A former leader of a Northern Arizona University (NAU) fraternity entered a guilty plea on Monday in Coconino County Superior Court regarding his role in the death of 18-year-old pledge Colin Daniel Martinez. Carter Eslick, 20, pleaded guilty to a felony charge of hazing. The incident occurred during an off-campus rush event for the now-defunct Delta Tau Delta fraternity chapter at NAU.
According to court documents, Martinez was among four individuals pledging to the fraternity who were instructed to share two bottles of vodka to ensure they would vomit. Martinez was discovered unresponsive on Jan. 31, 2026. An autopsy revealed his blood-alcohol level had reached 0.425%, a concentration considered to be life-threatening. Witnesses present at the event reportedly monitored Martinez throughout the night, checking his breathing and pulse while adjusting his sleeping position to watch for symptoms of alcohol poisoning.
Eslick, who is no longer enrolled as a student at the university, served as the fraternity's pledge master and was responsible for welcoming new members at the time of the incident. Under the terms of a plea agreement reached with prosecutors, Eslick is expected to receive no more than four years of probation. A judge will preside over a sentencing hearing on Sept. 30, where the final length of probation will be determined and up to one year in jail may be imposed.
Coconino County Attorney Ammon Barker stated that the plea agreement does not diminish the profound harm caused or the sorrow surrounding the death of Martinez. Following the tragedy, the university moved to suspend the Delta Tau Delta fraternity, and the national organization subsequently closed the NAU chapter.
