The grand jury concluded that, after Piazza was taken to the hospital, there was an active attempt to conceal evidence of the hazing and underage drinking, from deleting text messages to admitting to discussing erasing surveillance video. 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. He died two days later at a hospital. Becker, 21, of Niskayuna, New York, was charged with evidence tampering, obstruction and hindering a prosecution. Gary DiBileo Jr. of Scranton left the Centre County Courthouse without knowing when he'll be back and if the charges against him will go to trial. You or your parents wouldnt file charges right? A sketch shows the preliminary hearing in the death of Penn State student Timothy Piazza resumes in Centre County Courthouse, Bellefonte, Penn., Aug. 10, 2017. District Attorney Stacy Parks Miller said fraternity brothers gave Piazza 18 drinks in under one hour and 22 minutes. As no one was left around him this all went unnoticed and he was left on the floor. He seems to want to use it that way, and is manipulating the media to do so. The results of an investigation into surveillance video of the fraternity After 40 minutes of debating on what the next step should be, the conclusion was made that Piazza's injuries were indeed serious, and that he would require medical attention. It would be nearly another six hours before an ambulance was called for Piazza, who died with traumatic brain injuries and a ruptured spleen. One of the main revelations from the footage: Fraternity brothers gave Piazza at least 18 drinks in one hour and 22 minutes. Obviously you are riding a very high horse and looking down on me. Once he was finally able to maintain balance, he staggered toward the lobby area of the house, but fell again head first into an iron railing and landed on a stone floor, likely incurring serious head trauma. Warner Bros. Entertainment | He said it was one of the fraternity members facing charges in connection with Piazza's death, but he did not reveal the name in court andsaid the footage disappeared before police could collect it. 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. Of the 17 fraternity members charged, five now face manslaughter charges. He is estimated to have had a blood alcohol content (BAC) of nearly .40 on the night of the hazing incident. 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 revelation came on Day 4 of the preliminary hearing for the fraternity brothers facing charges ranging from involuntary manslaughter to furnishing alcohol to minors. In the fourth day of a preliminary hearing in the Centre County Courthouse in Bellefonte, State College Police Detective David Scicchitano testified that authorities recovered a surveillance camera from the basement of the fraternity house, but footage prior to Feb. 6 had vanished. 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. I'm pissed at these guys, and I've got no skin in the game. Press question mark to learn the rest of the keyboard shortcuts. Feel free to message us. Any one of these people could have stayed with him kept him from doing further damage to himself. In this state of intoxication he fell on the basement stairs of the house and was knocked unconscious. hide caption. Upon arrival, Piazza was rushed into surgery, where he was discovered to have a ruptured spleen and class IV hemorrhagic shock. The bombshell revelation by State College police Detective David Scicchitano came during a hearing to determine if theres enough evidence to send the case to trial. He suffered severe head trauma and a ruptured spleen from the fall. Any one of these members could have called for help. Gabe Gutierrez, an NBC News correspondent, said via Twitter that the courtroom was silent as prosecutors played video of Piazza dying. That's illegal. And again, we get back to taking responsibility for your actions. They carried him back upstairs, but it was another 40 minutes before an ambulance was summoned. WebOne of the 18 Beta Theta Pi members charged with the Feb. 4 death of 19-year-old Tim Piazza removed everything from the basement camera two days after his alcohol-related Normal people would seeing this and immediately call for help. 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? I just don't like the way this kids parents have acted at all. Three brothers picked him up and "slammed" him back onto the couch. "She has asked that the case be reassigned to another judge, but she is working against the clock. 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. He said coercing someone to drink as much as his son did is egregiously reckless and, according to the police and the DA, is criminal.. "The visions of him lying in a hospital bed battered and bruised and on life support make no sense. "When law enforcement initially evaluated the video footage, fraternity brothers led police to believe that the basement cameras had been inoperable on Bid Acceptance Night," Parks Miller's office said in a statement. Now we get into our first example of negligence, when they blew off the brother who could tell something was wrong a short time after the accident. First published on November 13, 2017 / 12:53 PM. 1894 shipwreck found in Lake Huron, confirming "powerful, tragic story", Bipartisan Senate group unveils rail safety bill in response to Ohio derailment, What to know about Shigella bacteria as drug-resistant strain spreads, Top Dems push Fox News to stop promoting "propaganda" about 2020 election, New charges in Penn State University fraternity death, Flying bug found at Walmart turns out to be rare Jurassic-era insect, Top McCarthy aide, House Oversight chair each met with Ashli Babbitt's mother. In partnership with At the news conference Monday, Piazza's father said he is committed to pursuing the charges against the members of the fraternity, which has been shut down by Penn State. First of all, these are not kids, they are adults. Sign up to receive breaking True Crime Daily news, exclusive stories and behind-the-scenes info. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts. ABC News' Gregory Croft and Stephanie Gomulka contributed to this report. He was estimated to have had a blood-alcohol level several times the legal limit for adult drivers. The Inquirer explains: "In September, Judge Allen Sinclair gutted the prosecution's case, throwing out the most serious felony charges against the fraternity members and saying prosecutors had not presented enough evidence to support them. The new charges are based on surveillance footage that authorities managed to recover after a frat brother deleted it. 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. No average person would sit there, make the strange. personal nit picky digs that you were, trying to justify their blatant disregard for a humans life. No one called for help until late the next morning, and the New Jersey native died Feb. 4. What happened to him after that, is entirely on the willful and blatant negligence of his frat brothers. Nonetheless, we d not typically try to blame the victim in order to exonerate the perpetrator in these cases, because that just perpetuates a climate in which those crimes are allowed to happen and perpetrators feel secure that they won't be blamed. Do Not Sell/Share My Personal Information. We've received your submission. I can only imagine the anguish of being a parent, and losing your child this way. Prosecutors allege Piazza was forced to drink excessively before falling and hurting himself. Centre County District Attorney Stacy Parks Miller charged 10 new defendants, reinstated charges against two people whose cases had been dropped and added counts against five who had previously been charged for actions surrounding the Feb. 4 death of Beta Theta Pi pledge Tim Piazza. State College Police Detective David Scicchitano said he believed he knew the identity of the person who deleted the footage, PennLive.com reported. I mean, that's the whole point of this subreddit. From trying to beat him awake, to abandoning him, to covering up the evidence, everything about this shows criminal negligence. WebDetectives may have discovered crucial new evidence in the death of Penn State student Timothy Piazza. This is very true, they really have no good options here. Absolutely nobody around checking on him? "Ems kept looking straight ahead," the report said. They caused his condition, then exacerbated it, then refused to get him needed care immediately. And as tragic as the loss of this young man is, Joey Ems never should have been charged with a crime.. What these people chose to do was make it worse and try to hide the fact they were breaking campus rules at the cost of a fellow members well being. Waiting for your permission to load facebook comments. On Thursday, lawyerTheodore Simon saidduring the early morning hours before Piazza was found in the basement, he could be seen walking to a set of patio doors and closing them indicating the pledge wascoherent andfunctioning during this time, the Centre Daily Times reported. He did not reveal the name of the member in question. 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. The grand jury that investigated Piazzas death, video footage and preliminary hearing testimony painted a disturbing picture of his final night inside the fraternity house. Terms of Use | The testimony came on the fourth day of a preliminary hearing for 16 members of Beta Theta Pi facing charges that includeinvoluntary manslaughter and aggravated assault in the Feb. 4 death of engineering student Timothy Piazza, 19. His "brothers," could have handled it better, but it is clear his parents taught him no accountability, and have no idea what it is themselves. I can honestly say that would not be how my mind would work. He was carried to a couch, where surveillance cameras captured the formation of a large and obvious bruise on his left abdomen. I would feel sorry for myself, but it just wouldn't cross my mind to blame anyone and everyone for the situation. Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information. And all colleges and fraternities are supposed to have anti-hazing rules in place. I'm not hanging on tooth and nail to anything, because I'm not invested in this on a personal level. Lawsuits claim it wrecked their teeth. I sincerely doubt you know his parents or knew Timothy enough to espouse his lack of accountability. Not calling an ambulance for an unconscious, dying person, and instead beating that person up, sounds pretty evil to me. This dental device was sold to fix patients' jaws. A lawyer for Joseph Ems, who had previously faced a reckless-endangerment charge that was dismissed by the district judge, said he plans to seek dismissal of the three fresh charges against his client: hazing, furnishing alcohol to a minor and an alcohol violation. Timothy Piazza, 19, was given 18 drinks in less than (Patrick Carns/Patrick Carns). Piazza never obtained any of the drinks himself, Miller said. Fraternity members referred to the pledge ceremony as an "obstacle course" in text messages, according to a report on the grand jury's investigation. Piazza's parents have spoken out poignantly about the incident. "It's time to man up, fellas, and be held accountable for your actions," Piazza's father, James, told reporters, his voice cracking. Pledges were made to chug vodka and beer. Other security camera footage from inside the sprawling frat house shown during previous hearings depicted frat members alternatively holding Piazza down or strapping him to a backpack to keep from rolling over and choking while he appeared to be unconscious. What led to his death was the negligent behavior of the fraternity members after Tim was first injured. We'd like to remind you of a couple of things. Prosecutors filed charges against 12 members of the fraternity and added to the already-existing charges against five others. One of the 18 Beta Theta Pi members charged with the Feb. 4 death of 19-year-old Tim Piazza removed everything from the basement camera two days after his alcohol-related passing. The video captured the night 14 pledges, including Piazza, were taken through a speed-drinking event called "the gauntlet." They are the sole reason he is dead. Enter with a mindset for conversation, not debate. Harry Kamerow said he used video evidence and medical records to establish that Piazza's fall at 11:22 p.m. down the basement steps caused his fatal brain and spleen They are grieving parents looking for something to explain why their son has been killed. The video includes Piazza consuming nearly 20 drinks in 90 minutes. He's black out drunk and stumbling around, and he's just left alone? In May, a grandjury concluded fraternity members were indifferent to Piazza's condition as they deleted text messages andattempted to conceal evidence of hazing and underage drinking. (Abby Drey/AP). She lost a primary election in the spring and is set to leave office in January. Ok, you are right. Scicchitano said Piazza had a visible bruise on his abdomen on the footage while being carried by brothers after the fall. 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. Reporters inside the Centre County Courthouse live tweeted the proceedings as the prosecution played the surveillance footage from the Beta Theta Pi fraternity party on Feb. 2, the night of Piazza's fatal injury. Not one person thought to take him to the hospital??? His "brothers," could have handled it better, but it is clear his parents taught him no accountability, and have no idea what it is themselves. Edit: Btw, your comment completely justifies me using a throwaway. The grand jury document referenced surveillance footage other than the recently recovered video. His lawyer did not return a message seeking comment. Newly recovered security camera footage from inside a Penn State fraternity house showed a pledge had been given at least 18 drinks in less than 90 minutes, investigators said Monday in announcing dozens of new charges related to the pledges death. Prosecutors claim the former fraternity brothers at Beta Theta Pi waited to get Piazza help in an attempt to cover up their drinking and "coordinate a story.". Over the last several months we listened to defense arguments centered around victim blaming or how could the defendants have known they were putting someone seriously at risk since no one died before, as if they were entitled to one free death, or the catch all argument of, We dont know,' he said. "A young man died unnecessarily," District Attorney Stacy Parks Miller (center) told reporters. 2023 NYP Holdings, Inc. All Rights Reserved, Frat member found dead at accused Idaho killer's former university, Bowling Green reaches $3.9M settlement over student's hazing death, University investigating hazing within football program, Virginia Commonwealth University to allow school-brand beer on campus after frat hazing death, died from injuries he sustained as one of 14 pledges at a bid acceptance party. When you get somebody into an environment where they have seemingly no way out, where every authority figure is encouraging or forcing you to drink and nobody would help you, say, leave and go home safely, it is extremely difficult to turn down drinks. Create an account to follow your favorite communities and start taking part in conversations. Scicchitano described scenes where Piazza was unconscious. Sometimes to excess. He's unconscious," Scicchitano said after Piazzas first fall. And what happened throughout the night was just careless disregard for human life.". He drank an incredibly high amount of alcohol and fell down the basement stairs and was unconscious. But the hazing was not the unconscionable part of what happened, and it wasn't what led to his death. He too live-tweeted. Tim then woke up the following morning still alone and attempted to move. I feel bad for the victims that they have to come back another day," said Parks Miller. Parks Miller said in a written statement that the basement video clearly depicts a continuation of the hazing activity previously captured upstairs, including giving pledges beer, wine and vodka. Parks Miller, whos leaving office at the end of the year, then refiled many of the charges. He was later pronounced dead at a hospital in the early hours of Feb. 4. How about the family cool it with the reactions? she said, before turning toward the defendants charged in the case and their attorneys. WebReporters inside the Centre County Courthouse live tweeted the proceedings as the prosecution played the surveillance footage from the Beta Theta Pi fraternity party on The charges filed Monday which range from involuntary manslaughter to aggravated assault and hazing rely on surveillance footage taken during the pledge event connected with the 19-year-old's death. The Beta Theta Pi fraternity, which has since been barred from Penn State, is facing charges including involuntary manslaughter and hazing. Piazza subsequently stumbled toward the basement steps, then fell down them. His brain had swollen to the point that roughly half of his skull had to be removed to relieve the pressure. A detective testified in court Thursday that surveillance video had vanished. Tim was in no way responsible for or a part of this behavior. Also Thursday, an attorney for Luke Visser, one of the defendants charged in Piazzas death, revealed what he claimed to be new information indicating that Piazza may have tripped over a girl sitting on a stairwell leading to the basement suggesting it was more of an accident than the result of drunkenness. The Beta Theta Pi house was shut down shortly thereafter and remains empty. If you see a comment that has broken one, it is more effective to report it than downvote it. The next morning, fraternity members located Piazza, unconscious, in the basement. Twelve new fraternity members now face charges in the investigation. Speaking of which, downvotes don't change views! 7:45 p.m. Piazza was seen on his hands and knees in need to get some shit off your chest? Scicchitano replied he did not, saying the girls were not wearing name badges, and recommended that they come forward to police. Piazza was brought to Mount Nittany Medical Center, but was quickly transported to Penn State Milton S. Hershey Medical Center because of the severity of his injuries. Tim would be alive today if they didn't care more about themselves more. In the early morning of February 3, 2017, Piazza tried to get up, but once he reached a standing position, fell backwards. Attorney Ted Simon asked Scicchitano if he had a chance to identify and interview the girl, as well as a second girl spotted on the stairs. 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. More:16 students face judge in Penn State hazing death of Timothy Piazza, More:'He looked like a corpse': Video shown of Penn State pledge after fatal injuries. 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. Piazza's parents, Jim and Evelyn of Hunterdon County, New Jersey, left the courtroom before the prosecution began airing the footage, narrated by Scicchitano. Advertisement I see the frat members as stupid, not evil. He was just trying to join an organization. He is then carried up, while unconscious, by a group of frat brothers who then proceed to "slam" him, slap him, pour water on him and even throw a shoe at him, according to accounts of the footage. Inspire employees with compelling live and on-demand video experiences. WebAccording 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 "A young man died unnecessarily," she said. That video was shown in court on Monday. Please enter valid email address to continue. He later tried once more to descend the basement stairs, but fell down again, and remained at the base of the stairs until several of the fraternity brothers discovered him several hours later behind the bar in the basement, cold and breathing rapidly. In May, a grand jury revised that assessment, calling it "the direct result of encouraged reckless conduct." 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