Back in early November, we brought you the story of 20-year-old Florida State student Andrew Coffey, who was found unresponsive at a Pi Kappa Phi fraternity party. Coffey was pronounced dead at the scene.
According to Tallahassee police, Coffey, from Pompano Beach, was found on the morning of Friday, November 3 at 10:23 AM EST after the Tallahassee Police Department received a call about an unresponsive person at a home on Buena Vista Drive.
The state medical examiner said that Coffey had a blood alcohol level of .447 at the time of the autopsy. Now, nine Florida State University fraternity members are facing hazing charges. The affidavit states that the “environment created by the Pi Kappa Phi chapter’s leaders and members led to an expectation of abusive drinking.”
via WCTV:
Arrest warrants were issued for the charge of college hazing causing injury or death, a third-degree felony. Court documents say that Conner Ravelo was Coffey’s fraternity ‘big brother’ and the other eight suspects were members of the chapter’s executive council and responsible for organizing the party, which reportedly featured cases of beer, at least sixteen bottles of liquor, and performances by two female strippers.
The affidavit says Coffey was drinking heavily as part of the fraternity’s ‘big-little’ party, part of the initiation process for acceptance into the fraternity. During the party, the document says, big brothers supply their little brothers with the ‘family drink’ and pledges are expected to finish the bottle.
Ravelo, who was under 21, admitted using someone else’s ID to buy alcohol and provide it to Coffey and others, according to the court records. The affidavit says Ravelo provided two bottles of Smirnoff Ice and a 750 mL bottle of Wild Turkey 101 bourbon.
The nine students being charged are:
Luke Kluttz,22, Clayton Muehlstein,22, Brett Birmingham,20, Conner Ravelo, 21, Christopher Hamlin,20, Anthony Petagine,21, Anthony Oppenheimer,21, John Ray,21, and Kyle Bauer, 21.
The Pi Kappa Phi national fraternity revoked the charter for the FSU chapter less than a week later and Florida State University President John Thrasher announced the indefinite suspension of all fraternities and sororities at the school.
