Sixteen Penn State fraternity brothers were in court Monday, all facing charges connected with the death of a pledge. His brothers. I posted here because I realized my opinion on the incident is different then just about anyone elses. 2023 USA TODAY, a division of Gannett Satellite Information Network, LLC. Over the rest of that evening, fraternity members were recorded pouring liquid on him, strapping a loaded backpack to him and taking other ineffective or counterproductive steps to deal with his condition. Do Not Sell/Share My Personal Information. Miller explained that the recovered surveillance footage shows frat brothers forcing Piazza to consume copious amounts of alcohol. WebPiazza, a 19-year-old sophomore at Penn State, fell down the stairs at the Beta Theta Pi house during a night of drinking for a pledge ceremony there on Feb. 2. The continuation comes after nearly 12 hours of testimony and hours of surveillance footage from the fraternity house on the night Timothy Piazza, a sophomore from New Jersey, fell during a bid acceptance night party. Piazzadied in ahospital Feb. 4, about 30 hours after a bid acceptance partyin which the former high school football player fell repeatedly. He did not reveal the name of the member in question. The new charges are based on surveillance footage that authorities managed to recover after a frat brother deleted it. Maybe he didn't need to go to an event where he knew there would be drinking, but it's doubtful he expected to be forced to drink as much as he was or that he could have possibly been making rational decisions a few drinks in. 18 and up is an adult. from Brothers [in the fraternity] were coming up to him and giving him those drinks.". There was no premeditation, no joy in his suffering, I see more evil in the dad who wants to take revenge on the men in the fraternity to be honest. But he didn't die because he got knock out drunk; he died because of the head trauma and later mishandling of the situation by people who had claimed to be there to look out for and support him. Reach him at: justin@cbsnews.com. Piazza never obtained any of the drinks himself, Miller said. A detective testified in court Thursday that surveillance video had vanished. They bought and served absurd amounts of alcohol to a minor. Video footage from the fraternity's extensive surveillance system has been crucial in the case and helped prosecutors construct a timeline of events that led to Piazza's death. Authorities based the new charges on the Beta Theta Pi basement surveillance footage deleted by a fraternity member following the 19-year-old's death. His lawyer did not return a message seeking comment. 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Not every tragedy is a crime, said Ems lawyer, Bill Brennan. WebPenn State sophomore Tim Piazza spent his final hours dragging his bruised and bloodied body across a beer-soaked fraternity house floor, stumbling down stairs into iron railings, Any one of these members could have called for help. Prosecutors filed charges against 12 members of Penn State's now-shuttered Beta Theta Pi chapter and added to the already-existing charges against five others. Piazza's parents have spoken out poignantly about the incident. PennLive.come reports State College Police Detective David Scicchitano was on the witness stand for nearly 10 hours during the hearing. One brother tried to convince the others that Piazza needed immediate medical help, but was ignored. Parks Miller, whos leaving office at the end of the year, then refiled many of the charges. I can only imagine the anguish of being a parent, and losing your child this way. After consuming a lethal amount of alcohol, Piazza fell down a flight of stairs head first. After investigators determined the security footage was manually deleted, they then sent the tapes to the FBI, whose agents recovered the video, authorities said in a statement. "I believe the charges will be bound over. 7:45 p.m. Piazza was seen on his hands and knees in 24/7 coverage of breaking news and live events. "It's time to man up, fellas, and be held accountable for your actions," Piazza's father, James, told reporters, his voice cracking. The judge on Monday evening granted the defense's request to continue the hearing, the Philadelphia Inquirer reported. I see the frat members as stupid, not evil. Again, letting people off the hook for being stupid is a dangerous precedent, because it encourages criminals to maintain as much ignorance as possible and act stupid in front of the jury. hide caption. Not calling an ambulance for an unconscious, dying person, and instead beating that person up, sounds pretty evil to me. Everybody so far has been talking about either how the parent's actions are justifiable in their grief, or that the fraternity is responsible for intentionally trying to cover up his injuries and delaying medical treatment after he fell. Time goes on and he falls off the couch and when he is found off the couch still unconscious he is thrown back on the couch, slapped around and punched him in the abdomen while completely unresponsive. He too live-tweeted. Of course the fraternity should be punished. "A young man died unnecessarily," District Attorney Stacy Parks Miller (center) told reporters. He was later "Piazza looks like dead weight. He was pronounced dead after roughly 20 hours of surgery proved that he could not likely recover. Penn State's former Beta Theta Pi fraternity house now sits empty. "His eyes were closed. Piazza received "at least 18 drinks in over 1 hour and 22 minutes," Centre County District Attorney Stacy Parks Miller said at a news conference Monday, and he "never once obtained any of those drinks for himself. In this attempt he managed to hit himself in the head several more times and knock himself out again. I haven't liked the idolization of him, and how the parents have basically ripped on everyone that their son has ever known. In May, a grand jury revised that assessment, calling it "the direct result of encouraged reckless conduct." The new charges are based on surveillance footage that authorities managed to recover after a frat brother deleted it. It's a horrible idea for any crime, this one included. BELLEFONTE, Pa. -- (WNEP) -- Investigators say a Penn State fraternity pledge's slow death at a frat party was caught on cameras. Shit is about to get real and hit the fan because charges have been refiled, theres new charges, on top of a new judge overseeing the entire thing and new evidence. This might not be as bad as consciously deciding to delay medical treatment, but this is still something the fraternity brothers should be culpable for. "It really is difficult to watch.". I don't see our legal system as something to be used for extracting a pound of flesh. Heated disagreements broke out while Parks Miller shared hours of evidence with the court, including surveillance video from cameras set up around the frat house. A judge presiding over the preliminary hearing, which began in June, will decide whether there is enough evidence to send the case to trial. This wasnt boys being boys. On the night of February 2, 2017, while undergoing hazing rituals for the fraternity, Piazza, on an essentially empty stomach, drank large amounts of alcohol in a short time as part of an obstacle course called "The Gauntlet", which required each pledge to drink from a bottle of vodka, drink a beer, and finally drink from a bag of wine. Of the accused young men, eight face involuntary manslaughter, aggravated assault, reckless endangerment and hazing, among other charges; four face reckless endangerment and hazing, among other charges; and six face charges for evidence tampering. Penn State Frat House Death: Fast Drinking, Slow Death, Frantic Coverup In Grand Jury Timeline, Frat House Death At Penn State: A Who's Who Of The Accused. College students drink. WebDuring Mondays hearing, prosecutors showed three hours of video from the fraternitys surveillance cameras of Piazza before and after he became intoxicated, the New York "The videotape is horrible, and it is gruesome," Kline said. Tim Piazza may have been somewhat complicit in the hazing. I feel bad for the victims that they have to come back another day," said Parks Miller. I cannot stress this enough. Defense attorneys have challenged Scicchitano and claimedprosecutors are zeroing in onselect portions of the video. Roughly twelve hours after his initial fall, emergency services were summoned but not informed that the fall had occurred the night before. But until recently, that did not include the basement, where Piazza was found the next morning. He died two days later at a hospital. The houses security system captured many of the events the night Piazza was injured, footage that had already been played at a preliminary hearing for those charged previously. He was found several hours later by members of the frat. Ad Choices, Video surveillance from Pennsylvania State University fraternity house shown in court - WNEP. Advertisement Not only have you accused me if being involved in this or something like this, you have decided I am a sociopath. This may actually explain why we disagree so much Edit 2: do you have a personal connect to this? He can't protect himself from the alcohol and the injuries, and it goes on and on until he dies, and then they don't render aid at that point. That night after the February event, Piazza drunkenly fell down the stairs and sustained the injuries that led to his death less than two days later. It took nearly twelve hours for them to make the call for help. The Beta Theta Pi house was shut down shortly thereafter and remains empty. Absolutely nobody around checking on him? Normal people would seeing this and immediately call for help. WebTimothy Piazza, 19, from New Jersey died after falling down a flight of stairs during a hazing ritual at the Beta Theta Pi fraternity house. And the frat basically did everything they could to ignore him, until they couldn't, at which point they tried to cover up what they did. The Centre County District Attorney announced on Monday that the FBI has recovered video footage from the night before 19-year-old Timothy Piazza's death. Privacy Policy | "Ems kept looking straight ahead," the report said. "However, after later examining one of the DVR surveillance boxes, State College Police uncovered evidence that the basement camera footage had actually been manually deleted just as State College Police were poised to take possession of the recording equipment.". Pledges showed signs of intoxication, and Piazza had to be helped to a couch. "Parks Miller has vowed to push forward with the case and refiled those felony counts last month. Pledges showed signs of intoxication, and Piazza had to be helped to a couch. Justin is an assistant managing editor at CBS News. From trying to beat him awake, to abandoning him, to covering up the evidence, everything about this shows criminal negligence. Piazza, of Lebanon, New Jersey, died from injuries he sustained as one of 14 pledges at a bid acceptance party that included a hazing ritual known as the gauntlet, requiring participants to drink wine, beer and vodka in rapid succession. The hearing, which is expected to enter a fifth day Friday, will determine whether there is enough evidence to send the case to trial. Penn State's former Beta Theta Pi fraternity house now sits empty. As NPR's Bill Chappell reported at the time, charges were pressed against 18 members of the fraternity, including eight who were charged with involuntary manslaughter. Over the course of 42 more minutes, the video footage shows them hauling Piazza back upstairs, shaking him, and attempting to prop his limp body up on the couch. District Attorney Stacy Parks Miller said fraternity brothers gave Piazza 18 drinks in under one hour and 22 minutes. And all colleges and fraternities are supposed to have anti-hazing rules in place. — -- A detective testifying in a Pennsylvania courtroom Thursday regarding the death of Penn State student Tim Piazza said some surveillance footage from the Beta Theta Pi house appears to have been deleted. I think they're acting like distraught parents struggling to cope with the death of their son even if it means distorting reality a bit and choosing to see his son in the best of lights and his frat brothers in the worst. Updated on: November 13, 2017 / 2:58 PM It could certainly be considered nansalyhbter, and it is horrible what these kids didbut can you explain how this all of a sudden became murder? Mystery Surrounds Mom-of-3 Found Dead After Failing to Pick up Children from School, Police Ask for Patience, Missing Nevada Woman Stopped Contact with Family, Police Seek Tips, Unknown Man Seen Using Missing Georgia Mans Credit Card in Baton Rouge. Of the 17 fraternity members charged, five now face manslaughter charges. His brothers carried him, unconscious, to a couch and left him there. That previous footage allegedly depicted Piazza, severely under the influence, falling head-first down the stairs at about 11 p.m. and falling again around 5 a.m., hitting his head against a metal railing. Ok, you are right. A place to post an opinion you accept may be flawed, in an effort to understand other perspectives on the issue. Press question mark to learn the rest of the keyboard shortcuts. WebSurveillance video played in court reportedly shows Piazza repeatedly falling, passing out and tumbling head-first down a flight of stairs, and no one called 911 for hours. WebPiazza staggered on his feet down the hallway and turned right into the Away Bar Room. When he finally woke up and tried to roll off, they slammed him back down, slapped him in the face and poured beer on him. He is estimated to have had a blood alcohol content (BAC) of nearly .40 on the night of the hazing incident. One of the 18 fraternity members facing charges in the death of a Penn State pledge deleted footage from a basement surveillance camera two days after the 19-year-old sophomore died, a detective testified Thursday. You are asking them to think and act rationally about this, and that is something that is very difficult for grieving people to do. Piazza's parents, Jim and Evelyn of Hunterdon County, New Jersey, left the courtroom before the prosecution began airing the footage, narrated by Scicchitano. When Piazza was finally brought to the hospital on Feb. 3, he had a damaged spleen. Feel free to message us. hey, how about you let me know what you would do if you were Piazza except instead of dying, you live and you must live the rest of your life unable to move from the neck down? Piazza, who was left on a first-floor couch overnight, made severalattempts to get up but fell multiple times,in some cases hitting his head and falling down the stairs. Comedy Cabaret at the Temperance House, Open House - Check Out The NEW Total Fitness & Golf Gym, Delaware Valley University Hosts Raising Livestock on a Small Farm Community Course This Spring, Protect Your Home from Ticks with Yard Guard from Viking Pest, Larry P. Pelullo, Retired Carpenter with over 30 years Experience, Check Out These Homes For Sale In Newtown, Bucks LVW Webinar To Explore "How School Boards Impact Us All". He's unconscious," Scicchitano said after Piazzas first fall. Excerpts from the footage havebeen compelling: Fraternity members are shown holding Piazza down, strapping him to a backpack to keep him from turning over and choking, pouring liquids on him and trying to get him to stand so they could dress him even whenhe appeared to be unconscious. Create an account to follow your favorite communities and start taking part in conversations. 2023 Telepictures Productions Inc. I don't think it's cool at all to launch a personal attack like that, in a sub reddit that is about changing view points. before we start calling them 'kids' and letting them off the hook for killing people. His tragic death made national headlines after it was revealed that frat members didn't alert authorities until about 12 hours after he fell down the stairs. His parents saying he was perfect, and making it sound like he was kidnapped and tortured is misleading, and could lead to unfair punishments for a number of kids who made a horrible mistake. The prosecutors' case has not progressed evenly since May, as the accused have said Parks Miller is overreaching with her allegations. Twelve new fraternity members now face charges in the investigation. According to several reporters live-tweeting the surveillance footage from that night and early morning, it was hard to watch. Other charges include assault, reckless endangerment, giving alcohol to minors, hazing and tampering with evidence. Surveillance footage from inside the frat house shown during previous hearings depicted Piazza looking like a corpse after his first drunken fall in the house, according to another detectives testimony. Power your marketing strategy with perfectly branded videos to drive better ROI. Prosecutors filed charges against 12 members of the fraternity and added to the already-existing charges against five others. On surveillance footage that authorities managed to recover after a bid acceptance partyin which the former school! 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