Death in the Dorms Season 2: Episode 4: Max Gruver

Summary

Podcast Summary: Death in the Dorms Season 2: Episode 4: Max Gruver

Podcast Information:

• Title: 20/20
• Host/Author: ABC News
• Episode: Death in the Dorms Season 2: Episode 4: Max Gruver
• Release Date: January 14, 2025
• Description: This episode delves into the tragic story of Max Gruver, an 18-year-old freshman at Louisiana State University (LSU), whose life was cut short during a fraternity pledge event. The narrative explores the events leading up to his death, the ensuing investigation, the legal repercussions, and the lasting impact on his family and the university community.

---

I. Introduction and Background

The episode begins by introducing Max Gruver, a freshman at LSU, characterized by his vibrant personality and promising future. Max was deeply passionate about sports and aspired to become a sports writer, having already penned over 360 articles during his high school years. His parents, Debra and Steve Groover, along with his sister Lily Kate, share heartfelt memories highlighting Max's enthusiasm and generosity.

Notable Quotes:

• Debra Roberts [03:10]: "From the beginning, you knew he was something special."
• Alex Groover [03:38]: "Growing up, he was such an avid reader and he loved sports."

Max's journey to LSU was marked by his involvement in Phi Delta Theta fraternity. Despite initial reservations from fraternity leaders, Max's dedication and leadership qualities made him a valued member among his peers.

---

II. The Tragic Night

The narrative takes a harrowing turn on the night of Max's pledge event. On September 14, 2017, Max attended a fraternity-sponsored Bible study, which was, in essence, a hazing ritual involving excessive alcohol consumption. As the night progressed, Max was subjected to aggressive drinking enforced by fraternity actives, particularly Matthew Naquin, a sophomore and key figure in the hazing activities.

Notable Quotes:

• Debra Roberts [19:01]: "We had to really earn your spot here. And it really kind of messes up your experience during that pledge process."
• Matthew Naquin [37:50]: "He was being forced to drink copious amounts of alcohol for what reason?"

Max's blood alcohol level reached a deadly level, leading to his unconscious state. Distressed peers failed to seek immediate medical assistance, resulting in Max's untimely death from alcohol intoxication with aspiration.

Key Events:

• Max was found unconscious at the fraternity house and was transported to the hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
• Initial reports linked his death to a hazing incident, triggering widespread shock and grief within the LSU community.

---

III. Investigation and Arrests

The investigation unveiled systemic issues within the Phi Delta Theta fraternity, highlighting negligent behavior and intentional hazing practices. Law enforcement arrested ten young men in connection with Max's death, with Matthew Naquin facing additional charges of negligent homicide.

Notable Quotes:

• Debra Roberts [25:13]: "Hazing is dangerous, irresponsible, and unacceptable. It will not be tolerated at LSU."
• Steve Groover [47:31]: "Where the law on hazing isn't strong enough, like it wasn't in Louisiana when this happened to Max, it creates many additional hurdles for the prosecution."

The legal proceedings were complicated by outdated hazing laws in Louisiana, which originally did not account for severe bodily harm or death. This legal loophole necessitated the application of negligent homicide charges against Matthew Naquin.

Key Events:

• Arrests were made for hazing-related charges, with Matthew Naquin also facing negligent homicide.
• Evidence from Naquin's phone, including deleted files related to alcohol potency, played a critical role in the prosecution's case.

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IV. The Trial

The trial, which commenced in 2019, was a difficult ordeal for Max's family. Over 40 witnesses were called, including pledges and fraternity members, who recounted the events of that fateful night. The prosecution, led by Morgan Johnson, emphasized the lack of free will Max had in consuming the excessive alcohol imposed by the fraternity leaders.

Notable Quotes:

• Morgan Johnson [54:18]: "If we want to talk about free will, let's talk about whose free will here resulted in Mr. Groover's death."
• Steve Groover [54:53]: "The jury came back in less than an hour with a guilty verdict."

The defense attempted to shift responsibility by arguing that Max acted of his own free will. However, the prosecution successfully demonstrated the coercive environment and the fraternity's role in Max's death.

Outcome:

• Matthew Naquin was convicted of negligent homicide and received a two and a half-year sentence, followed by supervised probation.
• Sean Paul Gott and Ryan Isto were convicted of misdemeanor hazing and received 30-day sentences with fines.
• The fraternity was expelled from LSU's campus until 2033.

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V. Aftermath and Legacy

Max Gruver's death had a profound impact on his family and the LSU community. In response, the Groover family established the Max Gruover Foundation to combat hazing and promote awareness about its dangers. Their advocacy efforts were instrumental in influencing legislative changes.

Notable Quotes:

• Alex Groover [59:34]: "Less than a year after Max's death, the governor of Louisiana signed the Max Gruover Act that made fundamental changes to the hazing law in Louisiana."
• Matthew Naquin [60:20]: "If we can change one kid's mind, then we've done what we want to do for Max."

Significant legislative reforms included:

• Max Gruover Act (Louisiana): Made hazing a felony, established reporting requirements, and mandated immediate medical assistance in hazing incidents.
• Max Gruover Act (Georgia): Instituted mandatory reporting and stricter regulations across universities.
• Efforts are underway to advocate for federal legislation to standardize anti-hazing laws nationwide.

The foundation's outreach programs have educated over 150,000 students, emphasizing the severe consequences of hazing and striving to prevent future tragedies.

Notable Quotes:

• Matthew Naquin [60:30]: "We hope we're making you proud."
• Steve Groover [60:06]: "It creates reporting requirements for schools and fraternities."

Max's legacy continues to inspire change, reflecting the family's resilience and commitment to ensuring that his death serves as a catalyst for meaningful reform.

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Conclusion

"Death in the Dorms" provides a compelling and emotional account of Max Gruver's life and tragic death. Through detailed interviews and poignant quotes, the episode underscores the severe impact of hazing and the urgent need for systemic change within collegiate environments. Max's story serves as a powerful reminder of the human cost of reckless traditions and the importance of advocacy and legislative action to prevent similar tragedies in the future.

Transcript

[Debra Roberts]

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[Steve Groover]

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[Raeanne Groover]

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[Debra Roberts]

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[Steve Groover]

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[Debra Roberts]

Your number and keep more of your moolah. @t mobile.com up to four lines via virtual prepaid card.

[Alex Groover]

Allow 15 days qualifying unlock device credit.

[Debra Roberts]

Service poured in 90 plus days with device into eligible carrier and timely redemption.

[Lily Kate Groover]

Required card has no cash access and.

[Debra Roberts]

Expires in six months.

[Steve Groover]

Hi There 2020 listeners. This is Debra Roberts.

[Debra Roberts]

This week we're bringing you episode four.

[Steve Groover]

Of Death in the Dorms Season two.

[Debra Roberts]

Today you'll hear the story of Max Groover, a first year student at Louisiana State University and a fraternity pledge event.

[Steve Groover]

That spiraled violently out of control.

[Debra Roberts]

Kids aren't supposed to die in college.

[Lily Kate Groover]

Kids aren't supposed to die at all. I don't even think we were a month into school yet before the news came. Breaking news.

[Matthew Naquin]

Police at Louisiana State University investigating the.

[Debra Roberts]

Death of 18 year old freshman Max Groover.

[Lily Kate Groover]

And it was like all hell broke loose. No one knew what to do.

[Matthew Naquin]

It was Max's time. Max was going to go spread his wings. College was really going to be his time.

[Lily Kate Groover]

I keep dripping.

[Debra Roberts]

Candle in the sun.

[Lily Kate Groover]

I've got nowhere to run and hide if I make it through the night Then nobody survives.

[Debra Roberts]

Then take me to the rooftop now and see if I.

[Lily Kate Groover]

Can.

[Debra Roberts]

Then take me to the rooftop.

[Lily Kate Groover]

Now and see if I can fly.

[Alex Groover]

In the small amount of time that Max was on this planet, he made us better people.

[Matthew Naquin]

Steve and I met here in Atlanta, Georgia.

[Alex Groover]

We got married pretty quickly. We were engaged within the first year and we ended up in Roswell, Georgia, which is just north of Atlanta. And that's where we got our first house. That's where we started our family.

[Matthew Naquin]

Max was our first. We were very excited and he came to us on January 27, 1999.

[Alex Groover]

From the beginning, you knew he was something special. When he was just a little baby. I walked into the room and Max is sitting in his crib and he had one of his Mickey Mouses sitting here. He had another Mickey Mouse sitting here. And this is before he could even really talk, right? But he's got a book out in front. He's pretending to read to his two Mickeys. Growing up, he was such an avid reader and he loved sports.

[Matthew Naquin]

The minute, you know, he could start throwing A ball. He'd pick it up and throw a ball. He loved when his brother would play and we'd go to his games.

[Alex Groover]

Max and Alex, they're almost exactly two years apart. Those two were fast friends, very close brothers. You know, from the beginning, I would.

[Debra Roberts]

Call him my best friend. Growing up, one reason I always looked up to Max is because he was so carefree. He would do something and say, hey, I don't care if you don't like it or if you do like it, I like it, so I'm going to do it.

[Alex Groover]

After Alex, four years later, we had Lily Kate.

[Debra Roberts]

I think not only did we butt heads because we were oldest and youngest, but I think we were also just very similar. My mom always tells me that I remind her a lot of Max. I think his personality runs a lot in my personality as I grew up. So that's pretty cool. Max coached me in basketball in fifth and sixth grade.

[Alex Groover]

Her team wasn't gonna be able to play because no one would step up and coach the team well. Max is like, well, I'll do it.

[Debra Roberts]

He literally loved every second of it. And the girls, all the girls on the team, they all loved him. One time I fouled out completely, like I couldn't play anymore. And I thought it was a really bad thing. I ran off and I was crying and he just picked me and I hugged him. And it was. It was very nice to have him there for sure. If you're ever in a problem with.

[Steve Groover]

Anything in your life, he was going.

[Lily Kate Groover]

To be there right by your side.

[Debra Roberts]

To help you get through it. He was going to be there to make you laugh and just be a kind person to you the whole time.

[Lily Kate Groover]

As college years approached, Max definitely wanted.

[Debra Roberts]

To be a sports writer.

[Lily Kate Groover]

That's something he enjoyed doing on a lower scale. In high school.

[Alex Groover]

He started working for a company called Deaf Pen Radio. Max wrote over three hundred and sixty articles on basketball. That was his dream. He wanted to continue that.

[Matthew Naquin]

Max started applying to colleges. And, you know, we were talking about schools and he definitely wanted to go to, you know, a big school like an ACC or an SEC school because of the sports. LSU was the first school he heard back from with an acceptance. And him and Steve went to go see the school and let me tell you, they did everything right there at lsu.

[Alex Groover]

We had such a great time together.

[Debra Roberts]

My Coop Green, my Coop Violet yes, you fly to the ship I'm all up in the terminal after that Dollars in blunts I may burn a few.

[Matthew Naquin]

And, you know, after that, he came home that Saturday and walked in my house with his lsu, you know, Tiger bound sign in his hand that they took on the plane, and I was like, oh, my gosh, he's not. He's going to go there. That's. I can tell that's where he wants to go.

[Debra Roberts]

Push it to the limit. I'm in it. The winning. I'm in it. The winner. Yeah, I'm in it. The winning.

[Lily Kate Groover]

LSU means a lot to the community out here. Louisiana State University, we bleed our purple and gold.

[Debra Roberts]

I swear to God.

[Raeanne Groover]

Tigers defense is still savage.

[Debra Roberts]

Cannon takes it on the 11 and.

[Raeanne Groover]

Runs a gauntlet of Mississippi tacklers.

[Debra Roberts]

I'm on it. Had some bad nights.

[Lily Kate Groover]

You hear, go Tigers all throughout the streets.

[Debra Roberts]

Go Tigers.

[Lily Kate Groover]

Being a student at LSU is unlike any other.

[Matthew Naquin]

Over the summer before Max went to school, he started talking a little bit about fraternities.

[Lily Kate Groover]

So many people come to LSU specifically just to join Greek life.

[Debra Roberts]

When I originally came to LSU, I believe there were around 17 or 16 fraternities. These are long, historic, established fraternities that have been there for a while. On LSU's campus.

[Matthew Naquin]

Max went through rush right after he got dropped off at school. They have, like, a week of rush before school starts.

[Debra Roberts]

Max and I first met during the formal recruitment process for lsu, what we like to call rush. We kind of found that we clicked very quickly. We were both looking at some of the same fraternities. We both were going through this process really to find our group of friends that we were gonna, you know, stick with for the rest of our college time.

[Matthew Naquin]

Phi Delta Theta was at the top of his list, and he really, really liked Phi Delta Theta because it was a smaller fraternity on campus, and I think Max liked that, and he really liked the guys in his pledge class.

[Alex Groover]

I went online and did some research on Phi Delta Theta, and I landed on a page that, this is for parents. Parents, you're going to love your son's decision to join Phi Delta Theta. We have zero tolerance for hazing. And I saw that, and I was like, wow, Max has really made some great decisions with this fraternity.

[Matthew Naquin]

Max kept talking a lot about leadership. I remember him telling us he had been up for, like, pledge class president at the time, and he just really thought he could do a lot of things within the fraternity. And I was excited for him. He was happy. I felt that every single day that Max. He's doing his thing. On September 14, I was at work. I worked at a doctor's office, and all of a sudden my phone rang, and we were getting up to go to Lunch. It was noon. And I looked at the phone, and it said Baton Rouge across it. And it was a man on the phone, and he was a nurse from the hospital. And he said, you know, is this Mrs. Groover? Are you Max Groover's mom? And I, you know, said, yes. And he's like, your son was just brought in. He was found unconscious. Some of his friends found him, and they brought him into the hospital.

[Alex Groover]

I got a phone call from Raeanne. She just kept saying, something's wrong with Max. Something's wrong with Max. I remember telling everybody at work, hey, I gotta go. I gotta go. And I just remember, you know, looking in the sky and praying to God that Max is okay. When I get home, I'll learn everything's fine. Max is okay. You know, please, God, Max is okay.

[Matthew Naquin]

I was probably at my house, like, trying to figure out, like, what do I. I'm gonna have to go to Louisiana. What do I take? And then they called again. And the nurse, he said, Mrs. Groover, we did. We did everything we could do. We worked on Max for 45 minutes, but he didn't make it.

[Alex Groover]

I just. I yelled, I screamed. It's awful. Just awful. Lily and Alex were still at school, and we had to get them home. They learned just like I did when they walked in the front door.

[Debra Roberts]

In.

[Alex Groover]

The foyer, just terrible, terrible day.

[Debra Roberts]

They came up to me and hugged me and told me right then and there. And we just. We just sat there and we. We cried together. Like, that's. I mean, I didn't. I didn't know what to do. Nobody knows what to do in that situation. So I went to his room with my mom, and I put on one of his big, large white T shirts that looked like a dress on me. That's all I really remember from that day.

[Morgan Johnson]

Upon arrival at the hospital, Max Groover's blood alcohol level was extremely high and was a deadly dose.

[Lily Kate Groover]

The hospital immediately contacted the coroner for an investigation because the circumstances surrounding this young man's death were suspicious.

[Morgan Johnson]

The coroner's office called the LSU Police Department and notified them. At the same time, Max Groover's family is being notified, and no one's really sure of exactly what happened.

[Alex Groover]

We knew that Max had passed away, and we needed to get to Baton Rouge as soon as possible.

[Lily Kate Groover]

At the same time, law enforcement is notified by the Director of Greek Life that Max had passed away. The Phi Delta Theta house, I mean, it's right there on campus. They shortly arrived two minutes after.

[Debra Roberts]

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[Steve Groover]

Object scenes from New York parlors to.

[Debra Roberts]

Parisian sidewalks, and each new chapter reveals captivating mysteries. And with all that mystery, danger and romance, you'll be left wondering, just where will each new chapter take you? As you dive into June's captivating quest, you'll also unleash your creativity, customizing your very own luxurious island estate, complete with sprawling gardens and stunning architecture.

[Steve Groover]

Along the way, you'll collect scraps of.

[Debra Roberts]

Information to fill your photo album and learn more about each character in the story. Chat and play with or against other players by joining a detective club. You'll even get a chance to play in a detective league that'll really put.

[Steve Groover]

Your sleuthing skills to the test.

[Debra Roberts]

So relax and lose yourself in this captivating quest of mystery, murder and romance set in the roaring 1920s. Discover your inner detective when you download June's Journey for free today on iOS and Android.

[Raeanne Groover]

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[Morgan Johnson]

Shocked and shaking their head that a young person who's a freshman is dead. And he's dead potentially as a result of a night of very serious, dangerous drinking.

[Lily Kate Groover]

The pledge educator also sends a message out to the pledges to also come to the house.

[Debra Roberts]

We got a message saying everybody needed to come to the house right now. Everyone shows up to the house and the next thing we know, the head of LSU's Greek Life at the time comes through the door and just says, I don't know why you guys are talking. This is a murder investigation. And that was the first we knew that Max was dead and it hit me pretty hard. I didn't really know what to do. I definitely didn't want to stay in that house anymore. We were not technically detained, but in my opinion, detained. We Got brought to a separate facility that LSU had. They took our phones and everything. We weren't allowed to talk to each other, and they took each of our statements. We called all the Fratment attorney members in, and we're going to talk with each of y'all about what knowledge y'all have of the events that took place last night, this morning, regarding Max.

[Steve Groover]

Law enforcement was smart enough to know we have to keep interviewing people because this isn't just a normal case. People don't get that blood alcohol content in their blood at a normal college party.

[Debra Roberts]

Look, I don't know if anybody is a suspect. I don't know if everybody is a suspect. I don't know anything. And that's the only reason we're doing this right now. That was really the pinnacle of when all of us kind of realized, like, holy cow. The severity of this situation. Like, he's gone. I'm trying to get a picture for this young man's family who are flying down from Georgia, which I'm sure I can't even imagine what's going through her mind.

[Lily Kate Groover]

Enough information is given to give the police an idea that there was a hazing event, a pledge event, the night that Max passed away, that it did occur at the fraternity house.

[Steve Groover]

And reports are that as the night went on, as the ritual went on, Max started being particularly targeted and that.

[Morgan Johnson]

Things look like he was particularly targeted for this night of, you know, excessive drinking and hazing.

[Debra Roberts]

Actives told us to come to Bible study. That's what they call it. You were told to get there at 4, 10.

[Alex Groover]

Don't be late.

[Debra Roberts]

We'd heard about Bible study guys mentioning it casually, actives to each other and stuff like that. Our Bible was our Phi Chi manual. So that's your pledge manual, essentially a book they give to every new member pledge that gives you history of the fraternity, even things like etiquette and where you should put forks and knives when you're setting up a table. So everything that you need to know about the fraternity is supposed to be in that book. It's supposed to be your best friend. Read it throughout its entirety, probably 40 times, that you know it all like the back of your hand. So we finally got the message like, hey, you know, be here tonight for Bible study. Bring your manual and all that stuff. And so we were like, okay, like, let's see what this is about. We really had no kind of clue what we were gonna step into. We just knew it was gonna be some sort of hazing type of thing. You feel like what you're walking into, you're gonna walk out of, and you're gonna be safe and fine. But hindsight, that's just not the real.

[Lily Kate Groover]

We know that Max arrived at approximately 9:50pm.

[Matthew Naquin]

Him and I were Snapchatting, and he had told me he had gone to dinner with some friends and then he was going to run by the fraternity house. And I Snapchatted to him, I love you. And he snapped back, you know, I love you, too.

[Lily Kate Groover]

He was dropped off by two of his female friends that were not associated with the fraternity. And according to them, Max had not been drinking prior to the Bible study and had not done any illegal substances prior to the Bible study.

[Debra Roberts]

There were probably 10 to 15, maybe upwards of 20 pledges there, but no more than 20 pledges for the Bible study.

[Lily Kate Groover]

They'd only been pledges for a couple of weeks at this point.

[Debra Roberts]

Formal fraternity recruitment at lsu, which we all call rush, is very structured. Obviously, everyone's putting their best face forward. But just receiving a bid or an invitation to join does not mean you're gonna end up being an active brother or get initiated.

[Lily Kate Groover]

During the pledge period. For lack of a better term, pledges are having to prove themselves to the active members.

[Debra Roberts]

Pledges are kind of expected to be on call 24 7. Whether it's bringing a brother to a class or picking him up some lunch, going to clean his house or apartment, really anything and everything under the sun, you're probably going to get asked to do. There's definitely some men who, you know, respect the lines that come with the pledges. But there's plenty, plenty that abuse those favors. A lot of the typical abusers of those pledge favors tend to take, like, pride in the fact that they do that. And a lot of those guys tended to talk negatively towards you. They kind of made you feel like you were a separate group from this brotherhood you were trying to join and made you feel like you were lesser than. And you had to really earn your spot here. And it really kind of messes up your experience during that pledge process. A lot of the things that you get asked to do are hazing, but I was never scared to go grab someone's food or, you know, go clean their apartment or any of that stuff. But that looming invite of, you know, come here for this, come to the house now. Everyone needs to be here. You always get a bit of anxiety when you're taking that ride over to the house or walking to the house, just not knowing what you're about to go through. Once you get inside the doors, they Gave off the air that, like, we wouldn't go through anything like this.

[Lily Kate Groover]

I was a student reporter at the time, and gosh, I don't even think we were a month into school yet before the breaking news came and it was like all hell broke loose. No one knew what to do.

[Matthew Naquin]

So many things were coming in. I was amazed how many people knew about it. I mean, again, it's at social media all of a sudden, like, I'm on the plane and before we took off, I get a text from a friend of mine and she says, you know, please tell me it's not true. I just got a text from my daughter and, you know, I just, you know, started crying harder and I'm like, oh, how did. Cause how could that be real, right? How does my. This friend already know? And her daughter goes to school at Georgia Southern.

[Lily Kate Groover]

News teams from everywhere, cnn, abc, NBC, everyone coming on campus just to figure out what happened. All of a sudden, the university president, F. King Alexander, there's a big press conference.

[Raeanne Groover]

We in the LSU community are grieving today.

[Debra Roberts]

The death of Maxwell Groover was tragic and untimely.

[Raeanne Groover]

There were allegations that they were related to hazing.

[Debra Roberts]

But I want to emphasize that this.

[Raeanne Groover]

Is the evolving situation. We are investigating this matter with the utmost seriousness. Hazing is dangerous, irresponsible and unacceptable. And it will not be tolerated at lsu, period. As a result, all, I mean, all Greek activities are suspended indefinitely pending the results of a thorough investigation.

[Lily Kate Groover]

And everyone went crazy.

[Debra Roberts]

This evening, representatives of every fraternity and sorority on campus held a closed door meeting about the incident. Any comments on the meeting? Guys, I don't have a sec.

[Alex Groover]

A whole group of folks from LSU asked if they could come see us, and they were very forthright with information and that it potentially was, you know, a hazing incident and something happened at the Phi Delta Theta house and there would be an ongoing investigation. That, you know, obviously makes you very angry, right, because you know that. That something happened to your son that shouldn't have happened to your son, that Max died from hazing in the fraternity house. A fraternity that has zero tolerance for hazing. So you're getting all these details and you're like, how could this possibly have happened?

[Matthew Naquin]

That afternoon we were able to go see Max and, you know, we hadn't seen him yet. They had done an autopsy on him that morning, and in the afternoon they called and said, you know, we could come and see him. That may be the worst moment of all of this, was seeing him, was taking him in the funeral home on a slab and Just, he was just in a white T shirt and a thin blanket was over him. Maybe that's when it really became real, like that was actually him.

[Alex Groover]

Really, all you want to know is what happened? How could this happen to my son? You know, what led up to it? Who's responsible? And Hillary and Morgan made sure that all those questions were answered.

[Lily Kate Groover]

We learned that that night the Actives were asking the pledges to get in a line downstairs. The Actives we know are present at the Bible study are Matthew Knockhan, a sophomore. Ryan Isto was also a sophomore. He was Matthew Knockin's roommate. And Sean Paul Gott, who was a junior. And he had a room in the house. They take their cell phones. And the way that the Phi Delta Theta house is laid out, the common area is downstairs and the entire upstairs is just one long hallway with bedrooms on either side. And Matthew Knock in tells all the pledges to go upstairs.

[Alex Groover]

They had all the upstairs lights off.

[Debra Roberts]

And they had a strobe light and loud music. And that's when the real, like yelling, yelling started. And we're all told like, all right, turn around and put your nose against the wall.

[Steve Groover]

The pledges are turning, being asked esoteric questions about the fraternity and other things.

[Debra Roberts]

Founding fathers, notable alumni, founding history, founding dates, any of the history that some of the Actives knew and wanted to ask you. If you get it right, it goes to the next person. If you get it wrong, you take a pull of alcohol. They were just drinking it straight out of the bottle? Yes, sir.

[Steve Groover]

For as long as the members standing in front of him told him to drink.

[Debra Roberts]

Take a 10 second pull, take a 5 second pull. One of them told me to take a five second and I didn't want to. I was like, can I take a three second? It was like, no, take a five second. And I did.

[Steve Groover]

And there was a mix of alcohol at the beginning, Captain Morgan, but it eventually became almost exclusively diesel. 190 proof alcohol.

[Lily Kate Groover]

Regular liquor is 80 proof. This has twice the potency, basically the.

[Steve Groover]

Strongest alcohol you can make.

[Debra Roberts]

It smells like gasoline and tastes probably worse than I would expect gasoline to taste like. And I was not quite prepared for diesel or any of that kind of stuff to be used.

[Lily Kate Groover]

They realized once they were asked to take the first drink of it, how potent it was.

[Morgan Johnson]

And we were able to find some bottles that had been left behind at the house.

[Steve Groover]

As witnesses were coming forward and talking to law enforcement, Matthew Naquin's name kept coming up over and over again.

[Debra Roberts]

Ray of the actors, more vocal and a little bit more out of the box pushing the drinking than others. Absolutely. Who were, who were the more aggressive ones? Matthew Naquin was the definitely the leader. Most of the other actives just filtered in and out. Knockin was one of the only ones there. The entirety of it is a name that you've probably heard over and over again. Matthew Knockin. Matthew Knockin.

[Lily Kate Groover]

He was the most aggressive when it.

[Debra Roberts]

Came to this stuff. Was he intense last night? Yes. He was screaming a lot. He was very upset whenever we didn't know the answers. He probably handed out the most alcohol to us. If Knock on ever gave it to me, it was for me, pretty quick. Chug, whatever. But every time, the couple of times that I noticed Max taking polls, it was not a quick one and it was also not his choice to not make it a quick one.

[Steve Groover]

He was identified by witnesses as the person leading the Bible study or one of the leaders, and also as a person who was particularly targeting Max that night.

[Raeanne Groover]

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[Lily Kate Groover]

From what we understood, Matthew Nocan was the main one making Mac strength that night and that as the night progressed, Matthew Knockin honed in on Max.

[Steve Groover]

And he was asked to take more polls and longer polls by far, than any other pledge.

[Lily Kate Groover]

According to the pledges, Max was so intoxicated that he had a trash bag placed around his neck because they were worried he he would vomit. After he had the trash bag placed around his neck is when Matthew Nachan was honing in on him and making him drink the diesel even though he knew he was intoxicated.

[Debra Roberts]

So when Andrew. What happened? They just turned the lights on. We walked downstairs. Max sat back onto a couch and very hardly, like, hit his head on the windowsill behind him. And I was like, oh. So instantly, the pledge brothers kind of go around him, you know, and. Okay. Like, are you good? Are you good? No, I'm just drunk. I'm just drunk. Okay. Okay. We were gonna bring him home, but, I mean, dude could barely walk, so we decided best bet was to just let him sleep it off at the house. All we knew about Max was that he was gonna stay at the house so that an active could stay with him the rest of the night. Were y'all worried about him? I was worried about him. The next morning, I texted some of my pledge brothers and, like, hey, let's go check on Max. You know, let's go see how hungover he is. Whatever. And we walk into the fraternity house, and Max is still on the couch. And I could instantly kind of tell something was wrong. He looked pale, and he was cold to the touch. His lips had started to discolor. At that point, I said, like, I cannot feel a pulse. I cannot feel a pulse. So me and my couple of pledge brothers carried, in my opinion, Max's lifeless body to a car and put him in the back seat so that he could get driven to the hospital. And that was all we knew.

[Matthew Naquin]

We were definitely getting more information, and more information was coming out. And it's just shocking, right? This is my son's last night on Earth, and. And he's being forced to drink, you know, copious amounts of alcohol. You know, for what reason? You know, to join an organization, to be a brother to somebody else. You know, what exactly is anyone proving to someone else if they can drink copious amounts of 190 proof grain alcohol? And then I just. I know I kept thinking about, what was Max's last night? Like. Like, was he in pain? Did he know anything was going on? Did he know he started getting sick?

[Alex Groover]

We know that Max died from the coroner around 4 or 5am they found.

[Lily Kate Groover]

That his cause of death was alcohol intoxication with aspiration.

[Alex Groover]

He died because he had so much liquid in his lungs from vomiting and just inhaling it and just the horror that goes through that level of intoxication. And death happened to Max on that couch. It's painful. They let him die on that couch and did Nothing. Never called 911.

[Debra Roberts]

Never.

[Alex Groover]

Never did anything to try to save his life.

[Matthew Naquin]

That's how your Child, you know, leaves you and leaves this earth. I mean, it's horrific.

[Debra Roberts]

That was probably the hardest thing, is knowing that the last time you saw him, you could have. You felt like you could have done something. You noticed he was drunk, and instead you. You went home and you weren't there for him when he really needed you. After that, my grades slipped. I dropped to about 100 pounds, and my parents made the decision with one of the LSU psychiatrists to pull me from lsu. I got therapy three to four times a week for the entire rest of that semester with the goal to make it back to LSU in the spring. And then from there on, it's just the constant knowing that Max is never going to be there. That's a best friend that I'll never get to see again.

[Morgan Johnson]

As the interviews progressed, we learned a lot, not only through the police department, but also through the students or the Student Accountability Office.

[Lily Kate Groover]

Student Advocacy and Accountability is an offshoot of the LSU Dean's Office, and they look into violations of the student code of conduct and make investigations whenever there's a student death. So they are making an investigation parallel separate from LSU pd. They were able to get more details about the events in the weeks leading up to Max's death. And what we were able to ascertain was from the day that Max was going to get a bid at Phi Delta Theta, Matthew Naukan did not want him in that fraternity. And he actively didn't want him in that fraternity up until his death.

[Alex Groover]

We learned through the investigation that, you know, Matthew just did not like my son because he was supposedly late to certain events, and Matthew had it out for him.

[Morgan Johnson]

From what we learned, Matthew Nahan did not like Max. Groover did not think that he was a appropriate member for his fraternity, made it really clear that he should not be a member. In fact, Groover was given a bid. Matthew Nachan tore up that bid and said, he's not going to be part of this.

[Lily Kate Groover]

The next day, Max was given another bid. They wrote him another bid card and was extended the invitation to pledge the fraternity.

[Morgan Johnson]

More telltale was the fraternity had a meeting and they were discussing Matthew Notcan's behavior in the fraternity as a leader and particularly as it kind of related to the pledges.

[Lily Kate Groover]

As a part of the pledging responsibilities. Phi Delta Theta had their pledges stake out a tailgating spot the Friday night before the LSU football game. And Matthew Knockhand came to that location with an airsoft gun and shot pledges.

[Debra Roberts]

I remember him shooting me in the back with an airsoft Gun While we're trying to set up the tailgate for the brothers for the next day, and yet we're getting pelted by bbs. And I can tell you it stung a good bit. I had a nice little mark on the back of my leg when I got shot, and it was not fun.

[Matthew Naquin]

The Monday night before the Bible study, the executive board had had a meeting about Matthew because of his dangerous and reckless activity with the pledges.

[Lily Kate Groover]

After that board meeting, they had an active meeting with all of the active members of Phi Delta Theta. At that active meeting, they gave an overall reprimand to all of the active members to be safe with the pledges, to not be sadistic with them. Also, after the meeting, a vice president, the pledge educator, specifically singled out Matthew Nakan and told him he was worried about how he was interacting with pledges. And Matthew Nakan told him, I will do what I want.

[Matthew Naquin]

And then two nights later, him and his buddies were in charge of this Bible study, and he killed my son.

[Debra Roberts]

The funeral was at St. Peter Chanel, which is the church we go to.

[Lily Kate Groover]

I was the first person in the.

[Debra Roberts]

Viewing that wasn't family, and I just saw the top of his head out.

[Lily Kate Groover]

Of the casket and collapsed.

[Debra Roberts]

Alex's friends were behind me and caught.

[Lily Kate Groover]

Me and had to walk me down to it.

[Debra Roberts]

It was a pretty massive funeral. It felt like I didn't really look because I was in the front and I didn't want to look at everybody. But from what I heard from all my friends, they're like, dude, it was insanely packed. There was so many people, like, it was almost out the church. And I was like, wow, that's awesome. That just shows the impact he had on the community and people around him. They all wanted to be there. It definitely took me a few months to really, I think, admit to myself that he was gone and I wouldn't be able to see him again. I was still stuck in that thought of, oh, he'll be coming back from school in a little while. So it definitely took me a minute to, like, really get those tears out and understand that, yeah, he was not going to be coming back.

[Morgan Johnson]

At that point. We believe that there's going to be criminal liability and criminal action taken by the police department. The issue, though, for us is we're dealing with a hazing stature that has.

[Lily Kate Groover]

No teeth at that point in time. In September of 2017, there was a hazing law in effect. Only one hazing law in effect in Louisiana that had been in effect since the early 1900s.

[Morgan Johnson]

That law was really not designed at the time to encompass great bodily harm or death. It was just hazing, some activity that students do. Law itself is like a paragraph long. The maximum punishment was $100 fine and 30 days in jail.

[Steve Groover]

There was a real concern that there would not be real accountability for the people who did this to Matt.

[Raeanne Groover]

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[Steve Groover]

Where the law on hazing isn't strong enough, like it wasn't in Louisiana when this happened to Max. It creates many additional hurdles for the.

[Morgan Johnson]

Prosecution and we had to look to see, are there other laws that have been violated that fit this situation.

[Alex Groover]

We had very specific conversations with Hiller Morgan about how they're going to prosecute the bad actors in Max's case. They had to go through a lot more work to try to figure out how to hold these individuals responsible. Ultimately, the most responsible individual, Matthew Nokin.

[Morgan Johnson]

And the only law that applied was negligent homicide.

[Lily Kate Groover]

On October 11, 2000. The LSU PD feels like they have enough information to make arrests of 10 young men. I remember being a reporter and we found out early in the morning 10 people face charges in connection to Gruber's death. All are charged with hazing, and Matthew Nakan faces an additional charge of negligent homicide. Saturday will mark exactly one month since Max Gruber has passed away.

[Matthew Naquin]

I am so appreciative of the DA team and Hiller Moore knowing that that Matthew needed to be charged with something. He was not just going to be charged with hazing because Max D.

[Lily Kate Groover]

After the LSU PD arrests, our office took on the investigation and we decided it would be a good idea to confiscate the phones of those who were arrested so that we could see if there was anything that we could present to the grand jury to let them know the level of culpability involved as it relates to these young men. And the only phone that we're not able to open after exhaustive efforts and after requesting a passcode is Matthew Nockins phone. Ultimately, the judge ruled that he would have to give his passcode and he was given a grace period to appeal that decision. And during that grace period the FBI was able to open Matthew Nakan's phone and approximately 700 files were deleted. We looked at the time of this deletion. Matthew Nakahan's attorney was contacted on November 8th at 3:00 about the warrant for his client's phone. He then called Matthew Nachan. And 40 minutes after the phone call with his attorney, Matthew Nachan is deleting 700 files.

[Morgan Johnson]

It's obvious that someone has something to hide. There was something on the phone that somebody didn't want us to see.

[Lily Kate Groover]

We did make efforts to restore those files but weren't unable to recover the deleted files. When we did get into Matthew Notkan's phone, we were able to look at his search histories and there was a specific search history a little over two weeks before Max's death. For Everclear versus Liquor to search what the relative potencies were. Everclear is 190 proof. Diesel is 190 proof. So Matthew Nachan was aware of the consequences and the risks of using this type of alcohol. This is the first time he's in the position to be able to direct pledges. And diesel 190 alcohol is the alcohol that he chooses to use that night.

[Alex Groover]

That's how Max got to that, that level of alcohol poisoning within his system. And that's what killed him.

[Lily Kate Groover]

When more information started to come out, I mean, reading it, it was disgusting.

[Debra Roberts]

The story made me angry. I was confused why people would purposely do that to my brother. When I went to college, I had some friends that would say like hazing, we don't do it that bad. And I'm like, well the fact you're doing it at all is just messed up. You shouldn't do it at all.

[Lily Kate Groover]

And think about one of those boys. I mean, 10 people got arrested. If one of them would have stood up and said, we're not doing this. Max Groover could possibly still be alive today. So after the arrests, all of these cases were taken to grand jury. And In March of 2018, the first indictment was for Matthew Nachan and he was indicted for negligence homicide. The second indictment was for Sean Paul Gott. He was indicted for misdemeanor hazing. And the third indictment was for Ryan Isto. He was indicted for misdemeanor hazing as well. No other people were indicted. Ryan Isto and Sean Paul Gott, once they pled the ball was in their court to cooperate and then also to testify truthfully at the trial against Matthew Knock in.

[Matthew Naquin]

When we went to trial about two years later, 2019, it was a very hard two weeks.

[Lily Kate Groover]

Raeanne and Steve were very nice to.

[Matthew Naquin]

Get me a plane ticket.

[Debra Roberts]

I flew through a hurricane to get there. The trial had already started by the.

[Lily Kate Groover]

Time I got there. But it was a very surreal experience. Upwards of 40 witnesses were called and of those witnesses, 19 witnesses were pledges that were there at the Bible study that night and 10 actives.

[Alex Groover]

Having to relive that night over and over is extremely emotional. It's very difficult.

[Matthew Naquin]

You can just picture Max throughout that night and in the morning and you know, it just. It's visuals you don't want to have.

[Steve Groover]

The theme throughout defense counsel's questioning and cross examination of witnesses kept using the term free will. Mr. Groover was his own free will. His own free will. His own free will. Morgan Johnson, who was the prosecutor who led this case, turned it around and she said, let's talk about free will. And Mr. Noquin had free will when he decided to grab that diesel bottle and hand it to Max and tell him to drink again and again and again. So if we want to talk about free will, let's talk about whose free will here resulted in Mr. Groover's death.

[Lily Kate Groover]

A fellow pledge who was next to Lyne and Max that night said, I believe from the bottom of my heart that if Matthew Nachan wasn't in that house that night, Max Groover would still be alive. No one asked him any more questions because he said what needed to be said when they read the verdict. And I just remember everyone just being on the edge of their seats and we're waiting and everyone is holding their breath. You can hear a pin drop.

[Steve Groover]

The jury came back in less than an hour with a guilty verdict.

[Alex Groover]

Both of us just broke down in tears and just cried because we got some closure from this. They did convict.

[Lily Kate Groover]

He had to serve two and a half years in Department of Correction. And then when he got out, he was subject to three years supervised probation. And if he didn't comply with supervised probation, he would go back to prison for another two and a half years. Based on what the judge heard at trial, he decided to sentence Ryan Isto and Sean Paul Gott. What the Max was at that point in time. 30 days in parish prison and $100 fine. Sean Paul Gott and Matthew Nakan were expelled by the school.

[Steve Groover]

There were some consequences for the organization as well. The fraternity was expelled from LSU's campus until 2033.

[Alex Groover]

After the trial was over, we wanted to decompress, and we couldn't think of any place better to go than to Chimes, certainly his favorite restaurant.

[Lily Kate Groover]

And we walk in, we sit down.

[Debra Roberts]

Just to get something to eat, water, whatever. And in the restaurant, I Don't Want.

[Lily Kate Groover]

To Miss a Thing by Aerosmith came on. And that was Ray and Max's song.

[Debra Roberts]

I Don't want to fall asleep. Cause I miss you, baby And I don't want to miss a Thing. That's like the song she wanted to dance to with him at his wedding. She sang it to him like, oh.

[Matthew Naquin]

He was little and growing up.

[Debra Roberts]

And that was kind of like his wink to us knowing that it was going to be okay.

[Alex Groover]

The whole time, Max has been guiding us down this path to try to create change. So we created the Max Groover foundation, which is about helping to create that change.

[Matthew Naquin]

You know, we've spoken to, well over, I don't know, 150 or so organizations, you know, probably over 150,000 students total at this point.

[Alex Groover]

We try to get as many folks from the university there as possible, certainly Greek life. But we welcome all the sports teams, all the clubs when we go and speak. And we want to educate them on what hazing is and just how bad it is and how it can escalate and turn into something horrible like what happened to our son.

[Matthew Naquin]

And a big thing we've been doing is that we've made a high school education program. Steve and I tell Max's story, and then a local Phi Delta Theta chapter talk about the realities of, you know, hazing. And it's really been affecting.

[Alex Groover]

What really got us to form this relationship was just speaking with Shawn Wagner. Shawn is the head of the Phi Dot of Thetas. He knows that they failed miserably at lsu. And he's got passion. That relationship's been instrumental in just amplifying our voice.

[Steve Groover]

Less than a year after Max's death, the governor of Louisiana signed the Max Groover act that made fundamental changes to the hazing law in Louisiana.

[Lily Kate Groover]

Hazing is now a felony in Louisiana.

[Steve Groover]

It creates reporting requirements for schools and fraternities. If if there's hazing incidents, it makes it a crime not to seek medical assistance for someone in situations like Max.

[Alex Groover]

And we've gotten some change in the state of Georgia as well. We have a Max Gruber act that requires reporting with respect to hazing in every university.

[Steve Groover]

And one of the things that grew are doing is try to advocate for and push through a federal law that would make hazing a federal crime with uniform standards across the country.

[Matthew Naquin]

You know, if we can change one kid's mind, then we've done what we want to do for Max. We miss you, big guy, and we hope we're making you proud.

[Debra Roberts]

Then take me to the rooftop now.

[Lily Kate Groover]

And see if I can fly.

[Debra Roberts]

This is Deborah Roberts.

[Steve Groover]

Join us next week to hear the story of a thrill seeker from the College of Charleston whose search for adventure led him down a dangerous path.

[Debra Roberts]

Death in the Dorms was produced by.

[Steve Groover]

ABC News Studios with the Intellectual Property Corporation and yes, like a River for Hulu Originals. You can find the entire series streaming on Hulu.

[Debra Roberts]

And be sure to tune in to.

[Steve Groover]

ABC Friday nights at 9 for all new broadcast episodes of 20 20.

[Lily Kate Groover]

Thanks for listening.

[Debra Roberts]

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[Steve Groover]

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[Debra Roberts]

Number and we'll help pay it off up to $800 per line. You can also use our savings calculator to compare our plans and streaming benefits.

[Steve Groover]

Against Verizon and AT&T. So switch and keep your phone, keep.

[Debra Roberts]

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