Fairfax County Police Department
A George Mason University student, Alejandro Porrata, 19, has been charged with distributing the LSD that a fellow student took before plunging to his death.
Tristan Tanner Medina, 19, died in September 2017, after crashing through the window of his dorm and falling five floors.
Porrata was indicted in January by a grand jury after Medina’s death, according to the Fairfax County Commonwealth’s Attorney.
Both Medina and Porrata were members of the fraternity Sigma Alpha Epsilon, which has been temporarily suspended from GMU following a university investigation around Medina’s death.
The death investigation opened a university probe into an alleged cheating scandal after stolen exams were found on Medina’s computer. Through search warrants, investigators have learned of communication between SAE members about “test banks”.
WUSA9 reports that the warrant shows record of one member allegedly writing to another, “Yo, (name) how can I get one of the tests from our test bank?”
GMU spokesman Sandler sent the following statement to WUSA9 on Wednesday:
“In September, police opened a criminal investigation into the death of a student on campus. During the course of that investigation, police discovered a test bank, which included images of university exams that people could access.
The issue of the test bank was referred to the Office of Student Conduct to look into the misuse of university documents. No criminal charges have been brought.
Student Conduct began an administrative process that can result in disciplinary action. The university cannot discuss the identity of students involved or any potential disciplinary action against the individuals, as they are considered educational records and are protected under FERPA. The fraternity was suspended on an interim basis pending the outcome of a disciplinary hearing. That process is still underway and final disciplinary action may follow.”
