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Fraternity Death Reviewed

Peter Dung Nguyen. photo courtesy of Nguyen family.

By Associated Press

Seattle police have reopened their investigation into the death of a University of Washington student last month.

Peter Nguyen, 19, was found in his fraternity’s basement workout room June 5 with a weight machine cable around his neck. Authorities ruled it a suicide, but Nguyen’s family disagrees, saying he did not leave a suicide note and showed no signs of depression.

The family also doubts whether Nguyen, who was 5-foot-8 and 150 pounds, was strong enough to pull down the 200 pounds locked in the weight machine and wrap the cable around his neck.

At the urging of some in the city’s Asian American community, Mayor Paul Schell has asked the police department to take another look into the death.

Schell also told his staff to look at any cultural issues that may have hindered communication between investigators and Nguyen’s family following the death.

The King County Medical Examiner’s office ruled the death a suicide, saying the body bore no signs of a struggle. Homicide detectives never became involved.

According to official reports, Nguyen had completed a final exam and returned to the Zeta Psi fraternity house just north of the University.

Fellow fraternity members reported seeing him around the house as late as 1 p.m., according to a police report. His body was found at 9:30 p.m.

Nguyen’s family has criticized the investigation, saying it should have been treated like a homicide.

The Asian Pacific Islander Coalition of King County sent Schell a letter July 20 saying it was outraged by the quality of the investigation.

“The family has tried repeatedly to get the police to respond to their concerns that Peter’s death must be investigated as a homicide rather than a suicide,” Chairwoman Diane Narasaki wrote.

“The police officer who is handling the case tells them that they will not do anything unless the family has enough evidence or the results of the autopsy prove that his death was not a suicide.”

The family has hired a private investigator who said that blood found in Nguyen’s mouth may have come from cuts inside his upper lip, which could be the sign of a struggle. Nguyen wore braces.

The reopened investigation seems to face several obstacles, not the least of which is that the weight machine is gone. With police permission, the fraternity threw it out the week after the death.

“The guys in the house didn’t want it around any more, and they asked me if I could get rid of it,” Zeta Psi alumni president John Sheppard told /. “I contacted the Seattle Police Department, and they said the case was closed and we could dispose of it.”

The case is the second UW fraternity suicide in the news recently. Earlier this month, John LaDuca’s parents filed a wrongful death lawsuit against the Delta Kappa Epsilon fraternity. They contend that hazing during fraternity initiation drove him to kill himself in January 1998.