Bible Study’ – at the Phi Delta Theta fraternity house
- The judge sentenced Naquin to five years in prison and 1,000 hours of community service
- As part of his sentence, the judge ordered Naquin to write an apology letter to Gruver’s parents
An ex-Louisiana State University student has been sentenced to five years in prison over his role in the alcohol-related hazing death of a fraternity pledge.
Matthew Naquin, 21, was sentenced on Wednesday after being found guilty of negligent homicide in the 2017 death of 18-year-old Max Gruver.
The judge suspended 2.5 years of the former Phi Delta Theta member’s prison sentence.
Naquin, of Fair Oaks Ranch, Texas, was sentenced to 1,000 hours of community service and ordered to pay a $1,000 fine.
Matthew Naquin, 21, was sentenced on Wednesday after being found guilty of negligent homicide in the 2017 death of 18-year-old LSU student Max Gruver
As part of his sentence, the judge ordered Naquin to write an apology letter to Gruver’s parents.
Gruver had been at LSU a month when he died of alcohol poisoning in what authorities described as a hazing ritual – dubbed ‘Bible Study’ – at the Phi Delta Theta fraternity house.
Naquin didn’t testify during his trial but several witnesses told the court that he disliked Gruver wanted him cut from the fraternity and played a central role in the ill-fated hazing.
Gruver and other pledges were told to chug 190-proof liquor if they gave wrong answers to questions about the fraternity or could not recite the Greek alphabet.
The victim died the following morning.
Naquin didn’t testify during his trial but several witnesses told the court that he disliked Gruver wanted him cut from the fraternity. He is pictured above following his 2017 arrest
Gruver (pictured left) and other pledges were told to chug 190-proof liquor if they gave wrong answers to questions about the fraternity or could not recite the Greek alphabet
His blood-alcohol level was more than six times the legal driving limit in Louisiana. An autopsy also detected THC, the chemical found in marijuana, in Gruver’s system.
Trial testimony and court documents indicated that just two days before Gruver died, other fraternity members had warned Naquin to tone down his interactions with pledges, which they said were extreme and dangerous.
During his trial, Naquin’s defense team had argued that Gruver’s roommate said the pledge had only been sober for about five of the nights he had lived on campus.
One witness also told investigators that Gruver appeared more intoxicated at another event other than on the night he died.
Two other former students, who both pleaded no contest, were sentenced to 30 days in prison over Gruver’s death.
Phi Delta Theta has since been banned from the LSU campus until at least 2033.
Gruver’s blood-alcohol level was more than six times the legal driving limit in Louisiana following the hazing ritual at the frat house. Phi Delta Theta has since been banned from the LSU campus until at least 2033