10 arrested in possible hazing death at LSU

Louisiana State University Police have charged 10 men in connection to the death of an LSU fraternity pledge member, school officials said Wednesday. Maxwell Gruver, 18, a freshman from Roswell, Ga., died at a Baton Rouge, La., hospital on Sept. 14 after Phi Delta Theta members found him lying on a couch at the fraternity house and couldn’t tell if he was breathing. Hospital tests found a “highly elevated” blood-alcohol level in Gruver, according to the coroner. Witnesses said Gruver was among a group of pledges forced to binge drink the night before in a fraternity ritual known as “Bible Study.” The Phi Delta Theta national office said it closed the fraternity’s chapter at LSU after Gruver’s death. Eight of the 10 suspects, who police have charged with hazing, are current LSU students. One suspect, Matthew Alexander Naquin, also faces a negligent homicide charge. All 10 suspects have turned themselves in to authorities, according to The Advocate in Baton Rouge.