Penn State will release biannual hazing reports in accordance with the law. A detective testified today that Piazza "looked like a corpse" at that point. We are hoping universities and national fraternities and sororities will work more closely together to hold people accountable and not point fingers at each other, and that when hazing happens, they act swiftly and hold people accountable. Example video title will go here for this video. Before the three hours of surveillance footage began playing, Scicchitano said it showed that sometime after Pizzas initial fall, fraternity members picked him up and slammed him on his back on a couch. Theres been organizations mostly fraternities and sororities around the country that have been suspended or shut down. Earlier this month, Penn State announced proposals for new safety reforms, including: university staff members monitoring social events; the university taking control of the fraternity and sorority misconduct and adjudication process; and permanent revocation of university recognition for any chapter involved in "hazing that involves alcohol, physical abuse, or any behavior that puts a students mental or physical health at risk. [2][4][5][1] By the time three brothers arrived, the unconscious Piazza had a bloody face and was struggling to breathe, with him also being unnaturally cold. 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. [17][2] Hank Nuwer, a prominent anti-hazing campaigner and expert, claimed it was exceptionally difficult to achieve tough sentences for hazing-related crimes. [2][4][5][1] He staggered towards the front door, but his inebriated state prevented him from opening it properly, and decided instead to open another door. [2][4] This door was for the basement, with Piazza not noticing the flight of stairs that led to it. Family attorney Tom Kline told NBC News outside court that this was an tough day for Piazza's relatives, some of whom walked out just before the video started playing. Lawyers for some of the defendants said the video only told part of the story. One time, when Piazza rolled off a couch, three fraternity brothers picked him up and "slammed him" back on the couch, according to the grand jury report. Eighteen students have been charged with a variety of offenses, from involuntary manslaughter to alcohol-related offenses more than 1,000 counts in all. Prosecutors in Pennsylvania are set to announce on May 5, 2017, the results of a grand jury investigation into the death of the Penn State student, Timothy Piazza, who fell down steps Feb. 4, during an alcohol-fueled pledge ceremony. No 911 call until 10:48. [16] A "clear all data" command was apparently logged when Becker was managing the video, but his defence argued there was no evidence of this. Thats how people will take a video of a young man who is dangerously drunk, physically injured, step over him, and post that video on Snapchat. Piazza tried to get up around 3:20 a.m.but fell backward and hit his head on the wood floor, the report said. [4] Another pledge, Qobi Quainoo, came in and noticed the engineering student's predicament. On Feb. 2, 2017, Penn State student Timothy Piazza walked into the Beta Theta Pi fraternitys doors for bid acceptance night. 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. The brothers put Piazza on a couch but did not stabilize his head and neck, the video appears to show, and the 19-year-old fell off the couch. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); We rely on the holidays to reconnect with the people who are most important to us and now we cant in ways that feel right. Privacy Policy. [30][1][11] Considering the disturbing nature of the footage, the fact it is still influential in ongoing court cases, and out of respect for Piazza and his relatives, the chances of the surveillance footage being publicly released is intensely slim. According to the report, Piazza is limp, his eyes are closed and he appears unconscious. [1][2] However, while Beta Theta Pi was deemed to contain some of the brightest students within the Greek system, this fraternity had a controversial history prior to Piazza's pledge, primarily concerning vandalism, hazing, and excessive alcohol consumption. State College Police Detective David Scicchitano said during emotional testimony on Monday that Piazza looked dead in the surveillance video, describing what those in court were about to see. The pledge tooka video of Piazza on the floor and posted it onSnapchat. "But they decided that in the end this was not something that they should do. [1] Beta Theta Pi was among several Greek fraternities and sororities, and was a source of pride at Pennsylvania State University. Eighteen Penn State students are facing charges: eight for involuntary manslaughter, aggravated assault, reckless endangerment, and hazing, among other charges; four for reckless endangerment and hazing, among other charges; and six for evidence tampering. The unfortunate truth is that many of our own children could be in this situation and make similar decisions. In the minutes leading up to his fall down the stairs, Piazza can be seen lurching through the rooms of the frat house, appearing very intoxicated. Donate to the Collegian by clicking the button below. [18][19] By January 2019, 13 guilty pleas were made, most receiving probation, fines, and community service. Timothy Piazza, 19, died following a Feb. 2 pledge event at the Beta Theta Pi frat house after falling down basement steps during a night of heavy drinking, authorities have said. Timothy Piazza Watch the 5 p.m. news live right now on Local 4+ Expect More from Local 4 News at 5. Cookie Notice I know that the number of violations has gone down, I know that theres been situations where people have picked up the phone and called 911, so weve got that discussion going, and I think we have that discussion going nationally, Jim said. Jim and Evelyn continue to encourage states to adopt stricter laws regarding hazing. Around 7 a.m., a fraternity pledge was sitting on a couch watching Piazza, and took either a photo or video of Piazza in that condition, a detective said in court. By Emily Shapiro and Rachel Wenzlaff March 26, 2018, 12:25 PM [11][1][4][2] Piazza again managed to stagger around, only to end up falling down to the basement, this time with nobody around to assist him for the next three hours. The Discovery of Timothy Piazza's Unconscious body is disturbing. [23][22] In the State of Pennsylvania, a new law, titled The Timothy J. Piazza Anti-Hazing Law was approved and introduced in August 2021. One takes a look at him and keeps walking. Lawyers for the victim's family described the video as "gruesome." Sixteen Penn State fraternity brothers were in court Monday, all facing charges connected with the death of a pledge. She is a senior studying digital and print journalism with a minor in political science. He tries to get on his feet using his hands and falls over. In recent focus groups with high school students about their social media use, I asked them if they had the right to post a picture of someone who is drunk and passed out on a couch. Other lawyers joined in the joke, shocking the Piazzas. Reddit and its partners use cookies and similar technologies to provide you with a better experience. But thats not all thats happening. Sign up today! All the while, fraternity brothers did little to help him. "Its something that you just cant think could be possible, anywhere, let alone in a fraternity house on a campus of an American university. As the minutes tick by, without calling for help, prosecutors said "it appears they are cleaning him.". Piazza's father told the TODAY Show last month that while he could not bear to watch the video as a parent, he could summon the strength needed to view it with school officials since they could make decisions that would make a difference. Eighteen students are facing charges in connection with Timothy Piazza's death. His fall was not captured on surveillance cameras, but . "This attempt to blame somebody who had no hand in what happened is just proof of how some of these defendants are going to go to try and exonerate themselves," she said. Two hours later, he was carried out of the basement by four fraternity brothers. (Bridgewater, N.J.) Courier News and (East Brunswick, N.J.) Home News Tribune. The judge continued the hearing until July 10 after the defense argued they didnt have any time to question the police detective or make arguments. Here are essential tools to help. Why did the fraternity brothers dismiss the one young man (and pledge) at the party who wanted to call an ambulance? His eyes are closed and his legs and arms are visibly rigid, State College Police Det. A doctor calculated that Piazza's blood-alcohol content at the time he fell down the stairs was between .28 and .36 percent. The next morning at 10am (not a moment before), a search for Piazza led brothers to the basement where they found him all but dead. The cameras recorded Piazza drinking vodka and beer shortly thereafter, and an hour later, needing help to walk from an area near the basement stairs to a couch, staggering and hunched over. The legal limit for driving while intoxicated is .08 percent. The cameras recorded Piazza drinking vodka and beer shortly thereafter, and an hour later, needing help to walk from an area near the basement stairs to a couch, staggering and hunched over. [2][4] Suddenly he fell onto an iron railing, inflicting further head trauma. Brothers waited hours before calling for help. The surveillance video shows Piazza chugging from a bottle of liquor early in the night and chugging a beer at another point. [5][4] Piazza became extremely inebriated within a short time span; not only was he provided 18 drinks within 1 hour and 22 minutes, he also had been taking medication to tackle depression which can worsen the effect of alcohol. His death caused Penn State to permanently ban Beta Theta Pi and sent numerous former brothers to court for their roles in the alcohol-fueled rituals leading up to Piazzas death and the deletion of security footage depicting the fatal night. 10:47 p.m.: Piazza is carried back up the steps by Ryan Burke, Luke Visser, Greg Rizzo and Jonah Neuman. [13][12] It was believed by prosecutors that Braxton Becker deleted the video, as he was the one responsible for transferring it to the police. A little later, another brother went downstairs for a drink of water and walked Piazza to another room. Piazzas parents were in court for part of the hearing. Your effort and contribution in providing this feedback is much Read the entire grand jury report on desktopat the bottom of this article. Get weekend previews and weekend recaps from The Daily Collegian Sports staff sent to your inbox. [4][5][2][1] The vandalism was especially concerning to Donald G. Abbey, a Beta Theta Pi alumnus, who had provided $3.5 million in funding to renovate his former fraternity's house from 2005 to 2007. "The Piazza familys ultimate goal is to make sure that this never happens again," Kline added. 5th May 2017 report listing the charges of those involved and findings of fact concerning the case. He looked dead. Why did those same young men wait until mid morning of the next day to get help; when it was too late? "We have ample evidence for every single one of them.". When the same brother insisted again that Piazza required help, he was told others were biology and kinesiology majors so his opinion wasnt as valuable as theirs, the jury said. 2023 Cable News Network. Youre also hearing about charges being brought against people when someone doesnt die. He was in the house. And their response is almost always the same: When its obvious that someone is about to get hurt or die. The video appears to show fraternity members pouring beer on him; Piazza appeared unconscious at one point but was later seen moving. But what happened at Beta Theta Pi wasnt a mistake. Piazza suffered a traumatic brain injury from several falls, including one down a set of basement stairs, according to a grand jury investigation. Fraternity members did not call 911 until the morning of Feb. 3, about 12 hours after Piazza's fall, according to a report on the grand jury's investigation. [2][4][5][1] Piazza was already in a concerning state by this point, staggering in a hunched over position. That went on for an excruciating amount of time to watch without any action being taken.. [4][1][2], However, the biggest case of evidence tampering came when the State College police and the FBI discovered a basement surveillance video had been manually erased by a Beta Theta Pi member. At one point, a brother comes over to him, Piazza gets up and walks with him, then falls down another set of stairs. A judge will decide if there is enough evidence to go to trial and the surveillance video played in court today is a key part of that evidence. As Timothy Piazza was slowly dying at the Beta Theta Pis pledge event on Feb. 2, he was surrounded by people who not only refused to help him but were either unimpressed or entertained by his suffering. But Piazza felldown three steps and the fraternity brother steppedover him and lefthim there.Anotherpledgetestified before the grand jury that he woke up at about 7 a.m. and saw Piazza on a couch. "He probably looked like just another frat kid. [2][4] Piazza was now making involuntary movements, and after two students fell on him after engaging in drunken wrestling nearby, he began twitching and vomiting. Among federal bills introduced includes the Report and Educate About Campus Hazing (REACH) Act, which hopes to reduce hazing on college campuses and educate the community on hazing. Jim Piazza pauses as he addresses the media during a press conference explaining their role and feelings of new Timothy J. Piazza Antihazing legislation during the second Penn State Beta Theta Pi preliminary hearing at the Centre County Courthouse on Friday, March 23, 2018. [4][1] In May 2017, 18 Beta Theta Pi members were charged with a variety of crimes, including involuntary manslaughter, reckless endangerment, providing alcohol to someone underage, hazing, and for tampering of evidence. A forensic pathologist said Piazza had a blood alcohol content between .26% and .36% at one point during the night. Dave Scicchitano testified. Manslaughter charges in Penn State fraternity pledge's death. [2][4][5][1] For instance, in 2016, Kordel Davis was a pledge at the fraternity. The video appears to show the fraternity brothers putting a backpack on Piazza so he would not roll onto his back and choke on his vomit; as they placed the backpack on, Piazza's head snapped backward and moved frequently. NBCs Gabe Gutierrez reports for TODAY. Subscribe to TODAY: http://on.today.com/SubscribeToTODAY Watch the latest from TODAY: http://bit.ly/LatestTODAYAbout: TODAY brings you the latest headlines and expert tips on money, health and parenting. "This is not somebody who's got a gaping head wound that's gushing blood. There's 300 other people in that house and a dozen that spent some time with him. The students have not entered pleas. Error! [14][4][2][1] For their alleged integral roles in Piazza's death, six were charged on more than 50 counts, including Daniel Casey (201), Young (200), Neuman (79), Lars Kenyon (52), Michelangelo Schiavone (52), and Nick Kubera (over 50). We wake up every morning to give you and your family all you need to start your day. Going to need help.". ", Penn State's Interfraternity Council said, "We agree that added social restrictions, education, transparency and professional staff support are critical. Still, it would take nearly 40 minutes for Beta Theta Pi brothers to call 911 after finding 19-year-old Timothy Piazza unconscious. 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