According to a search warrant executed a month ago, 18-year-old Philip Dhanens spent his final hours in room eight of the Theta Chi fraternity house. It's dubbed the "drunk room," and it's where members apparently left him after he passed out the night of August 31st. Three hours later, they found him pale and unconscious, a state from which he would never recover.
Some students at Fresno State say someone should have been more responsible.
“If they'd seen he passed out and still left him for hours, they should have paid more attention to him if they saw he got really bad,” said Monica Lemus, a junior.
Fresno police are trying to find out who provided the alcohol. CBS47's legal expert, Carl Faller, says someone could face criminal charges.
“You could have potential responsibility and some kind of manslaughter theory that there was reckless action or criminally negligent action in the way that he was treated,” said Faller.
After Dhanens' death, police interviewed Theta Chi members. Detectives found out all the pledges were told they couldn't leave a room until bottles of rum, tequila and vodka were gone. Within the hour, Dhanens exceeded his limit. When police asked for more details about who took him to the “drunk room” and who was supposed to monitor him, the fraternity stopped talking. Police took about ten computers, five cell phones, several partially full bottles of alcohol, and national fraternity supplies. The case is still under investigation.
Fresno State sent over a statement less than an hour ago. It says the university is waiting for police to finish their investigation before commenting on the case.
