Drinking, slurring, stumbling: Timeline of events the night a UK fraternity member died
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UK fraternity investigation
A report from the University of Kentucky found multiple instances of hazing and a “deeply ingrained culture of alcohol” in the FarmHouse fraternity during the semester that a new member died.
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Drinking, slurring, stumbling: Timeline of events the night a UK fraternity member died
UK investigation into fraternity death finds ‘deeply ingrained culture’ of alcohol, hazing
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A UK student’s death shows again: Too many tragedies surround too many fraternities.
Drinking before the FarmHouse fraternity tradition of serenading sororities was “just a known thing,” one fraternity member told university officials last year.
Alcohol was used “to be more confident when singing,” and as “liquid courage,” others said.
When Lofton Hazelwood died on Oct. 18, 2021, he’d consumed approximately 18 one-ounce shots of bourbon on the night of serenades. He stumbled while practicing dances, and was slurring his words. He was so intoxicated that fraternity members decided he couldn’t attend serenades that night.
He was left alone on a couch in the fraternity house.
Later that night, Hazelwood would be pronounced dead at UK’s Chandler Hospital. The cause of death was alcohol toxicity, according to the Fayette County Coroner. His blood alcohol concentration was more than four times the legal limit.
The University of Kentucky conducted interviews with more than 20 members of the Farmhouse fraternity, whose identities were redacted from an investigation report obtained by the Herald-Leader, in the weeks after Hazelwood’s death.
This timeline is constructed from UK and UK Police investigation records, obtained through a public records request submitted in October 2021. Records were received by the Herald-Leader in October 2022.
The Herald-Leader requested records related to Hazelwood’s death and the university’s investigation during the week of Oct. 18, 2021. Multiple public records requests were made over the course of several days following the incident, including information about the FarmHouse fraternity’s disciplinary history, video and security footage, and communication between the university and the fraternity in the days after Hazelwood’s death.
UK released its initial findings last December, and the final report and documentation was given to the Herald-Leader on Oct. 14, 2022.
Other information comes from the Hazelwood family’s testimony given before a general assembly committee on Oct. 20, 2022.
Through interviews with fraternity members, investigators constructed a timeline of events leading up to Hazelwood’s death. Here is what occurred on Oct. 18, 2021, the day Hazelwood died:
3 p.m.: An unidentified person asked Hazelwood to purchase a bottle of wine before the serenades practice. Hazelwood and another member walked to Big Daddy Liquor and bought wine using a fake ID. Around 3 p.m., a witness reported seeing Hazelwood at the intersection of Euclid Ave. and Woodland Ave., the location of the liquor store.
The witness said he appeared completely sober at that time.
4 p.m.: Members and new members began gathering at the house to prepare for serenades and a Monday night meeting. Before practicing, members gathered in an empty bedroom and played the video game “NFL Madden.” While playing, members started drinking, including bottles of Wild Turkey 101 bourbon and Burnett’s Lime Vodka. A bottle of Fish Eye Moscato wine was also found in the room.
The alcohol had been purchased with fake IDs owned by members of the fraternity. Members who drank were asked to send $7 via Venmo, a digital payment app, to cover the cost of the alcohol.
4:30 – 5 p.m.: Between eight and 12 members gathered in the bedroom and were drinking Wild Turkey 101 bourbon. Multiple members said it was normal, but not required, to drink before serenades to help with any nerves, but drinking usually took place at off-campus houses.
Some members did not drink that night, but most had two to four shots of alcohol at the fraternity house, one person interviewed said. Members described drinking before serenades as “liquid courage,” to help with the awkwardness of singing and dancing in front of sorority members.
It is estimated that Hazelwood drank approximately 18 one-ounce shots of Wild Turkey 101 in less than an hour.
Some members reported that the second floor of the house smelled like alcohol, and those who were drinking were told to clean things up before the Monday night meeting. Drinking on university property is a violation of the Student Code of Conduct, which members knew, according to the report. The fraternity president had previously told members and pledges of the fraternity that they could not drink in the house.
Closer to 5 p.m., practice for the serenades began in the lounge on the second floor. Some members noticed that Hazelwood was intoxicated, speaking loudly and slurring his words. At one point he stumbled and fell.
Older members of the fraternity decided that Hazelwood should not participate in the serenades, noticing “he wasn’t fit to go sing,” one member told UK officials.
5:10 – 5:15 p.m.: Hazelwood was left on a couch in the fraternity house. Members attempted to prop him up and left a trash can next to him. An active member told others he would watch Hazelwood while members went to serenades, but “it is unclear if this did occur,” according to UK’s report.
At approximately 5:15 p.m., members left for the serenades, and returned around 6:10 p.m.
6 – 7:06 p.m.: A fraternity member reported that they found Hazelwood on the couch with foam coming out of his mouth and he was not breathing. They checked his pulse and felt his chest to see if he was breathing. The student ran downstairs and got the fraternity president and vice president. Other people were in the house, including two alumni and the house mom.
One member, a student studying medicine, performed CPR, and 911 was called.
Police and emergency services arrived at the fraternity house. Hazelwood was transported to Chandler Memorial Hospital, where he was pronounced dead at 7:06 p.m. Family members of Hazelwood were contacted.
His blood alcohol concentration was 0.354 at the time of his death, which is more than four times the legal limit.
Later in the evening, members were asked to come to the house to address an incident.
While hazing was not listed as a factor in the events that led to Hazelwood’s death, because drinking was not required on the night of Oct. 18, the university found several other instances of hazing within the fraternity.
“The deeply ingrained culture of alcohol and hazing behaviors within FarmHouse Fraternity shows a clear lack of understanding and disregard for University policy and has created an environment that has had a significant impact on the University of Kentucky community,” the report from the UK Office of Student Conduct states.