Excerpt
About one year after the Maxwell Gruver case came to a close, the teen’s family is speaking out about this new incident, saying things like this need to stop.
Gruver was killed in September of 2017 in a very similar hazing incident. The man accused in his death, Matthew Naquin, was sentenced to prison in November of 2019.
“From what I read in the arrest warrant here, is that this young man’s (Phi Kappa Psi pledge) blood alcohol level was .45, and I believe that Mr. Gruver’s was .48. So they were very close,” said EBR District Attorney Hillar Moore.
District Attorney Moore says while the cases may seem similar, the difference is that someone took control early in the case with the Phi Kappa Psi pledge, and that young man was taken to the hospital just in time.
He also says there’s been more cooperation with this new investigation.
“We always knew that hazing was really engrained in fraternal organizations and others. Not just fraternities, other organizations on different campuses. But then to see it again, and it be very similar to that one, it is a little disheartening,” said Moore.