A Coconino County judge sentenced a former Northern Arizona University fraternity leader to 60 days in jail and three years of supervised probation for his role in the death of an 18-year-old pledge.
Carter Eslick pleaded guilty in August to one count of felony hazing in connection with the January death of 18-year-old Colin Daniel Martinez.
The 20-year-old was the pledge master for NAU’s Delta Tau Delta chapter at the time. Court documents say Martinez and three other fraternity candidates shared two handles of vodka during a drinking game at an off-campus rush event on Jan. 30, 2026.
Witnesses told investigators they monitored Martinez after he became heavily intoxicated. They reportedly adjusted his sleeping position, checked his pulse and monitored his breathing while researching symptoms of alcohol poisoning.
Martinez was found unresponsive the next morning and died.
The Coconino County Medical Examiner’s Office determined Martinez died from alcohol poisoning. His blood-alcohol level was 0.425% — more than five times Arizona’s legal driving limit.
Eslick and two other fraternity members were arrested that same day. Eslick was the only one charged. He was indicted in March on one count of felony hazing. Hazing is generally a class 1 misdemeanor in Arizona, but it becomes a more severe class 4 felony when it results in someone’s death.
Coconino County Superior Court Judge Stacy Krueger sentenced Eslick to a year in jail Wednesday with all but 60 days deferred in lieu of community service.
Eslick apologized to Martinez’s family during his sentencing Wednesday and took responsibility for his role in the hazing.
He told the court that he was a teenager looking for friends when he joined the fraternity — just like Martinez.
“And if I had known that — one day — somebody’s life could possibly be in my hands, there’s no way in hell I ever would have even looked that way,” Eslick said.
He added that he wants to use his experience to help other young people avoid making the same decisions.
“With my life, I want to spend every day talking to 18-year-olds, 20-year-olds, 21-year-olds across America, and letting them know how dangerous this culture can be,” Eslick said. “I now know how dangerous hazing can be.”
Eslick is no longer a student at NAU.
The university suspended Delta Tau Delta after Martinez’s death. The fraternity’s national organization later permanently closed the NAU chapter.
