Three SUNY-Geneseo Students Charged in Drinking Death
Posted: Thursday, May 14th, 2009 at 3:33 pm
GENESEO, Ny—Three SUNY-Geneseo students have been charged with criminally negligent homicide in the alcohol-poisoning death of a sophomore who was pledging for an off-campus fraternity.
Arman Partamian, a 19-year-old from Flushing, New York, was found dead face-down in a mattress on Sunday, March 1st, after drinking for days. State police said Partamian had been drinking since one o’clock Saturday afternoon and that he consumed everything from beer to champagne, to gin and vodka. Investigators say he was pledging for a fraternity known as The Pigs, which had been banned from the college due to two past drinking-related hospitalizations.
The Pigs have a notorious reputation as a party fraternity. Said Major Mark Haas of the New York State Police, “The only purpose I’ve seen that this fraternity engages in is drinking.”
A student said of the fraternity, “They tended to be more extreme in their activities so I know a lot of people try to avoid that particular organization.”
Partamian’s toxicology results showed a 0.55 blood-alcohol level, almost seven times the legal limit for driving in New York and an amount typically considered lethal. He died in the midst of a three-day initiation.
Partamian was unresponsive about 11 a.m. Sunday, so a fellow student called 911. Partamian was pronounced dead at the scene about 3:30 p.m. Sunday, Koss said.
The Monroe County Medical Examiner’s Office is doing an autopsy, but the cause of death might not be known for six to eight weeks, Koss said.
Robert A. Bonfiglio, vice president for student and campus life, said students were “dumbfounded” by the incident.
The three Livingston County students involved—21-year old Devin McClain of Mount Morris, 20-year-old Alex Stucki of Geneseo, and 21-year-old Daniel Welch of Geneseo—were charged with criminally negligent homicide, unlawfully dealing with a child, criminal nuisance and hazing. Stucki was also charged with evidence tampering for removing Partamian’s pledge shirt after he was found unconscious.
All three men were members of the Pigs. Stucki and Welch were students at SUNY Geneseo, while McClain was not.
Partamian was a sophomore and lived in Ontario Hall. He was a chess club champ, a boy scouts leader, and a volunteer firefighter
The three students have pleaded not guilty to the charges. The most severe charge carries a sentence of up to four years in prison.
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