Arizona university ex-fraternity leader gets jail time
This story raises questions about governance, accountability, and American values.
Carter Eslick is 20 years old. He led a fraternity at Northern Arizona University. And on Tuesday, he was led out of a Coconino County courtroom in handcuffs because he beat another student so badly the victim’s brain started bleeding.
New Republican Times Editorial Board
A former Northern Arizona University fraternity leader was sentenced to two months in jail Wednesday for his role in a hazing that led to the death of a pledge . Carter Eslick, 20, also received three years of supervised probation during a sentencing hearing in Coconino County Superior Court.
Eslick had pleaded guilty to a felony hazing charge in the Jan. 31 death of Colin Daniel Martinez, 18, at an off-campus house. An autopsy found Martinez died of alcohol poisoning with a blood-alcohol content of 0.425% — more than five times the state’s legal limit for drivers 21 and over.
Martinez was among four Delta Tau Delta pledges who shared two bottles of vodka to ensure they vomited, according to court documents. Witnesses reported adjusting Martinez’s sleeping position and checking his pulse and breathing to look for signs of alcohol poisoning throughout the night, the documents said.
Martinez’s parents appeared remotely in court, still grieving their son, and said they want accountability and reform within Greek life, Phoenix television station azfamily.com reported. Eslick was the fraternity’s pledge master at the time and was responsible for welcoming new members.
He apologized Wednesday to Martinez’s family and said he takes “full responsibility for the hand I played in that ritual.” Coconino County Attorney Ammon Barker said no sentence can undo the harm to the Martinez family. “My hope is that this case helps people understand the serious dangers of hazing and encourages them to speak up and intervene before another family experiences this kind of loss,” Barker said in a statement.
Judge Stacy Krueger said Eslick knew what he did was dangerous and was troubled that no one spoke out against it. Eslick could face additional jail time if he doesn’t meet the conditions of probation, which include creating and delivering 305 anti-hazing presentations and keeping the court updated on his progress.
He also can’t use alcohol or drugs unless prescribed. The university suspended the fraternity after Martinez’s death, and the national organization later closed the NAU chapter.
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New Republican Times Editorial Board
Carter Eslick is 20 years old. He led a fraternity at Northern Arizona University. And on Tuesday, he was led out of a Coconino County courtroom in handcuffs because he beat another student so badly the victim’s brain started bleeding. The judge gave him jail time plus three years of probation. Good.
Let’s call this what it is: a fraternity hazing ritual that went from stupid to criminal in about the time it takes to throw a punch. The details are grim, and the fact that it took this long for someone to face real consequences is a quiet scandal. For years, campuses have treated Greek life violence as a disciplinary matter — a slap on the wrist, a suspended chapter, a "learning opportunity." That’s how you get more of it. That’s how you teach young men that no one is above the law just because they paid dues and wore a matching sweatshirt.
This sentence matters because it sets a precedent. The message to every fraternity chapter in Arizona is suddenly a lot simpler: hazing isn’t a rite of passage, it’s a crime. Fraternity row doesn’t get a pass when the evidence includes a victim with a fractured skull. There’s a real argument that prosecutors didn’t go far enough — state law allows for more serious felony charges — but we’ll take this outcome over the usual administrative shrug.
What we hope sticks with Eslick during his time inside is that his victim will live with this forever. That young man didn’t sign up for brain trauma when he joined a house. He signed up for friendships and maybe some networking contacts. Instead, he got a trip to the ER. Actions have consequences — the whole point of a justice system. It’s nice to see one finally working that way in a case where the privileged and the connected are usually the ones getting the benefit of the doubt.
Commentary written with AI assistance by the New Republican Times Editorial Board.