Police say nine men are facing charges in connection to the death of a Florida State University fraternity pledge.
Arrest warrants were signed Tuesday by a Leon County judge for:
- Luke E. Kluttz, 22
- Clayton M. Muehlstein, 22
- Brett A. Birmingham, 20
- Anthony Petagine, 20
- Conner R. Ravelo, 21
- Christopher M. Hamlin, 21
- Anthony Oppenheimer, 21
- John B. Ray 21
- Kyle J. Bauer, 21
All nine will be charged with “College Hazing-Cause Injury or Death” in 20-year-old Andrew Coffey’s death.
A Leon County grand jury last month said that it saw enough evidence for criminal charges but that the investigation was not complete.
Coffey, who was a junior and a pledge at Pi Kappa Phi, died of alcohol poisoning on Nov. 3 after he was found unresponsive after a party the night before. The state medical examiner said that Coffey had a blood alcohol level of .447 at the time of the autopsy.
The grand jury did find that although Coffey’s alcohol consumption was not physically forced, an environment of hazing existed that culminated in his death. The fraternity’s “Big Brother Night” party, which was held at an off-campus home, encouraged binge drinking.
Tallahassee Police Chief Michael DeLeo said Tuesday that their investigation was done with the assistance of Florida State University Police.
“This collaborative investigation was critical to finding answers for Andrew Coffey’s family and our community. Hopefully, this investigation and its outcome will prevent another tragedy from occurring,” said DeLeo in a statement.