As a result of the incident, Penn State President Eric Barron permanently banned the fraternity from the university. He was about to run "the gauntlet," one of the fraternity's initiation rituals. He fell 15 feet down a flight of stairs, hair first. Prosecutors played chilling video of that night, but not before Piazzas parents walked out of court. Prosecutors showed the video for the first time Monday in a preliminary hearing to determine if there's enough evidence to go to trial. Note: Some of the following grand jurytestimony is graphic in nature. DaniellaSilva is a reporter for NBC News, focusing on education and how laws, policies and practices affect students and teachers. Ryan Foster and Edward Gilmartin, who were not present, were charged with tampering with evidence. Lawyers for some of the defendants said the video only told part of the story. The university has taken several measures to reform greek life culture since Piazza died. "This was an extraordinarily difficult day for the Piazza family," he said. "Trying to raise to his feet in a praying position, and falling back down. Let us know what's going on! He said Piazza at one point appeared in pain and got into the fetal position. As he continued to groan, Piazza got to his knees and placed his head in his hands as if, in the pledge's words, he had "a really bad headache. He heardPiazza groaning, and eventually he saw Piazza roll off the couch and land on the floor. On the night of Feb. 2, Piazza engaged in drinking as a part of a pledge ritual and his blood alcohol content reached 0.28 and 0.36 percent. The security video showing the final hours of a Penn State University students life was at the center of a court hearing on Monday. Two hours later, he was carried out of the basement by four fraternity brothers. 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 video shows Piazza staggering through the house the. and our You have permission to edit this article. Four fraternity brothers carried his limp body back upstairs, where some poured liquid on him, and another slapped him three times in the face, the grand jury said. He fell onto a stone floor at 5 a.m. Fifteen minutes later, a fraternity member wentdownstairs for a drink of water. 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. Thus far, the university has released two reports. Authorities claim that despite Piazzas injuries, it took 12 hours before a member of the fraternity called 911. A doctor calculated that Piazza's blood-alcohol content at the time he fell down the stairs was between .28 and .36 percent. Additionally, a student filmed Piazza in his compromised state before uploading it to Snapchat. The Piazzas, among many others, hope to change that. [28][1][2] The University imposed several restrictions that saw Beta Theta Pi be permanently banned as a chapter, recruitment moved from fall to spring semester, stricter enforcement preventing underage drinking, and potentially enforcing that all Greek-letter organisations must be completely dry if further abuse occurs.[29]. Its doubtful. Do you have the right to take a picture of someone who cant consent to the picture being taken?). In addition, IFC vice president for communications Leonard Fontes III said the IFC is working to increase its accountability and transparency among chapters, in a statement from the IFC. [2][4][5][1] However, this did not deter members from conducting illegal binge drinking hazing rituals onto the fraternity's new and underage pledges during recruitment, often ending in serious consequences. Attorneys for 11 fraternity members were back in court for a hearing in the death of a pledge. The fraternity members appear agitated and at one point a shoving match erupts between two men. Eighteen students have been charged with a variety of offenses, from involuntary manslaughter to alcohol-related offenses more than 1,000 counts in all. When a fraternity brother insisted Piazza needed medical help, he was confronted and shoved into a wall, the report said. Eighteen students are facing charges in connection with Timothy Piazza's death. [19][20] Only five defendants, including Young, were still facing charges. [2][4][5][1], Other brothers arrived to prevent Piazza from making movements. Jim Piazza reacts to photo of his son Timothy Piazza in ICU. I was underwhelmed by the evidence presented today, said Michael Engel, who represents Gary DeBilio. (Bridgewater, N.J.) Courier News and (East Brunswick, N.J.) Home News Tribune. 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. 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. As Timothy Piazza was slowly dying at the Beta Theta Pi's 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. [16] He was later acquitted of tampering with evidence and obstruction of justice but was found guilty of hindering apprehension. Additionally, since February 2017, Piazzas death has sparked a transformation in Penn State greek life, Pennsylvania hazing law and the national conversation on hazing. [2][4][5][1] The Gauntlet tasked each pledge to engage in alcohol consumption of various beverages in quick succession, including beer, vodka, and wine. He reports for all platforms of NBC News, including "TODAY," "NBC Nightly News," MSNBC and NBCNews.com. Most had taken or seen other people take pictures and videos of their peers passed out from drugs and alcohol. ", Penn State's Interfraternity Council said, "We agree that added social restrictions, education, transparency and professional staff support are critical. [24], Some experts believed the case was a crucial turning point concerning fraternities in America, bringing attention to hazing rituals, which are known to have killed at least one student annually since 1959, with a further six alongside Piazza dying in 2017 alone. 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. Of the many horrifying events that happened that night, the fact that one of the boys watched as Piazza struggled to get off the couch groaning and falling on his face and then proceeded to post a video of Timothy laying helpless on the floor, strikes me. My goal was to frame a discussion about consent (i.e. [4][5][1][2], Surgeons would determine that Piazza suffered from a ruptured spleen which spilled around 80% of his blood into his abdomen, a class IV haemorrhagic shock and a swollen brain. By rejecting non-essential cookies, Reddit may still use certain cookies to ensure the proper functionality of our platform. 9:06 PM EDT, Tue June 13, 2017, Hearing begins on fraternity hazing death case. We have tried to remain committed to being an active part of the solution within our community. Piazza, a 19-year-old sophomore and pledge at Beta Theta Pi, died on Feb. 4 after he fell down the stairs during a pledge ceremony at the house on the night of Feb. 2. It was a predictable outcome due to a toxic combination of social dynamics that normalizes dehumanization and sees someones vulnerability and pain as entertainment. According to the grand jury presentment, around 9 p.m., the videos show Piazza and other pledges in a ritual called "the gauntlet," consuming large amounts of beer, vodka and wine in a matter of . 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. [4][14] By May 2017, 1,098 charges were filed. The video shows Piazza staggering through the house the night of February 2 before disappearing near basement stairs where police say he fell 15 steps and lost consciousness. Another pledge testified before the grand jury that he woke up at about 7 a.m. and saw Piazza on a couch. 10:47 p.m.: Piazza is carried back up the steps by Ryan Burke, Luke Visser, Greg Rizzo and Jonah Neuman. 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. As morning breaks, Piazza walks in the direction of the basement steps. "Seeing the videotape of the young man who was force-fed alcohol, had his own shoes thrown at him, beer thrown on him, punched, sat on, and then left literally to die," Kline said. Cameras located in basement did not record on night in question, according to court documents. [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. Please enable JavaScript to pass antispam protection!Here are the instructions how to enable JavaScript in your web browser http://www.enable-javascript.com.Antispam by CleanTalk. ABC News' Stephanie Gomulka contributed to this report. We have a lot more to go.. [1][4][2] Instead of assisting, Quainoo decided to film Piazza for a Snapchat video before leaving. "The Piazza Center will provide an essential leadership role to compel the collective change required.. "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. For an optimal experience visit our site on another browser. The act would also require universities to report instances of hazing under the Clery Act. IE 11 is not supported. The grand jury report released Friday also details Piazza's medical condition and a doctor's conclusion that he had consumed "a life-threatening amount of alcohol.". [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. The legal limit for driving while intoxicated is .08 percent. An email has been sent to with a link to confirm list signup. He's later seen trying unsuccessfully to open the front door, then severely staggering drunkenly toward the basement steps at about 10:45 p.m., the grand jury report said. Note: Some of the following grand jury testimony is graphic in nature. [15] Young, as the fraternity's President, had realised the legal consequences he alone could face, texting his girlfriend "I don't think you fully comprehend the situation; he looked fucking dead. [24] Now, cases resulting in serious injury or death became a third-degree felony, with those convicted likely to expect a maximum of five years imprisonment and a maximum $15,000 fine. The charges against another fraternity brother, Joseph Sala, include involuntary manslaughter. We are highly offended by the insensitivity displayed given the severity of the crimes committed and ultimate outcome.. Read the entire grand jury report on desktopat the bottom of this article. [1][11] Nevertheless, courtroom sketches of key highlights were shown in media reports. The hearing was prolonged by arguments from defense lawyers on a range of issues, including a motion to sever the cases, which was denied. But their answers revealed much more. For the first time, prosecutors showed surveillance video from the night Timothy Piazza died. The law created tiers for hazing in Pennsylvania, stipulated that institutions must release hazing reports, established categories of organizational and institutional hazing, and required institutions and high schools to adopt and enforce a written anti-hazing policy. This was no drinking party. Showing someone elses vulnerability and potential embarrassment has become normalized behavior for amusement and increasing ones social status. [2][4][5][1], After sitting down on the couch, he reluctantly stood up upon being requested to by fraternity brothers. Penn States Interfraternity Council (IFC) has also taken several steps to encourage reform. Those bystanders are focused on how this situation is amusing to them not how dangerous it is for the other person. We're always interested in hearing about news in our community. These guides help people quickly understand social and emotional concepts to put them into action. More than two hours later the video shows a group of men carrying him back to the couch around 9:30 a.m. His body is rigid as the men stand around, some with their hands on their hips. The impact of Piazzas death spanned further than changes in university policy. Centre County prosecutors claim the video shows the students failed to help Piazza after a night of heavy drinking, causing his death the next day. Some took videos so they could post his decline on Snapchat. Student Ryan Foster sits on Piazzas legs in what he described to police as an attempt to keep him from moving, Scicchitano said. CNN Sans & 2016 Cable News Network. Discovery Company. Among changes made includes the creation of the vice president for health and safety role, the creation of a dry period during recruitment, the passing of a vote to make all new member processes four weeks long, the drafting of new social expectations and guidelines and the restructuring of Standards of Excellence. 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. He tries to get on his feet and falls back on the floor. Time Unknown: Timothy Piazza falls down the basement steps. [2][4][5][1] For instance, in 2016, Kordel Davis was a pledge at the fraternity. [2][4] This door was for the basement, with Piazza not noticing the flight of stairs that led to it. Why did the fraternity brothers dismiss the one young man (and pledge) at the party who wanted to call an ambulance? They watched as he fell down a flight of stairs and they stepped over him as he lay unconscious on the floor. The surveillance video shows Piazza chugging from a bottle of liquor early in the night and chugging a beer at another point. Another member named Qobi Qcianoo took a Snapchat video of Tim laying on the floor, and then left the house. [10] The pledges, all clearly intoxicated, then returned to the living room. Yet, instead of calling 911, they talked among themselves and searched their phones for information, Scicchitano said. All Rights Reserved. [13][12] Thus, a further 12 students were charged on 14th November 2017 for their roles in Piazza's death and the subsequent cover-up. 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. Jim Piazza held his head in his hands and sobbed as prosecutors showed pictures of his son in the hospital. STATE COLLEGE, Pa. 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