Big Brothers Charged In Alcohol Poisoning Death Of UCI Freshman

IRVINE, CA —Five members of a University of California, Irvine fraternity, have been charged in connection with the alcohol poisoning death of a fellow under-aged fraternity member after a party in January.

Zavier Larenz Brown, now 21, Jonathan Anephi Vu, now 22, Mohamed Ibragim Kharaev, now 21, Caleb Gavin Valleroy, now 20, and Jonathan Gabriel Villicana, now 21, were all members of the Sigma Alpha Epsilon (SAE) fraternity at UCI and were all on the lease of the off-campus fraternity house in the City of Irvine.

Noah Domingo, 18, of Irvine, died on January 12, 2019, after drinking with members of his fraternity as part of SAE's "Big Brother Night." He was a freshman at the university and a new member of the SAE fraternity. He wanted to go into sports medicine, according to his family, on the GoFundMe website established in his memory.

Domingo had joined the fraternity several months prior, and Brown was Domingo's "Big Brother" at the fraternity. There was no evidence that any of the defendants in the case engaged in hazing in connection with Domingo's death.

Brown has been charged with one misdemeanor count of furnishing alcohol to a minor, causing significant bodily injury. Vu has been charged with one misdemeanor count of furnishing an alcoholic beverage to a minor.

Brown, Vu, Kharaev, Valleroy, and Villicana have all been charged with one misdemeanor count of violating the Irvine Municipal Code for allowing a party or gathering where underage drinking is permitted.

Brown faces a maximum of 18 months in jail if convicted on all counts. Kharaev, Vu, Valleroy, and Villicana all face a maximum of six months in jail if convicted.

"Providing alcohol to those under the legal drinking age is reckless and dangerous, especially in an environment that is notorious for excessive drinking by young people who may not understand the potential risks of their behavior," said Orange County District Attorney Todd Spitzer.

Current California laws prevented prosecutors from filing anything more than a misdemeanor in this case, according to Spitzer.

"The furnishing of alcohol to a minor that results in great bodily injury or death should be a felony," he said. "The Orange County District Attorney's Office is pursuing legislation to make that change."

Deputy District Attorney Matt Plunkett of the Special Prosecutions Unit is prosecuting this case.
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