Daniel “Danny” Santulli was blindfolded, shirtless and forced to drink from a bottle of vodka that was taped to his hand at a sorority pledge event on October 19, 2021. The incident left Santulli, a freshman at the University of Missouri, blind and unable to walk or talk.
The case of the then 19-year-old, who suffered brain damage as a result of severe alcohol intoxication, is the subject of A&E’s new true crime documentary series “Houses of Horror: Secrets of College Greek Life.”
The show takes an in-depth look at how Greek organizations can have “dangerous, sometimes deadly, far-reaching consequences” and features interviews with former fraternity and sorority members, their families, law enforcement officials and other experts.
The Santulli family has come forward to bring public attention to their son and the peer pressure he allegedly endured leading up to his life-changing injuries.
“He was extremely sleep-deprived prior to this incident,” Santulli’s mother, Mary Pat Santulli, told Fox News Digital.[The fraternity was] His account was empty… He was so exhausted… At that point, I talked to him and said, ‘Danny, you don’t have to go through this. You can quit. Do what’s best for you.'”
“He… kept quiet about it,” the patriarch recalled, “and then two days later this happened… I couldn’t believe what happened that night.”
According to the episode, Santulli broke down in tears to his sister, Meredith, because he was struggling with recruitment into his sorority, Phi Gamma Delta, and his grades were dropping.
He was previously hospitalized after being told by older members to climb into a trash can full of broken glass.
At the time of the family-shaking incident, Santulli was taking part in a ceremony known as the “Night of the Vowed Fathers”, where, according to the show, he was forced to drink hard alcohol and then beer.
Just before 11 p.m., security camera footage shows an intoxicated Santulli lose his balance and fall backwards, after fraternity members then carry him to a nearby couch, where at one point his head hit the tile floor.
Santulli’s limp body fell off the couch at 12:30 a.m. and wasn’t replaced until he was carried outside 15 minutes later. Video footage shows fraternity members dropping him as they carried him to the front door, after which he was taken to the hospital in a car driven by a fraternity member.
Santulli was found in his car in cardiac arrest and not breathing, and authorities said his blood alcohol content was 0.486 percent, six times the legal limit.
Santulli’s father, Tom Santulli, told Fox News Digital it was important for his daughter to see the harrowing footage herself.
“People say, ‘Do you really want to see it?’ Yes, I want to see what happened to my son,” Tom explained. “I want to see the abuse. I want to see exactly what happened. And it was shocking, yes. But I said, ‘I don’t want to see it.’ [I saw it]”
“Right now we are focused. Right now we are on a mission and we are going to hold people accountable for what happened that night,” the patriarch added.
Santulli spent six weeks in intensive care at the University of Missouri Hospital before being transferred to a rehabilitation hospital in Colorado. Doctors say he will require lifelong medical treatment as a result of the incident. Santulli is the alleged victim of “the worst fraternity bullying injury in the history of the United States,” his family’s lawyer said.
“I think Danny is alive…because other kids weren’t as lucky when the bullying incident happened,” Tom said, “…there’s a reason he’s alive.”
“This is reality, [this] It’s happening [to other students]”As long as fraternities and sororities exist, this is going to continue. People need to be educated. People need to talk to their kids. They need to let their kids know what’s going on,” Mary Pat agreed. [Parents] An investigation needs to be conducted to determine if any of these sororities or fraternities have had any prior violations and what their records are.”
David Bianchi, an attorney who specializes in bullying lawsuits and is representing the Santulli family, said the student’s injury was not an isolated incident.
“These are part of a pattern of dangerous and risky behavior that is emblematic of the fraternity’s traditions,” he said.
According to university records, Phi Gamma Delta, also known as Fiji, has racked up six alcohol distribution violations and two hazing violations in Missouri since 2017. The Missouri chapter was closed following Santulli’s hospitalization.
Now, the Minnesota man has made “tremendous progress,” but his family’s pain hasn’t eased.
“Danny needs care 24/7,” Tom explained, “My wife and I are the primary caregivers. We also have nurses who come in, we have caregivers who come in, we have people who focus on speech therapy, occupational therapy, physical therapy. We also book appointments for Danny.”
“But from the 2021 incident to now, he’s improved,” Tom said. “I’m not saying it’s significant, but he’s making progress.”
Santulli’s saga isn’t over yet. Family members filed a civil lawsuit against the fraternity and 23 of its members. The lawsuit was settled in 2022 for an undisclosed amount.
In May, Ryan P. Delanty of Manchester, Missouri, pleaded guilty to furnishing alcohol to a minor and misdemeanor hazing, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported. Santulli’s “freshman father” was sentenced to six months in prison, KRCG-TV reported. He will also serve six months of house arrest, the outlet reported.
Another member of the fraternity, Thomas Schultz of Chesterfield, Missouri, pleaded guilty to furnishing alcohol to a minor. He received 30 days in jail, two years of probation, and was ordered to complete community service and a drug and alcohol education program.
According to KRCG, Alec Wetzler pleaded guilty to furnishing alcohol to a minor or intoxicated person and purchasing, attempting to purchase or possessing alcohol by a minor. According to court records, Wetzler was sentenced to 180 days in jail and placed on two years of unsupervised probation. He was also ordered to pay a $500 fine.
The university has taken disciplinary action against 13 former fraternity members, according to the Columbia Daily Tribune. A university spokesperson did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Fox News Digital.
“Our thoughts and prayers continue to be with Danny and the Santulli family,” Phi Gamma Delta executive director Rob Caudill previously said.
“Danny should never have been put in this situation,” Caudill said. “The International Fraternity prohibits hazing and providing alcohol to minors and expects all members to follow the law and our policies.”
“We support everyone being held accountable for their actions and the consequences. The International Fraternity acted immediately and suspended all activities at the chapter. The chapter is now closed.”
As the new semester approaches, Santulli’s family is determined to warn other parents. Mary Pat even suggests that students considering joining a Greek dorm should wait at least one semester to talk to other students and educate themselves and their families first.
“It’s very hard to remember and talk about everything,” she said, “but I think it’s important that people know what goes on in Greek life. Bullying is real, and we just want people to know so this tragedy doesn’t happen to another family.”
“Houses of Horror” airs Mondays at 9 p.m. The episode, “Bingeing to Belong,” is available to stream. Fox News Digital’s Charles Kreitz and Adam Sabes and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
