• Hazing Deaths Database:
  • Blog
  • Storytelling
  • Bio
  • High School Sexual Hazing Incidents
  • Campus Speaker: Hazing & Binge Drinking
  • Hank Nuwer: selected media coverage
  • World Hazing Incidents
  • “Hazing,” “Sons of the Dawn,” “Legend of Jesse Owens”

Hank Nuwer's Hazing Scholarship Site

Follow me on Social Media

  • Email
  • Facebook
  • LinkedIn
  • Twitter
  • YouTube

Patrick Kycia, 19, of Stillwater, was last seen alive at the Phi Sigma Kappa fraternity house.

May 22, 2007 By Hank Nuwer Leave a Comment

Excerpt–Charges filed in alcohol death of Moorhead student
by Bob Reha, Minnesota Public Radio
October 10, 2005



Prosecutors charged six men Monday with felonies for selling liquor to an underaged student at Minnesota State University – Moorhead. Patrick Kycia, was found dead five days after a fraternity party. The men in their ’20s, appeared in Clay County District Court. A seventh was expected to make his first court appearance later in the day or early Tuesday.

Moorhead, Minn. — The six men appeared individually before Judge William Walker, confined in handcuffs and wearing orange jail suits, their initial appearance in court was brief. Judge Walker released all the defendants on their promise to appear for their next court date. The judge ordered them to refrain from drinking, possessing or selling alcohol.

Walker told the men the charges against them constituted a public safety issue, and warned they would be subjected to random blood alcohol tests. The young men were charged with multiple counts — selling liquor to a minor resulting in death, selling alcohol without a license and giving alcohol to a person under 21.

Clay County Attorney Lisa Borgen says the first charge is a felony, while the other two are gross misdemeanors. Borgen says, it’s clear alcohol played a role in the death of Patrick Kycia.

“Clearly by the blood alcohol he was over the legal limit for driving which is a.08. We got a call from the medical examiner and the final is.17,” says Borgen. “He was over twice the legal limit for driving which means he was intoxicated and that certainly played a factor in his death.” The men appearing in court ranged in age from 20 to 26. Most were arrested in Moorhead Sunday, but one was apprehended in Pine County. Seven face felony charges while two of the men are charged with a gross misdemeanor count. All but one of the men are listed as Minnesota State Moorhead students.

Patrick Kycia, 19, of Stillwater, was last seen alive Sept. 22 at a party at the Phi Sigma Kappa fraternity house. Eyewitnesses say Kycia was drinking heavily at the party. Court records say the men charged were selling beer at the fraternity house to minors. Kycia’s body was found five days later in the Red River where he drowned.

Kycia’s death is the second in 18 months linked to the Phi Sigma Kappa fraternity. Members of the fraternity and their national chapter have declined requests for interviews.

Moorhead city officials and the administration of Minnesota State University-Moorhead are investigating ways to close the fraternity.

Moorhead Police Lt. Bob Larson says the arrests should serve as a warning to underage drinkers.

“Hopefully we are giving a message to people that this kind of conduct, partys, serving alcohol to minors, things like that, will be investigated thoroughly,” says Larson. “If appropriate, charges will be filed against those individuals.”

Larson says the case is raising awareness throughout Fargo-Moorhead about underage drinking. He says it’s a problem for everyone, not just law enforcement.

Julian Kycia says he is still coming to grips with his son’s death. He’s pleased with the work that Moorhead police have done. Kycia’s hopeful the investigation will help prevent future incidents.

“If anything good comes out of Patrick’s death, I don’t want any other parents to feel the same feelings I’m feeling and hurt the same way I hurt,” says Kycia.

Officials involved with the case say no further charges are expected.

Filed Under: Hazing News

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

You must be logged in to post a comment.

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Contact Inquiries

Hank Nuwer

Correspondence: Hank Nuwer at Hnuwer@hanknuwer.com   Phone number upon request.  Available presentations USA, … Email to book a date.

Sons of the Dawn

Sons of the Dawn: A Basque Odyssey: Hank's novel is for teens 11-18 but also meant to be enjoyed by … Read More

Hazing Deaths Database:

… Read More

Thank you, AFA

New scholarship from Brazil: Hazing at the university and gender violence: a literature integrative review

doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.7213/psicolargum.39.103.AO02 Trotes na universidade e violência de gênero: uma revisão integrativa de literatura Hazing at the university and gender violence: a literature integrative review   Novatadas en la universidad y violencia de género: una revisión integradora de la literatura Adriane Roso https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7471-133X Universidade Federal de Santa Maria (UFSM), adriane.roso@ufsm.br Janine Gudolle de Souza https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6477-4190 […]

A Poland-Union City Love story.

Here is the link. Hank   My wife Gosia earned her Green Card in October 2019. She gave eight-weeks’ notice at her chief accountant job in Poland and shipped what she could to Indiana. “Wait, how did a fellow from Indiana meet a Polish lass,” you may ask? I persuaded Gosia in June of 2015 […]

No charges in Cornell hazing death

New York Post

Archives


Hank Nuwer's Hazing Scholarship Site is proudly powered by WordPress