WSU frat members charged in student's death
Jun. 3—Whitman County Prosecutor Denis Tracy has filed charges against 15 members of a Washington State University fraternity following an investigation into the 2019 death of WSU student Sam Martinez.
The current and former members of the Alpha Tau Omega fraternity have been charged with furnishing liquor to minors. According to a news release from Tracy, the men supplied liquor to one or more pledges at a fraternity event that was part of an initiation process at the fraternity.
According to a February Associated Press report, police learned that Nov. 11, 2019, had been "Big/Little Night," an event when older fraternity members called "bigs" for "big brother" join their "littles" in drinking.
Martinez, a 19-year-old freshman from Bellevue, Wash., participated in this event and was found dead the next day from alcohol poisoning. The police investigation found he died four hours before the fraternity members called 911.
The coroner found Martinez had a blood alcohol content of 0.37.
Police interviewed approximately 75 people and pulled information from cellphone forensics.
"The police investigation was extensive and turned over to the prosecutor in February of 2021," Tracy stated in Wednesday's news release.
Furnishing liquor to minors is a gross misdemeanor that is punishable by up to a year in jail and a $5,000 fine. The defendants will be summoned to appear in Whitman County District Court.
Tracy expects to make further statements regarding the cases, according to the release.
