Five Texas college students are being prosecuted after the 2019 death of a Texas Christian University freshman.
Jack Elliott fell off the bow of a 22-foot boat on a Texas lake in October 2019, but the circumstances under which he ended up in the water are being kept secret, according to History to cover up the truth from authorities.
Jack, who was 19 at the time of the tragedy, was one of 12 university teenagers who enjoyed an afternoon of drinking and wakeboarding.
Almost the entire group had been enjoying vodka and beer on the open waters of Lake Travis, an artificial lake northwest of Austin.
Jack Elliott, 19, a Texas Christian University freshman, fell off a boat on a lake near Austin in October 2019, but the real story that led to his death has only just come to light
Jack had been partying and drinking on the water with 11 other teenagers when it appeared he had been pushed into the lake by another student. He was hit by the boat’s propeller and died
The boating expedition was led by Carson Neel, whose father Billy ran Northshore Marina.
Carson told everyone where the life jackets were stowed but gave no further safety instructions to his friends, according to OC Register.
The group spent their sunny fall afternoon drinking and dancing on the boat’s deck while occasionally dipping into the water for a swim or wakeboarding.
When the boat ran out of beer, they sailed back to the marina for another case before venturing out on the water again.
But about an hour and a half after sunset, the boat was shaking as if it seemed to be rumbling over something. Jack, meanwhile, was nowhere to be found on board.
Carson reversed the boat and headed for the spot where he thought Jack might have gone overboard.
The boating expedition was led by Carson Neel, whose father Billy ran Northshore Marina
In the panic, those on board shone their cell phone lights into the water in desperate hopes of finding Jack.
“A lot of people were freaking out and crying and not communicating well,” Carson said in an affidavit filed with the OC Registry. “I tried to stay as calm as possible because I knew it was serious and freaking out would make it worse.”
Carson dove into the lake and checked the boat’s propeller while searching for Jack.
Five minutes later, without a trace of him, the group decided to return to shore.
After Jack’s disappearance, “the teenagers hatched a plan to hide the truth from authorities and even from Jack’s family in Newport Beach,” reports the Orange County Register, after reviewing police files.
On the way back to the marina, the remaining alcohol was immediately dumped overboard, according to a Texas Parks and Wildlife report.
According to her affidavit, Elle Weber was behind the wheel of the boat that day. She had told Jack’s parents that no one had a clear idea of how they had gone overboard
Elle later wrote in an affidavit that she was in fact the only eyewitness to see another girl push Jack into the lake
While Carson and another girl, Elle Weber, were behind the controls on the boat that day, the group persuaded fellow student Anthony Salazar, who hadn’t been drinking because he was uncomfortable, to say he’d been behind the wheel Time of the accident as reported by the OC register.
Jack’s body was not recovered for another 10 days and was found more than 100 feet below the surface.
Throughout the trial, the teens invoked their Fifth Amendment right not to incriminate themselves, but rumors abounded and the story slowly but surely emerged.
When the group returned to shore, investigators from the Travis County Sheriff’s Office interviewed the teens separately, though their stories did not match.
Jack’s parents, Amy and Brett Elliott, were given a number of scenarios as to what might have happened to their son.
One story has it that Jack did a backflip off the boat and into the water. Another claimed Jack fell in while throwing up over the side of the ship.
Two days later, some of the group gathered in a hotel room in Fort Worth, near Dallas, where the teens called Jack’s parents, who were grieving at home in California.
Elle did most of the talking, according to the OC Register. She said the group regrets the death of her son and “all the stories you’ve heard.”
Texas Parks and Wildlife wrote in a report that Jack Elliott was pushed by Delaney Brennan
Panic broke out after the accident when Delaney said, “He fell! I didn’t want to push him!’
She conceded that no one had a clear idea of how Jack went overboard.
“We don’t know how Jack fell out of the boat. We don’t know if Jack got up to change position and lost his balance in the process, or if he straightened his hair, we don’t know what he did.
“Those are the most honest answers we can give you right now,” Elle said.
Shortly after the call, Jack’s parents were contacted by a father of one of the teenagers, who was also in the room at the time of the call.
He told them how he had heard that Jack hadn’t just fallen off the boat, he had been pushed.
“My heart is broken into a million pieces,” Brett wrote on Jack’s Facebook memorial. “But with each month that passes, you give me more and more strength to keep going and fighting for TRUTH and RESPONSIBILITY. I will not stop. You deserve it.’
The Elliott family filed a wrongful death lawsuit against Carson, Delaney and Elle in January 2020, hoping it could force them to testify and reveal the true events that led to their son’s death. The lawsuit was settled privately and confidentially
Two months later, in December 2019, Ben Echelson, a ranger with Texas Parks and Wildlife, filed a report detailing what she believes really happened.
“Jack Elliott was pushed off the front of a wakeboard boat by Delaney Brennan…operated by Elle Weber under the supervision of Carson Neel.
“Jack Elliott was hit several times by the propeller and killed… the alcohol on board was thrown overboard,” Echelson wrote.
“The officers who responded to the accident were given false statements about what happened before the advance and how Jack Elliott fell in the water.”
The Elliott family filed a wrongful death lawsuit against Carson, Delaney and Elle in January 2020, hoping it could force them to testify and reveal the true events that led to their son’s death.
A few details emerged, with the only witness being Elle, who had seen Jack sitting on the rail at the front of the boat.
“Delaney and Jack were in the front of the boat, flirting and kissing. She gave Jack a ‘playful little nudge’ and he fell off the boat,” Elle said in a affidavit.
“I was scared and shocked by what happened. I wish it hadn’t happened and I wish I had told the police everything the first time,” she added.
She recalled panic erupting after the accident when Delaney said, “He fell! I didn’t want to push him!’
In her own statement, Delaney revealed how she tattooed Jack’s initials on her wrist.
“I did it because I always wanted something to remember him with. Looking down made me want to remember how much he loved life and it kind of reminded me to always live my life to the fullest and do everything in life to basically live up to what he would have done.
Posting on social media, she wrote: “I’m still confused and my parents are here with me now but we still don’t know much. I just feel guilty… and I don’t think I’ve ever been that sad. I was the last person to touch him.’
The Elliott family filed a wrongful death lawsuit against Carson, Delaney and Elle in January 2020, hoping it could force them to testify and reveal the true events that led to their son’s death. Jack is pictured with his father, Brett
The lawsuit was settled privately, but late last year a Travis County grand jury ruled that those involved had a criminal case to answer — specifically regarding an alleged cover-up.
Delaney Brennan has since been charged with a felony charge of tampering with evidence by helping to delete a cell phone video.
Carson Neel has been charged with a felony count of tampering with physical evidence for allegedly throwing the alcohol overboard.
The couple faces up to 10 years in prison and a $10,000 fine.
Elle Weber has been charged with a misdemeanor for providing false information to a police officer.
Another teenager on board the boat, Aliso Viejo’s Joshua Evans, has been charged with a misdemeanor for supplying alcohol to a minor.
Anthony Salazar was charged with perjury.
One of the fathers who attended the meeting days after the accident had some advice for the youngsters: “If you don’t tell the truth…it comes back to bite your ass.”