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BOWLING GREEN, Ohio (WCMH) — A Wood County jury has reached a verdict in the criminal trial for two central Ohio men accused in the 2021 hazing death of former Bowling Green University student Stone Foltz.

Troy Henricksen, 24, of Grove City, is the former president of BGSU’s Pi Kappa Alpha fraternity. He faced the following charges:

Jacob Krinn, 21, of Delaware, Ohio, faced the following charges:

Foltz was a sophomore at BGSU when he died on March 7, 2021 of fatal alcohol intoxication following an initiation event with the Pi Kappa Alpha fraternity, otherwise known as PIKE, where he reportedly drank one liter of bourbon. The fraternity was suspended and charged by BGSU with six violations of the Code of Student Conduct.

In total, eight men face criminal charges related to Foltz’s death. All of them pleaded not guilty originally, but five — not including Krinn or Henricksen — later changed their pleas to guilty on some of the charges.

According to Rex Elliott, an attorney representing Foltz’s family, the 20-year-old was blindfolded on March 4 and led into a basement for something called a “Big-Little” drinking ritual. Foltz was allegedly told to drink a bottle of alcohol before he was able to go home. Around 10:30 p.m., members of the fraternity dropped him off at his apartment, and at 11 p.m. Foltz’s roommate found him unresponsive and called 911.

Foltz was rushed to the hospital — first the Wood County Hospital and later the Toledo Hospital — and was put on life support. His family kept him alive for four days so that he could donate his organs, Elliott said.

Foltz’s parents, Shari and Cory Foltz, released a statement after the jury announced its verdict:

“As we sat in the courtroom day after day listening to excruciating testimony about Stone’s final moments, we grieved. Not just for the senseless death of our beloved eldest son, but for the lives of the young men who are now being held accountable for their reckless and self-serving actions. It didn’t have to be this way, and make no mistake, it will happen again until Greek organizations and the universities that support them end hazing for good. We loved Stone deeply, and we lost him so young. We needed to hear the details and the truth about what happened to him that night, and we are grateful for the team that worked tirelessly to prosecute this case and the jury for their time and attention. While the trial is concluded, our commitment to Stone lives on. We will not rest until hazing is eradicated on all university campuses.”

Sam Shamansky, Krinn’s defense attorney, said he and his client are “overjoyed” that a jury found him and his fraternity brother Henricksen not guilty of involuntary manslaughter and reckless homicide.

The prosecutor’s office, Shamansky said, tried to “screw this kid (Krinn) every which way” to no avail.

“Our client for the last year and several months has been facing two counts of involuntary, manslaughter or one of which was a felony of the first degree and reckless homicide and felonious assaults and to be acquitted of all those counts and convicted of three misdemeanors is the greatest relief of his life,” Shamansky said.

Six other fraternity members pleaded guilty to several counts and will be sentenced on June 13:

Elliott and Sean Alto, another attorney representing Foltz’s family, said the verdict sent a “clear message; hazing is a crime and those who partake in it will be held accountable.”

The two attorneys said the fraternity members involved in the case “mirrored learned behaviors that should have been stopped years ago.”

“Until people in power step up and end hazing or good, more wonderful families will be in the same position as the Foltz family—forced to sit in a courtroom replaying the excruciating last moments of their son’s completely unnecessary and senseless death,” Elliott and Alto wrote in an email.

Alex Solis, Deputy Chief of Staff at BGSU, also released a statement on behalf on the university.

“Of course, today’s jury verdict does not heal the heartbreak of Stone’s tragic death. BGSU will continue our work to honor him, focusing on our zero tolerance anti-hazing policy, hazing prevention education, and fostering a strong community of care and accountability for each of our current and future students and their families.”

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