Time Unknown: Timothy Piazza falls down the basement steps. Police and EMTs then arrived at the house. Thankfully the judge quickly brought them in order, Jim Piazza said after court. Confrontations among defense lawyers and Centre County District Attorney Stacy Parks Miller grew increasingly contentious as the day went on, leading District Judge Allen Sinclair to admonish the parties. At one point, a brother comes over to him, Piazza gets up and walks with him, then falls down another set of stairs. Updated. [56], In December 2021, Centre County Judge Brian Marshall ruled that Penn State can take ownership of the Beta Theta Pi house. On May 16, 2017, Mehmet Oz appeared on The Today Show to discuss warning signs of dangerous binge drinking. Piazza, a 19-year-old Penn State University sophomore from Readington and a Hunterdon Central High School graduate, died following a hazing incident at the i fraternity. A Pennsylvania judge handed out the first jail sentences in the hazing death of Penn State University sophomore Timothy Piazza. The fraternity is also charged in the case, according to prosecutors. At around 3:30 am on February 3, 2017, Piazza tried to get up, but once he reached a standing position, fell backward. Peter Sala, who is representing Joe Sala, tells PEOPLE the charges against his client are excessive. As the other defense attorneys noted, Sala says the video shown in court was only a selection of the whole, which would have shown Joe Sala leaving the fraternity house around midnight. They pull out their phones and some make calls. Jim Piazza held his head in his hands and sobbed as prosecutors showed pictures of his son in the hospital. Did you encounter any technical issues? [42], A number of sociologists and psychologists pointed towards the prevalence of groupthink in the Piazza case. [4], The death of Tim Piazza led to the largest criminal indictment against a fraternity and its members in American history. Tim Piazza was shown before his death on a video played by prosecutors on Monday suffering from a fall during an alcohol-fueled Penn State fraternity pledging event as his friends failed to call for help. Throughout the night, Piazza is rolling on the floor, getting up, stumbling back down and slamming into the stairs or furniture, the video shows. [2][3] The initial investigation was led by Centre County District Attorney Stacy Parks Miller and Special Investigator Bruce Castor. Brothers once held a party on their front porch, yelling racial slurs at an African American Penn State student as he walked past the house. That night, according to a grand jury, he participated in the gauntlet, whereby the pledges were made to drink at a fast pace at a series of drinking stations for the purpose of getting pledges drunk in a very short amount of time.. [28] Time magazine published the article "'Those Families Are Changed Forever.' He continued to stand up only to repeatedly fall back down. As a result of the incident, Penn State President Eric Barron permanently banned the fraternity from the university. [13] [6] In addition, the blog was an early proponent of the propaganda film With Open Gates, which attacks multiculturalism and Middle Eastern refugees in Europe, and promotes the conspiracy theory that Jews are bringing the refugees to harm white people. Before emergency assistance arrived, the brothers wiped blood from his face and attempted to dress him in an effort to warm him. Becker was also charged with (and acquitted of) obstructing administration of law and charged with (and convicted of) hindering apprehension. A defense attorney for Joseph Ems Jr., one of the frat brothers charged in the case with reckless endangerment, said his client was one of many people present that night who was unaware of the extent of Piazza's injuries. Pledges that testified confirmed that hazing had become routine behind the closed doors of the fraternity houses with Penn State turning a blind eye and adopting a hands-off approach. The video shows at least three people come upon him. As a pledge of the fraternity, Piazza was put through the gauntlet, in which he moved from station to station drinking alcohol. 37K views 5 years ago This video is meant to raise awareness about the dangers of hazing. All we can do right now is wait til next time and see what else they [prosecutors] present.. [13], In October 2018, Michael Angelo Schiavone pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit furnishing alcohol to minors. In another clip, one fraternity member was seen walking downstairs for a drink of water, stepping over Piazza and looking at him before returning to his room. [40], On August 24, 2021, New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy signed into law S84/2093, requiring public and non-public middle schools and high schools, as well as higher education institutions, to adopt anti-hazing policies and penalties for violations of the policies. "This video should be watched by every president of every university to see what happened at Penn State, and to say to themselves, 'This can never ever happen again.'". After . The grand jury transcript, which was previously obtained by PEOPLE, states, Timothy was lying on his back with his arms clenched tight at his sides and his hands in the air. Civil lawsuit filed by the Piazza family; 25 of 47 defendants settling civilly. But they decided that in the end this was not something that they should do. William J. Brennan, a defense attorney for Joseph Ems Jr., one of the accused, says his client and other fraternity members present that night didnt realize how sick Piazza was. His Chest Was Bare, His Breathing Heavy, Students Family Wants to Prevent Future Deaths, Va. Video showed him then being carried upstairs and placed on a couch, after which fraternity members slapped and poured liquid on his face in an effort to wake him up. As a result of this evidence, the Grand Jury released a scathing 236-page report regarding hazing and excessive alcohol consumption at Penn State fraternities. The Beta Theta Pi fraternity and 18 members face criminal charges following the death of a 19-year-old pledge. Soon emergency services arrived and Piazza was brought to Mount Nittany Medical Center, but was quickly transported to Penn State Milton S. Hershey Medical Center because of the severity of his injuries. He reportedly drank a large amount of alcohol during a hazing ritual that night. Passage of the Timothy J. Piazza Antihazing Law signed by, Daniel Casey (age 19): 201 counts, including involuntary manslaughter; charges reduced to reckless endangerment, hazing, and furnishing alcohol to a minor, Brendan Young (age 21): 200 counts, including involuntary manslaughter; charges reduced to reckless endangerment, hazing, and furnishing alcohol to a minor, Jonah Neuman (age 19): 79 counts, including involuntary manslaughter; charges reduced to reckless endangerment, hazing, and furnishing alcohol to a minor, Lars Kenyon (age 19): 52 counts, including reckless endangerment; charges reduced to furnishing alcohol to a minor, Michelangelo Schiavone (age 21): 52 counts, including reckless endangerment; charges reduced to hazing and furnishing alcohol, Nick Kubera (age 19): more than 50 counts, including involuntary manslaughter; charges reduced to hazing and furnishing alcohol, Ryan Foster (age 21): one count of tampering with evidence, Edward Gilmartin (age 20): one count of tampering with evidence, Joshua Kurczewski (age 19): eight counts; including involuntary manslaughter, hazing, and furnishing alcohol to a minor, Ryan Burke (age 21): eight counts; including involuntary manslaughter, hazing, and furnishing alcohol to a minor; pleaded guilty on June 13, 2018, Jonathan Kanzler (age 19): eight counts; including involuntary manslaughter, hazing, and furnishing alcohol to a minor, Aiden O'Brien: eight counts; including involuntary manslaughter, hazing, and furnishing alcohol to a minor, Brian Gelb: three counts; including hazing, furnishing alcohol to a minor, and unlawful acts relative to liquor, Patrick Jackson: three counts; including hazing, furnishing alcohol to a minor, and unlawful acts relative to liquor, Reggie Goeke: three counts; including hazing, furnishing alcohol to a minor, and unlawful acts relative to liquor, Mike Fernandez: three counts; including hazing, furnishing alcohol to a minor, and unlawful acts relative to liquor, Donald Prior: three counts; including hazing, furnishing alcohol to a minor, and unlawful acts relative to liquor, New Jersey Secretary of Higher Education Dr. Brian Bridges, This page was last edited on 26 March 2023, at 20:52. The footage, as outlined in the grand jury presentment, shows an inebriated Piazza fall down the stairs. A few brothers appear to touch him or shake him, the detective testified the video shows. A pathologist said he had severe head trauma and a ruptured spleen. Eight members of the fraternity face involuntary manslaughter charges in Piazzas February 4 death. A forensic pathologist said Piazza had a blood alcohol content between .26% and .36% at one point during the night. Piazza's fall down the stairs the night of Feb. 2 is not seen on video, but after the fall, four fraternity members were seen carrying him upstairs, and a large bruise was visible on his body, which prosecutors say was a spleen injury. Old Main on the Penn State main campus in State College, Pa., Oct. 28, 2015. Timothy Piazza, who grew up in Readington Township in Hunterdon County, died on Feb. 4, 2017, in a hospital after falling at a Penn State fraternity house on Feb. 2. Copyright 2023 CBS Interactive Inc. All rights reserved. Holy shit. Another captures Piazza on his phone as he rolls around. Please enter valid email address to continue. [41], With Timothy J. Piazza's Law in effect, hazing in New Jersey is upgraded from a fourth-degree crime to a third-degree crime when it results in death or serious bodily injury; and hazing in New Jersey is upgraded from a disorderly persons offense to a fourth-degree crime if it results in bodily injury. Sixteen members of Penn State's Beta Theta Pi chapter are facing multiple charges in the death of Timothy Piazza, a 19-year-old sophomore who died during an alcohol-fueled hazing ritual. He is then carried up, while unconscious, by a group of frat brothers who then proceed to. ", Penn State President Eric Barron said, "There are other measures being discussed and will be instituted over time -- all with a focus on prevention, monitoring and enforcement. The same brother appears to hit Piazza in the abdomen area, the detective testified, which his defense attorney contested in court. The pledges were threatened if they told anyone of the activities, there would be consequences. [8] Throughout the renovation process, fraternity brothers smashed holes in the walls with baseball bats, leading Abbey to predict future damage to the property. Burke admitted his role in the hazing of Piazza, which included being present for and actively encouraging a gauntlet of drinking games and an obstacle course involving Piazza and other pledges. Personal Injury Practice", "Dr. Oz jumps the gun, declares himself 'presumptive' GOP Senate nominee", "Penn State frat boys in court for hazing death - Crime Stories with Nancy Grace", "How a Fatal Frat Hazing Became Penn State's Latest Campus Crisis", "18 Penn State Students Charged in Fraternity Death", "Prosecutors Taking Tougher Stance in Fraternity Hazing Deaths", "Penn State Student's Dying Hours Play Out in Courtroom Video", "Penn State is still keeping secrets on frat row", "Robert Greenblatt to Develop 'Death at Penn State' Limited Series at Hulu", Penn State ex-frat brother makes first guilty plea in hazing death of 19-year-old pledge, "Ex-Penn State Fraternity Member Sentenced to House Arrest in Hazing Death", "[Document] Full Grand Jury Report In Penn State Greek Life Investigation", Tim Piazza anti-hazing law unanimously approved by Pa. Senate committee, Pennsylvania Senate passes anti-hazing law, "Office of the Governor | Governor Murphy Signs "Timothy J. Piazza's Law", "Case Study: Antihazing Legislation in Pennsylvania", "What's Different About Recent Hazing Deaths", "Penn State Hazing Allegations: Hollow or a Sign of History Repeating Itself? For the first time, the public may see surveillance video showing what happened inside a Penn State fraternity house before a student died. The Piazza family is planning on filing a lawsuit against the fraternity members and the university. Piazza family attorney Tom Kline told ABC News today, "The video is horrific, it is gruesome, it is something that you couldnt imagine until youve seen it.". Special Investigator Bruce Castor was put through the gauntlet, in which he from... At least three PEOPLE come upon him Main on the Penn State university sophomore Timothy.... Of 47 defendants settling civilly Stacy Parks Miller and Special Investigator Bruce Castor Attorney Parks... 16, 2017, Mehmet Oz appeared on the Today Show to discuss warning signs of dangerous binge.! 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