11 Indicted In Hazing Death Of VCU Freshman Adam Oakes

RICHMOND, VA — Eight Virginia Commonwealth University students have been arrested and charged with hazing following the death of Adam Oakes, a Delta Chi pledge who died from alcohol poisoning after attending a fraternity party earlier this year, according to a report.

The men arrested Friday range in age from 19 to 22, police told The Associated Press. All are charged with unlawful hazing of a student and four are also charged with buying and giving alcohol to a minor.

Three others who were indicted are expected to surrender in the coming days, police told The AP.

Virginia Commonwealth University confirmed the eight men arrested were students. All but one were enrolled this semester, The AP reported.

In February, 19-year-old Oakes was invited to join the Delta Chi fraternity. The part he attended was meant to be a "Big-Little" reveal party, where Oakes would meet his mentor within the fraternity.

RELATED: VCU Freshman's Cause Of Death Announced By Medical Examiner

Oakes was told to drink a large bottle of whiskey and later passed out on a couch at an off-campus residence, his family told The AP. He was found dead the next morning.

Oakes's death was caused by ethanol toxicity, according to the medical examiner's office. Arkuie Williams of the medical examiner's office also noted that the death was ruled as an accident.

Ethanol toxicity, sometimes referred to as alcohol poisoning, can be caused by binge drinking, according to the Mayo Clinic.

The university suspended the Delta Chi fraternity following Oakes' death. The fraternity's national office issued a cease and desist to their VCU chapter.

The university also launched an investigation into Greek life on and off-campus.

"This review will make recommendations about how Greek organizations meet the high expectations we have for them," the university said in an announcement.

Following the arrests, Oakes’ family expressed their gratitude in a statement, news outlets reported.

“We are grateful for some measure of justice these charges and arrests may produce, as well as the protection from hazing they may give young, impressionable college students,” the statement read. “The past seven months have been agonizing for our family. This is the first time these young men have been held accountable for their historically toxic and destructive traditions, manipulation of the VCU disciplinary systems, and for Adam’s death.”