Coroner: Alcohol Killed Clemson Student

By SEANNA ADCOX
Associated Press Writer

COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) - A Clemson University freshman found dead in the basement of an off-campus fraternity house died of alcohol poisoning, a coroner said Monday.

Benjamin Garrison Sprague, 18, was intoxicated when he arrived at the Sigma Nu party at 7 p.m. Saturday, Oconee County Coroner Karl Addis said. Sprague had a blood-alcohol level of at least .38 when he died _ almost five times the legal limit of 0.08, Addis said.

Sprague was found dead Sunday morning. A friend saw Sprague snoring on a futon in the basement about 2 a.m., and his body shut down sometime after that, the coroner said.

"We are devastated by our son's death, yet remain focused on our son's life," his family said in a statement Monday. "The circumstances of his passing should not overshadow the magnitude of his blessings."

The school's Sigma Nu chapter was placed on interim suspension by the university and the national fraternity pending investigations.

(Copyright 2007 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)