TheDenverChannel.com










Denver News
E-Mail News Alerts
Get breaking news and daily headlines.
Browse all e-mail newsletters

Police: CU Student Drank A Lot For Frat Initiation

Report: Frat Pledge Was 'In Very Bad Shape' Before Death

POSTED: 10:37 am MDT September 22, 2004
UPDATED: 5:41 pm MDT September 22, 2004

Boulder's police chief said members of the Chi Psi fraternity were being only "minimally cooperative" with investigators as authorities investigate the death of an 18-year-old pledge at the frat house last week.

More than a dozen of the fraternity members have hired lawyers, Mark Beckner said.

Beckner told reporters Wednesday that his detectives have been trying to piece together the final hours of Gordon Bailey Jr. but the investigation has found no evidence of foul play or trauma to him before he was found dead Sept 17.

Video

Bailey and the other pledges received their fraternity pins Thursday evening and were driven to the mountains for their initiation.

"Tradition was to drink the alcohol before leaving ( the mountains for Boulder)," said Beckner.

He said that Bailey and other members of the fraternity drank four bottles of whiskey, six large bottles of wine and three kegs of beer in the hours prior to his death. He said there was nothing to indicate that Bailey was forced to drink the alcohol.

"This is no evidence of any medical condition contributing to Mr. Bailey's death," Beckner told reporters. He said the investigators are awaiting the results of an autopsy conducted by the coroner sometime next week.

Frat brothers said Bailey drank heavily the evening before he died.

"He was in very bad shape," a frat member told the Boulder Daily Camera, on the condition of anonymity. The unidentified frat member told the newspaper that they didn't know his life was in danger.

While Bailey was passed out on the floor, frat members wrote insulting words on his face with pens, but smudged them out the next morning before police and paramedics arrived, the paper reported in its Wednesday editions.

A source close to the investigation told the Daily Camera that half of the 40 Chi Psi fraternity members refused to talk to police when they began investigating Bailey's death.

The Interfraternity Council, which governs CU's fraternities, announced it had suspended recognition of Chi Psi pending an investigation. Chi Psi already had its national charter suspended after Bailey's death, banning its 76 members from participating in any fraternity events.


Links We Like

Sponsored Content
Employers generally have options when it comes to hiring. Makes sure you present yourself as professionally as possible, or else. More

You can pick your friends, but not your family -- or your neighbors. Here's what you need to know about how to deal with yours. More

It was bound to happen. There are now applications for your cell phone that can help you avoid speeding tickets as well as traffic jams. Drive carefully. More

Are you often tired or rushed in the morning? Give your morning habits a makeover, and start the day feeling positive and energetic instead. More

MyReport Network

E - News Registration focus group
  My Report Network: Tell your story on 7NEWS. Sign up to be a member of our My Report Network
Sponsored Links

MyReport Network

E - News Registration focus group
  My Report Network: Tell your story on 7NEWS. Sign up to be a member of our My Report Network

Job Searching Tips

Struggling to find a great job in a bad economy can be tough, but these eight tips can help improve your chances of landing a gig. More