Eight fraternity members at the Maryland school were indicted for a death due to alcohol at a party. Eight students at Frostburg State University in western Maryland were charged with manslaughter in the alcohol poisoning death of Frostburg State freshman John Eric Stinner after a fraternity party last fall. November 8, Stinner went to an off-campus apartment for a party sponsored by Kappa Zeta Chi, one of several unrecognized fraternities at the university, according to Lawrence Kelly, the state's attorney for Maryland's Allegany County. Kelly said students paid an admission fee to get into the party, which provided them with access to numerous kegs of beer. In addition, shots of vodka and gin were sold at the event. Kelly said Stinner consumed at least six cups of beer and between 12 and 14 shots of vodka in two hours. When his condition began to rapidly deteriorate, his friends took him back to his dorm room, where his roommate found him dead the next morning. Stinner died as a result of acute ethenol intoxication, or alcohol poisoning. Kelly noted that Stinner had a blood alcohol content level of .34 -- more than three times the legal definition of intoxication. Eight members of the fraternity and one other student were indicted on three counts, including manslaughter, reckless endangerment and selling alcohol without a license. Kelly said each of the defendants had some "personal involvement" in providing alcohol to Stinner and other minors. "These indictments reflect a position of strict law enforcement as to those who would, for a profit, provide alcohol to minors on a large scale," Kelly said, adding that state authorities hold the students responsible "for all the consequences that follow such clear and irresponsible violations of Maryland's liquor laws." He added that all eight defendants were released on their own recognizance without bail and that currently, no trial date has been set. Frostburg State President Catherine Gira said the case has implications for the future enforcement of underage drinking laws. "The severity of the charges indicates that the legal system in Allegany County is becoming more vigilant not only about the underage drinking that is negatively impacting students around the country, but also behaviors that put the lives of others in danger," she said in a written release. "It is a message that may have a far-reaching impact on the entire community, not just our students." Kelly said the students will not be tried in the university judicial system until the outcome of the criminal case is known. And Gira said the university and the Maryland attorney general will work together on the case. "The university will continue to work closely with the state's attorney's office to determine what the appropriate role will be for the institution in the context of this whole series of events," she said in the release.
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