LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — It's been nine months since the tragic death of UNLV student Nathan Valencia.
NATHAN VALENCIA: Full coverage of fraternity fundraiser 'fight night' that led to UNLV student's death
The 20-year-old passed away several days after suffering a head injury in an off-campus charity boxing match.
On Tuesday, we may finally get some answers about what went wrong at that fraternity-sponsored event when the Nevada Athletic Commission gets the final report from the Attorney General's investigation.
Although Valencia's death was ruled a homicide—meaning he was killed by another person—Las Vegas Metropolitan Police determined the circumstances were not criminal and no charges were filed.
But the Nevada Attorney General has been conducting its own inquiry into Kappa Sigma Fight Night.
And so has 13 Investigates.
Through a public records request, 13 Investigates obtained nearly 800 pages from UNLV that give an inside look at the university's response to the death of 20-year-old Nathan Valencia.
NATHAN VALENCIA: Full coverage of fraternity fundraiser 'fight night' that led to UNLV student's death
He suffered head injuries in an amateur boxing match that raised money for charity by pitting fraternity members against one another in the ring.
In the days after Valencia's death, records show university leaders were monitoring social media posts and paying particular attention to comments about safety, accountability, potential lawsuits and fines, as well as the futures of the fraternities that were involved, and who else was involved in terms of the referees, medical professionals, and university staff.
In a December letter, an attorney for the Nevada System of Higher Education instructs UNLV to "Preserve any and all possible evidence regarding the "Fight Night" event of November 19, 2021, and the death of UNLV student Nathan Valencia."
The A.G. was particularly interested in "Communications between UNLV officials, employees or students and the Kappa Sigma fraternity or any other fraternity or group that may have been involved with the 2021 or any previous Fight Night event(s)."
Investigators also wanted any communications with the Nevada State Athletic Commission, the NCAA, any national boxing association/commission involving boxing events, the Sahara Events Center--where fight night was held; and any internal communications about it amongst UNLV officials or employees.
As 13 Investigates previously reported, cell phone video from the event shows tragedy that night came with little warning.
"It doesn't appear on the video that there's an indication that Nathan was hurt. It became very clear after the fight when he tried to get up from his stool that there's something wrong," Attorney Sean Claggett said in a December interview.
Claggett represents Emmanuel Aleman, Nathan's opponent in the match.
Claggett shared the full fight video with 13 Investigates.
"You won't watch that fight and be like, oh, there was that one punch that makes sense. It's very hard to understand," Claggett said.
Shortly after the video ends, Nathan collapses. He died four days later at Sunrise Hospital on Nov. 23.
"I don't think either one of them, if they thought they were in danger, were going to get into it," said Claggett.
But in the records 13 Investigates obtained from UNLV, there's a strange email. The sender's last name is redacted.
He references a letter Nathan Valencia's dad received from Kappa Sigma, writing that the letter "Seems to be more of a mystery than anything else."
The email goes on to say, "We are aware of the tragedy that occurred and that the responsibility lies squarely on the Valencia family (more news to come out soon). And the fraternity and the school have no responsibility..."
As we previously reported, both fighters signed Verification of Eligibility forms but there were no pre-fight medical screenings required.
"We don't know what Nathan's health condition was before he got in the ring," Claggett said in December.
Many of the pages UNLV provided to 13 Investigates are partially or fully blacked out, including emails between University Police and Student Affairs, and what appear to be the results of an internal investigation by the Office of Student Conduct.
Kappa Sigma was suspended pending the outcome of the Attorney General's investigation.
The Nevada Athletic Commission has already taken action on its own by expanding its oversight of amateur boxing, requiring fight organizers to have emergency medical personnel on site and requiring trained referees.
And today, a schedule was set for the civil trial. Nathan Valencia's father is suing Kappa Sigma.
NATHAN VALENCIA: Full coverage of fraternity fundraiser 'fight night' that led to UNLV student's death
The case will go before a jury in May of 2024.
This report from the Nevada Attorney General's office made public Monday night will be presented to the Nevada Athletic Commission Tuesday morning.
In the report, the AG's office finds "the fraternity-sponsored event" was wrongfully promoted as a "UNLV event".
According to the report, several of the fighters weren't even enrolled at UNLV. They also found the event wasn't "exempt" from "The Nevada Athletics Commission."
Also, the report comes down on metro's investigation of this event saying the investigation was "premature" and "compromised" any future prosecution.
Metro's investigation was entirely limited to questioning if "The Sahara Event Center" possessed a valid Clark County business license.
