The Roswell parents of a college freshman who died after an alleged hazing incident at Louisiana State University believe their son was murdered, the two told “Good Morning America.”
Max Gruver, 18, died Sept. 14 after a suspected hazing incident at the Phi Delta Theta fraternity house, according to investigators. At the time of this death, Gruver had an alcohol level of .495 percent — more than six times the legal limit for drivers, the East Baton Rouge Parish Coroner's Office said. Ten current and former fraternity members were arrested on various charges, including misdemeanor hazing and felony negligent homicide.
The television interview with Stephen and Rae Ann Gruver aired Thursday morning. When asked if she believed her son was murdered, Rae Ann Gruver responded “yes.”
“No one can physically drink that much. You can’t,” Rae Ann Gruver said. “You have to be forced to drink it.”
The Gruvers said they believed the Phi Delta Theta fraternity was a good fit for Maxwell. But they admitted they were unaware of complaints of excessive drinking, drugs and hazing made by students and alumni one year earlier, resulting in the chapter’s one-month suspension.
Gruver was a 2017 graduate of Blessed Trinity High School and planned to study journalism at LSU. He loved sports and helped coach younger children, including his sister’s basketball team, according to his family.
“Max was very lovable. He cared a lot about people,” Eugene Gruver, Max’s grandfather, told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution the day after his death. “He was bright, he was intelligent. He was so talented. He knew all about sports.”
During the Thursday interview, Stephen and Rae Ann Gruver said they are hopeful their son’s death will inspire others to report hazing incidents.
“It’s senseless,” Rae Ann Gruver said. “I mean, how is making your brother do all these things, and humiliating somebody, a brotherhood? How does that bond you? That’s what I just don’t understand … It’s just horrific.”
A grand jury met for the first time Thursday to begin deciding whether to charge the 10 men arrested on hazing counts, East Baton Rouge District Attorney Hillar Moore III told The Advocate in New Orleans. The grand jury will meet several times before making any determinations, Moore told the news outlet.
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