Two plea no contest in death of Cal Poly student

Posted: Jul 8, 2010 6:11 PM by Nancy Chen

Russell Taylor and Adam Marszal, the two remaining defendants involved in the death of a Cal Poly freshman two years ago, plead no contest to misdemeanor hazing Thursday.

18-year-old Carson Starkey died in 2008 after drinking too much alcohol.

Prosecutors say it happened at a fraternity pledge event.

Scott and Julia Starkey, Carson Starkey's parents, addressed both Marszal and Taylor in court.

"Your decisions, actions and failures let my son down," Scott Starkey said. "You each took part in his death."

As part of the plea agreement, both were ordered to report for thirty days in jail on September 17th.

They'll be placed on misdemeanor probation for three years and have to pay restitution; the amount is yet to be determined.

The two will also either serve forty hours of community service or give two presentations to students on the dangers of hazing by July 8, 2011, and they must waive their right to appeal.

"I wish from the bottom of my hear that I could reverse what happened and I could undo all the anguish that's been caused by all this," Marszal told the parents in court.

Marszal's and Taylor's original second misdemeanor of providing alcohol to a minor was dropped.

"With the convictions today, your actions have been judged to be a crime that extinguished a bright star whom you sought to be your 'brother,'" Julia Starkey said.

The other two defendants in the case, Zachary Ellis and Haithem Ibrahim, accepted a plea deal last month.

They pleaded no contest to felony charges of hazing; Ellis will serve 120 days in jail and Ibrahim will serve 45 days.