Two former Penn State students who organized the hazing that killed New Jersey freshman Timothy Piazza have pleaded guilty to 15 counts of hazing and reckless endangerment.
Beta Theta Pi president Brendan Young, 28, and vice-president Daniel Casey, 27, were in charge of the frat when it staged the drinking ‘obstacle course’ that left Piazza, 19, dead from traumatic brain injury in February 2017.
The young engineering student drank 18 drinks in less than 90 minutes and was knocked unconscious after falling 15-feet down a flight of stairs, but it was more than 12 hours before the alarm was raised.
More than 1,000 counts have been brought against 18 members in the largest criminal indictment against a fraternity and its members in US history.
‘There should be no discussion of this case without recognizing the tragic loss of life and resulting devastation for Mr Piazza’s family and friends,’ Pennsylvania Attorney General Michelle Henry said.
Timothy Piazza, 19, consumed 18 drinks in less than 90 minutes before he collapsed and fell down a flight of stairs during a Beta Theta Pi hazing event at Penn State in February 2017
Beta Theta Pi president Brendan Young pleaded guilty to 14 counts of hazing and a single count of reckless endangerment
Young and his vice-president Daniel Casey, pictured, were originally indicted on more than 200 counts each, including involuntary manslaughter
Fourteen pledges were brought to the frat house on February 2 where they were ordered to drink repeated shots of vodka before running a ‘gauntlet’ while drinking beer, wine, and playing beer pong.
Video played in court showed that Piazza collapsed just before 11.30pm but no-one came to his assistance.
He was then seen repeatedly collapsing as he attempted to crawl, rolled around the floor, vomited in his sleep and went in-and-out of consciousness over the course of the next eight hours.
As the hours passed he was body slammed into a couch by one frat member, had a beer or multiple beers dumped on him by another and later lay comatose while one young man threw his shoes at the visibly inebriated college student.
Some frat members had already left for class by the time Piazza was carried to a couch a little after 10am, but it was another 45 minutes before 911 was called.
Three frat members have been sentenced to between 30 days and nine months in prison in April 2019 for their roles in the death.
Joshua Kurczewski, 20, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit hazing, hazing and furnishing liquor to a minor. He was sentenced to between three to nine months.
Prosecutors said he set up the beer pong station, carried beer into the frat house and gave beer to at least 10 pledges, including Piazza. He was also at the bottom of the stairs when Piazza fell into the basement.
A total of 28 members of the now-shuttered Beta Theta Pi house (above) at Penn State faced charges at one point after Piazza died in February 2017 during the fraternity’s pledge bid acceptance night
Parents Evelyn Piazza, left, and Jim Piazza, right, have spoken to thousands of students at college campuses across the country in a bid to end hazing
Michael Bonatucci, 21, who pleaded guilty to three counts of hazing and one count of conspiracy to commit hazing, ran the beer shotgun station. He was sentenced to between 30 days and six months.
Luke Visser, 21, pleaded guilty to six counts of hazing and one count of conspiracy to commit hazing. Prosecutors say he took photos of the victim when he was unconscious on the couch. He was sentenced to between two to six months.
A fraternity brother who was present following that first fall revealed in an interview that he was thrown against a wall when he tried to help Piazza, a claim that is supported by footage shown in court.
Kordel Davis could be seen making animated gestures after seeing Piazza lying on the couch, at which point he is slammed into a wall by another member of the fraternity.
Another fraternity member watched him vomit on a couch in his sleep and texted a few friends about the incident, but did not call for medical assistance or alert authorities.
And a number of members tried to conceal what happened that night, with one text message recovered by police urging pledges to get rid of evidence of alcohol.
The case scandalized America and prompted the Timothy Piazza Antihazing Law which introduced felony offenses for serious injuries or deaths caused by hazing, and has been signed into law by the governors of Pennsylvania and New Jersey.
Piazza’s parents, Jim and Evelyn, have spoken to thousands of students at college campuses across the country in a bid to end hazing, and Penn State permanently banned Beta Theta Pi shortly after their son’s death, accusing it of a ‘persistent pattern’ of excessive drinking, drug use and hazing.
Michael Bonatucci, 21 and Luke Visser, 21, were two of three ex-Penn State fraternity brothers who were sentenced in relation to Piazza’s death
In October 2018, Michael Angelo Schiavone pleaded guilty to a charge of conspiracy to commit furnishing alcohol to minors after it emerged that he ran the frat’s ‘slush fund’ that paid for the drinks,’ and dozens more cases are still making their way through the courts.
Detective David Scicchitano of the State College Police Department said Piazza had a blood-alcohol content of nearly 0.40 per cent, five times the legal limit for drivers when he was found.
The 19-year-old died on February 4 after he was rushed into surgery with a ruptured spleen and Class IV hemorrhagic shock.
‘Mr Piazza was simply seeking to join a social organization for the benefits of community and shared experiences, as so many university students do,’ Henry said.
‘Most of those students go on to successful lives and careers – basic expectations following college which Mr Piazza never had the opportunity to experience.’
Young and Casey will be sentenced on October 1.
