Coroner: Alcohol Poisoning Killed CSU Student

FORT COLLINS, Colo. -- Samantha Spady, a Colorado State University Student found dead in a frat house Sept. 5, died from acute alcohol poisoning, investigators said Friday.

The Larimer County Coroner said that Spady, 19, had a blood alcohol level of 0.436 when her blood was tested after her death. That's more than 5 times the legal limit in Colorado.

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Investigators Detail Final Hours Of Spady

The Coroner's Office determined that Spady consumed alcohol over 11 hours starting before the CSU/CU football game on Saturday and ending with her presence at the fraternity house, where she consumed "additional significant amounts of alcohol."

During that period, she attended a large party at a house where the participants played drinking games.

"I think we had a lot of people who were inexperienced college drinkers, and I think there was some binge drinking," said deputy district attorney Cliff Riedel.

At a news conference Friday, police said that Spady drank alcohol at four separate parties before she died, starting at 6 p.m., Sept 4 with beer and switching to straight vanilla-flavored vodka around 2 or 3 a.m. on Sept 5.

Investigators said that Spady could not stand on her own when two friends helped her into the lounge at the Sigma Pi frat house to sleep it off.

"What happened was the people who live in the home were not aware that she was there and the people that had placed her there had left and gone to their own homes so nobody checked on her," said police investigator Kristy Volesky.

"Given the amount of alcohol that she had to reach that level of poisoning, she probably went unconscious, lapsed into a coma and then from that point, there's nothing that she could do," said deputy coroner Dean Beers.

Forensic results showed that Spady drank the equivalent of 30 to 40 12-ounce beers, or one-ounce shots of liquor, before she died from acute ethanol poisoning.

Police said that no foul play was involved and no one has been found to be criminally negligent in her death.

Dr. Stephen J. Cina ruled Spady's death an accident.

Spady's fully-clothed body was found in a lounge area of the Sigma Pi fraternity house by a brother who was showing his mother around. The autopsy revealed Spady had died 10 hours prior to discovery of her body and that her body was not moved after her death.

The sophomore business major from Beatrice, Neb., had reportedly posted on an Internet Web page that she planned to drink a lot during the Labor Day weekend.

"I'm also going to get extremely wasted this weekend, not just because it's labor day, but because Colorado State plays Colorado in football tomorrow," the writer said.

On the Web site, the writer also commented on how Fort Collins police were cracking down on drinking because of recent CSU riots, saying, "This sucks because every single party gets broken up ... My weekend is going to be way too sober if this keeps up."

On Thursday, Fort Collins police issued 19 citations for alcohol-related offenses as part of an investigation into Spady's death. Those cited are accused of either underage drinking or of buying alcohol for minors. They ranged in age from 19 to 25 years.

All but two of those cited were CSU students.

Several days after Spady's death, leaders of the Greek system adopted rules barring alcohol from sorority and fraternity houses and some parties.

CSU officials, along with Sigma Pi's national headquarters in Brentwood, Tenn., also revoked the charter of the Fort Collins chapter with support from the school's Intrafraternity Council, dissolving the group as an officially recognized student organization.

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CSU Students React To Beer Ban

Meanwhile, Colorado State University officials announced on Thursday that alcohol sales at its football stadium would be suspended until at least Feb. 1, but alcohol will still be served in premium club-level seats.

University President Larry Penley halted the sale of alcohol at Hughes Stadium until a task force headed by Lt. Gov. Jane Norton, a CSU graduate, releases a report on alcohol issues among students in early 2005.

Sodexho, the stadium's food and beverage contractor, sought changes to its liquor license last year in order to sell wine, hard liquor and beer with alcohol percentages over 3.2 percent. The change had been approved for this season.

Alcohol was banned from Folsum Stadium at the University of Colorado at Boulder in 1996, but luxury suites and club seats are exempt.

Off-campus parties erupted into riots in Fort Collins early Aug. 21 and 22, resulting in cars being overturned and signs being uprooted, plus eggs, rocks and bottles tossed about. Police estimate crowds grew to 1,500 the first night and 600 the next night.

Six people were arrested. CSU expelled seven students and disciplined 15 others.