Laughing Gas Trial Set for Oct. 15

MIT senior Susan Mosher and Rene Ruiz, a recent graduate, have pled not guilty to several charges relating to the death of MIT junior Richard A. Guy III. Guy died on Aug. 31.

Mosher and Ruiz were arraigned Sept. 10, charged with four counts of possession with intent to distribute psilocybin, amphetamines, marijuana and nitrous oxide. The two will appear in court on Oct. 15.

Guy, a physics major, died as a result of asphyxiation from inhalation of nitrous oxide. His funeral was held Wednesday.

"My brief earlier acquaintance with him makes this tragedy painfully real," said MIT president Charles M. Vest shortly after Guy's death. "And it is a grim reminder of so many other needless deaths throughout the country, every year, of young people how foolishly involve themselves with drugs."

The investigation is ongoing, according to officials in the MIT police department.

Guy's death has raised questions about MIT's ability to find and help students dealing with drug and alcohol issues. In the wake of Guy's death, many have recalled the alcohol-related death of first-year Scott M. Krueger in the fall of 1997.

"MIT's Campus Police Department has worked intensely to investigate matters surrounding this tragic incident," Vest said. "We have taken similar actions in the past, and I can assure you that if needed, we will take them in the future."

Though the investigation is not complete, Vest said MIT police have uncovered information regarding illegal drug use on campus.

"The MIT police department Investigations Unit has been investigating the circumstances surrounding the death of Mr. Guy," said MIT Police Chief Anne Glavin. "As a result of our investigation, we have been able to shed light on illegal drug use that existed within the living group at East Campus and quite likely beyond."

Howard Yuh, a graduate resident tutor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, found Guy's body amid a large stash of illegal drugs, including marijuana, mushrooms and amphetamines.