Two former sorority leaders at Pennsylvania State University have pleaded guilty to charges in connection with the bullying death of sophomore Timothy Piazza in 2017.
On February 2, 2017, Brendan Young and Daniel Casey were the president and vice president of Beta Theta Pi when 14 freshmen participated in an alcohol-fueled “obstacle course” to win induction into the fraternity.
The fraternity, which had banned alcohol since being suspended eight years ago, lined up freshmen in the basement and forced them to drink about three shots of vodka from a “handle,” then subjected them to “trials” that included chugging beer, drinking wine from a bag and playing beer pong.
Piazza, 19, was hungry and was one of the pledges who consumed large amounts of alcohol during the night.
After the test, Piazza was seated on a couch and left unsupervised. His blood alcohol content was between .28 and .36. He stumbled around the house before falling down the basement stairs around 11 p.m.
He suffered severe internal injuries from the fall and remained on the floor until someone called 911 at 10:49 the next morning.
The New Jersey native died Feb. 4 after undergoing emergency surgery for a ruptured spleen and Class IV hemorrhagic shock.
Young, 28, and Casey, 27, each pleaded guilty to 14 counts of hazing and one count of endangering, both misdemeanors.
The two men participated in and facilitated the bullying of freshman students, and at the time of the incident Casey was serving as a freshman guidance counselor.
The 14 freshman hazing charges, combined with the reckless endangerment charge linked to Piazza, amounted to one charge per freshman.
“This case should not be discussed without acknowledging the tragic loss of life and the devastation that has resulted from it for Mr. Piazza’s family and friends,” Pennsylvania Attorney General Michelle Henry said.
“Mr. Piazza, like many college students, simply wanted to join a social organization for the benefit of the community and the shared experience. Most of these students go on to have successful lives and careers after college, something that Mr. Piazza never had the opportunity to experience.”
Following Piazza’s death, the university banned the fraternity from campus and canceled all Greek life parties involving alcohol.
Criminal prosecutions in these cases have taken a significant amount of time, mainly due to appeals of pre-trial rulings, the Attorney General added.
State prosecutors appealed the order that prevented them from using cellphone evidence. NBC Philadelphia reported.
Following Piazza’s death, his family was “instrumental” in getting the state legislature to pass the Timothy Piazza Anti-Bullying Act, which would make bullying a felony crime if it results in serious injury or death.
The two former student club leaders are scheduled to be sentenced on October 1st.
