Former U. of Illinois student dies from alcohol overdose

Dave Parro and Lisa Smith The Daily Illini CHAMPAIGN, Ill. (U-WIRE) -- A former University of Illinois student was found dead Saturday morning of an apparent alcohol overdose, according to a preliminary autopsy report. Javier Novella, 21, was found by his roommates Saturday morning in his Urbana apartment, not breathing and without a pulse. It remains unclear where he went the night before, Associate Dean of Students Ruth McCauley said. At least one of Novella's roommates was home when he went to bed around 2:30 or 2:45 a.m. Saturday, Urbana police Lt. Michael Metzler said. Novella was pronounced dead at 12:09 p.m. -- about 40 minutes after police were called. "He had been drinking," said Metzler, who interviewed Novella's friends. He could not confirm exactly how much Novella drank, as toxicology reports are pending. Novella's roommates were unavailable for comment Sunday, as were Novella's Pi Kappa Alpha fraternity brothers. Novella's death is "consistent with acute alcohol overdose" because of brain swelling and fluid deposits in the lungs, Champaign County Chief Deputy Coroner Laura Keller said. She said there were no signs of trauma, such as bruises or bumps and police said they do not suspect foul play. Novella worked at Alexander's Steakhouse at 202 W. Anthony Drive and The Clybourne at 708 S. Sixth Street, both in Champaign, according to several friends and authorities. While it is unclear whether Novella went to any bars the night before his death, authorities said his death could affect liquor enforcement policies. "If there's any indication that either an employee of a particular establishment or the manager of a particular establishment did something criminal, then that's something we would look into," Metzler said. "At this point I don't have any indication that anybody did anything criminal." Champaign Mayor Jerry Schweighart, the city's liquor commissioner, said Sunday afternoon that the details of the case will dictate the city's response. "If he was sitting at the same bar the whole time and getting drunk, that's one thing," he said. The case will be handled differently if he drank at several bars, Schweighart said. Champaign Deputy Liquor Commissioner Teri Legner said bars could be held responsible for Novella's death if it is proven that liquor laws were violated. "It would have to be determined that the employees had a role in it," she said. "Right now we're speculating. Liability is a big issue when something like this occurs." State law prohibits bar employees from serving alcohol to intoxicated customers. The city provides, but does not require, training for bar managers and supervisors to learn how to determine when a patron is too drunk to be served. The Champaign Liquor Advisory Commission has been discussing new bar regulations since the beating death of University graduate student Ernest Seri, who was killed by bouncers at a Champaign bar in June of 1998. Legner said the regulations would probably apply to the case if they were already in place, depending on whether it is determined that bars were responsible. "The day after Ernest Seri died they had about 100 people here [at the Champaign City Building] outraged," Liquor Advisory Commission member Rich Stockton said at a Sept. 8 meeting. "Now it's almost dead. They are beginning to think that the laws are too burdensome, but the point of the matter is that someone died." "This is very tragic, but I think it shows alcohol-related deaths are not limited to students or to students under the age of 21," Stockton said Sunday. "It just emphasizes that it's not a 19-year-old, U. of I. student problem." Legner said the city will discuss the death this morning. Novella was enrolled at the university last year but did not take classes this fall.