STATE COLLEGE, PENNSYLVANIA — Eighteen Penn State students are facing charges after their recklessness during a frat party led to the death of sophomore Timothy Piazza.
A grand jury report released on Friday details what may have happened during the final hours of Piazza’s life, based on testimonies, police questioning, and surveillance footage. Piazza showed up at the Beta Theta Pi house past 9 p.m. on Feb. 2 to participate in a hazing ritual known as ‘The Gauntlet.’
According to the report, he and his fellow pledges guzzled vodka, shotgunned beer, and drank wine from bags. They also participated in activities that would see them consume four to five alcoholic drinks in two minutes. By 10:30 p.m., Piazza was drunk, and fell down 15-ft of basement stairs just before 11 p.m.
The report also details how some fraternity brothers carried his unconscious body upstairs to a couch. They reportedly slapped and poured water on him in an attempt to wake him up. One member expressed alarm at Piazza’s condition, but was shoved into a wall and dismissed after he urged the others to call for help.
When Piazza began to throw up, he was flipped over and pinned down with a heavy textbook-filled backpack to stop him from rolling over, and suffocating on his vomit.
The report notes that over the next few hours, he struggled to move on his own, but repeatedly stumbled, collapsed, and hit his head. The frat brothers displayed less and less concern, largely ignoring the sophomore.
At 10 a.m. the following morning, they found Piazza lying in the basement, breathing heavily with a bloody gash on his face. They spent the next 40 minutes shaking him, wiping his face, and trying to prop him up. One frat brother finally called 911 at 10:48 a.m.
Piazza died the next day from traumatic brain injuries and a ruptured spleen.
His death was initially ruled as an accident, but a grand jury investigated his case and discovered there was more to the story.
Eight fraternity brothers are being charged with involuntary manslaughter and aggravated assault, among others, while an additional 10 are facing lesser charges. The Beta Theta Pi fraternity itself is facing involuntary manslaughter, hazing and other charges.
