University of Delaware Fraternity Brothers Found Not Responsible for Hazing Death of Pledge

A Delaware jury on Friday found two former fraternity members not liable for the hazing death of a pledge five years ago.

18-year-old Brett Griffin, a Sigma Alpha Mu hopeful at the University of Delaware, died after drinking heavily at the fraternity's "Big Brother" party. Soon after, Griffin's parents pursued a wrongful death lawsuit against the fraternity and a handful of its members from UD. The parents settled with all members involved in the suit prior to the trial except ex-chapter president Jason Aaron and former pledge master Matthew Siracusa, Wilmington, Del. paper The New Journal reported.

Aaron and Siracusa's defense team argued that the two fraternity members weren't responsible for Griffin's death because they didn't haze Griffin, nor did they force alcohol down his throat.

"This is the reason kids are still dying from hazing in 2013," Julie Griffin, Brett's mother, told members of the press as she walked out of the court room. "Everyone wants to blame it on the kids."

The court found that Aaron was not guilty of hazing Brett, and that he did not fail to protect the pledge. Siracusa was found guilty of hazing Griffin, but the jury said that the hazing did not ultimately cause Griffin's death on Nov. 8, 2008.

Griffin had a blood-alcohol level of 0.341 when he was found dead - that's more than four times the legal limit for drunk driving. The 18-year-old reportedly died just hours after he and his fellow pledges met their "big brothers" and their "family drink."