ONALASKA, Wash. --- The family of an Onalaska teen who died in a drinking game said they are angry at the man accused of supplying alcohol to the boy and that his friends wrote in permanent marker on his body while he lay dying. The mother of 15-year-old Nick Barnes said she had no idea that when she sent her son to a birthday party, an adult at that party would furnish alcohol and do nothing while the teens played a deadly game. "(It's) very devastating, very devastating. My life is gone. Nicholas was my world, and I'll never have him back again," Rachel Smith told KIRO 7 Eyewitness News reporter Richard Thompson. Prosecutors said James Taylor supplied alcohol to Barnes and other teens at a party last year. Barnes and another teen at the party played a game called "a shot for a shot," prosecutors said. They drank at least 11 shots of vodka, then Barnes started drinking from the bottle. When he passed out and lay on the ground, dying of alcohol poisoning, his friends stripped off his clothes and wrote on his body with a permanent marker. "We had to bury Nick with black marker all over his body, people's names written on his behind. 'I love you Nick' (was) written on his chest," Smith said. Taylor pleaded not guilty on Thursday to charges of supplying the alcohol, failing to call for help and manslaughter in connection with Barnes' death. Barnes' family said Taylor needs to be held accountable. They said they hope nobody else ever plays the deadly drinking game that ended their son's life. "This is a very stupid, stupid game -- horrible," said Smith Barnes' parents said they were also devastated because they wanted to donate his organs after his death but because of the ongoing criminal investigation and the permanent marker on Barnes' skin, organ donation was not possible. Source
Underage drinking. But can't blame Taylor. Barnes had a choice to drink or not. Peer pressure or not.
^ Again. Peer Pressure. Breaking a law to keep a friend? I might have to think twice on that, or even trice.
Shame, poor bloke who supplied the alcohol. Not like underage drinking is uncommon now, it's just the boys got too out of hand and how was Taylor suppose to have known say if he wasn't part of the party? Yet it gives alcohol a bad name because of these irresponsible kids
forget about the underage drinking, who's at fault, etc who goes and "bury his friend in permanent marker" when they realize he's dead? that's just creepy. or I guess they were too drunk out of their minds some blame of this has to return to the parents...they should be aware of what type of friends their sons are around, but I guess at 15 they pretty much don't tell you much. sad story nonetheless
at above: the friends didn't bury the kid, I bet they didn't even know that nick was gonna die. It's a pretty common prank to write over a drunk sleeping friend's face or body. I've had it done once to me and I've done it plenty of times to other people. Smith is the mother. Honestly I dont really think that that guy who supplied the alcohol is at fault because it is the kids' lack of common sense that led to the death. manslaughter will not be charged in this case and at most he will only recieve punishment for supplying alcohol to a minor.
"We had to bury Nick with black marker all over his body, people's names written on his behind. 'I love you Nick' (was) written on his chest," Smith said. what are you serious? it's sad.. but seems kinda shady, why didn't they scrub the ink off of him??
