MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — Police charged a Kappa Sigma fraternity brother with hazing in the death of West Virginia University freshman Nolan Burch.
Richard Schwartz, 20, of Williamsvillle, N.Y., is accused of providing the 19-year-old Burch with a bottle of liquor the night of a Kappa Sigma initiation ceremony Nov. 12.
Burch, also of Williamsville, was assigned to Schwartz as part of a “big-little” event that teamed the two together.
According to the criminal complaint, Burch was carried by Schwartz and other fraternity members from a Glendon Avenue location back to the fraternity house on Belmar Avenue, where he was found unresponsive.
Authorities said fraternity members administered CPR on Burch after they noticed he was turning blue while lying unconscious on a table in the fraternity house.
The complaint claims Burch “later died as a result of acute ethanol intoxication due to his involvement in the fraternity event.”
Police reports revealed Burch’s blood-alcohol level was 0.493—more than six times the 0.08 legal limit for intoxication in all 50 states.
Schwartz was arraigned in magistrate court in Monongalia County on Wednesday and was freed on a $10,000 bond.
In response to the criminal charges filed against Schwartz, WVU Dean of Students Corey Farris released a statement: “We are still grieving over Nolan’s untimely death and for his family, who has faced such sadness and loss.”