LSU bans fraternity until 2033 after alleged hazing death of Roswell freshman

Max Gruver was killed in a hazing incident at the Louisiana State University Phi Delta Theta fraternity house, authorities said.

Max Gruver was killed in a hazing incident at the Louisiana State University Phi Delta Theta fraternity house, authorities said.

Louisiana State University has banned Phi Delta Theta fraternity from its campus until 2033 after the alleged hazing death of a freshman from metro Atlanta.

LSU rescinded the fraternity’s registration through Dec. 31, 2032, associate dean of students Jonathan Sanders wrote in a March 16 letter to the fraternity. No request for reinstatement of registration will be considered before Jan. 1, 2033.

“The university will also ask that any national charter or affiliation that the organization has be revoked immediately,” Sanders wrote in the letter.

Max Gruver, 18, of Roswell, was seeking membership in Phi Delta Theta at the time of the suspected hazing incident. According to authorities, he had an alcohol level of .495 percent — more than six times the legal limit for drivers — when he died Sept. 14, 2017.

In October, 10 people were arrested in connection with Gruver’s death. A grand jury last week indicted four of them, but failed to reach a decision on charges for the others.

Matthew Naquin was charged with negligent homicide, which has a maximum sentence of five years and a $5,000 fine. Sean-Paul Gott, Patrick Forde and Ryan Isto were indicted on hazing charges.

None of the charged men are currently enrolled at LSU, and Forde wasn’t a student at the university when the alleged incident occurred, an LSU spokesman told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

Privacy laws prevent officials from disclosing whether the students were expelled, suspended or withdrew on their own.

The other six students arrested after Gruver’s death are still enrolled at LSU, according to the university.

LSU President F. King Alexander announced in February that future hazing incidents will result in expulsion and other penalties.

Gruver’s parents are advocating for a Louisiana bill that would increase fines and jail time for hazing, according to The Advocate in Baton Rouge.

Know what's really going on with crime and public safety in your metro Atlanta community, including breaking news, trial coverage, trends and the latest on unsolved casesSign up for the AJC's crime and safety newsletter delivered weekly to your inbox.

In other news: