Among the Bros: A Fraternity Crime Story

Nonfiction | Book | Adult | Published in 2023

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Chapter Summaries & Analyses

Chapters 1-4

Chapters 5-8

Chapters 9-12

Chapters 13-16

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Background

Social Context: The Murder and the Drug Bust

Content Warning: This section includes discussions of anti-Black racism, drug addiction, murder, and violent hazing rituals.

Among the Bros describes two real and connected criminal cases that unfolded in Charleston, North Carolina. The book’s primary focus is a drug bust during which nine suspects were arrested and charged with various offenses, including trafficking and possession with intent to distribute marijuana, cocaine, and Xanax. The nine suspects were Christopher Sliker (22), Jake Poeschek (21), Daniel Katko (25), Jonathan Reams (19), Benjamin Nauss (23), Zackery Kligman (24), Samantha Hincks, Robert Liljeberg (22), and Michael Schmidt (21). Hincks, Poeschek’s girlfriend, had her charges dropped a year after the initial arrest.

Marshall, when listing the suspects, names Russell Sliker instead of Christopher. Sliker’s full name was Christopher Russell Sliker; he went by his middle name, and he died of complications from a respiratory virus in 2018. Police seized over $150,000 in pills and firearms, though Marshall notes that the true value of the pills was most likely in the millions. The quantity of Xanax seized in the bust was deliberately obscured by police.

Patrick Moffly (1992-2016) was born in Charleston, South Carolina. He, like so many young people in the area, lived with a benzodiazepine misuse disorder for several years. He was also part of Zackery Kligman’s broader circle of dealers. Marshall focuses relatively little on Moffly’s death. What is known is that on March 4th, 2016, someone shot Moffly in the chest in his Charleston home, and he died surrounded by thousands of Xanax pills. Charles Mungin, a young Black man who had been texting with Moffly about Xanax deals, was convicted of the murder through circumstantial evidence and was sentenced to life in prison plus 30 years for armed robbery. He was 24 years old at the time of sentencing and 21 at the time of the murder.

Though he does not discount the circumstantial evidence linking Mungin to the crime, Marshall does note that Mungin’s lawyer provided no witnesses of his own and did very little cross-examination of witnesses. Marshall also notes the Privilege and Institutionalized Racism in the American criminal justice system that provided such a harsh punishment for Mungin while allowing almost all of the young men involved in the drug ring to avoid jail time altogether.

Cultural Context: Fraternity Culture at the College of Charleston

The College of Charleston is one of the oldest universities in the United States. For most of its history, it has hosted fraternities that sometimes function like secret societies. GreekRank.com currently lists 18 fraternities at C of C, though seven are listed as “inactive.”

These fraternities are ostensibly a way for young men to live, learn, and grow together while upholding particular standards of masculinity. In practice, fraternities are often built on various forms of privilege and violence. It is common for fraternities, especially notable ones like SAE, to accept only new members who come from wealthy families. Many fraternities have unofficial rules (formerly official) stating that only white boys can join. New members are subjected to intense and dangerous hazing rituals that have resulted in deaths at fraternities across the United States. C of C also has a number of sororities that have their own exclusive standards and hazing rituals. However, far fewer people die in sorority rituals than fraternity rituals.

C of C is known for having an intensive party culture with a wealthy student population. One of the students Marshall interviews for Among the Bros estimates that 80% of the young people in town were using Xanax recreationally in the 2010s. Fraternities would throw parties almost every day of the week, both for fun and to reinforce their social standing. All of these factors combined meant that new students at C of C were very likely to join a fraternity, experience forced binge drinking and drug use during hazing, and emerge into a culture where substance use was the norm. Among the Bros suggests that wealthy young white men in these fraternities could deal drugs like Xanax with relatively little risk, knowing that expensive lawyers could help them avoid charges. The drug ring that this book explores developed because of this perfect storm of factors.