Eighteen members of a now-shuttered fraternity at Penn State University and the frat itself are facing criminal charges in the death of a student who was fatally injured in a fall during an alcohol-fueled pledge night.
A grand jury investigation revealed that the budding sportsman was taking part in a ritual known as "the gauntlet" where students are urged into drinking vodka, beer and wine whilst playing beer pong.
The charges include aggravated assault, hazing, furnishing alcohol to minors and consumption of alcohol by a minor, said Centre County District Attorney Stacy Parks Miller. He died on February 4 as a result of a traumatic brain injury, officials said.
The pledges were pressured to run a "gauntlet" of drinking stations that required them to drink vodka, beer and wine.
After his initial fall, members of the fraternity moved him to a couch "and hovered over him for hours" but did not seek emergency help until the next morning, about 12 hours later, Parks Miller said, though injuries were visible to his stomach and head.
Though the recording does not show the 19-year-old pledge's fatal falls down a flight of fraternity house steps during a February 2 pledge initiation ritual just off campus, its depictions of the aftermath may be the most crucial piece of evidence in one of the largest hazing prosecutions in the nation's history. They also saw a frat brother pushed up against a wall when he suggested getting help right after Piazza fell.
The investigation found some frat members tried to hide what happened.
Brothers allegedly later deleted text messages and covered up evidence, prosecutors say.
Piazza's father, Jim Piazza, blamed a "flagrant disregard" for the law and said the death "didn't have to happen".
"For anyone looking across the national landscape, you realize that we have a national problem that is associated with excessive drinking", Barron said.
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Scott Walker has rebuffed calls to fire Clarke over Thomas' death, saying that it is up to voters to remove him if they wish. In 2014, about 80 percent of local jails nationwide reported no deaths, according to Bureau of Justice Statistics report .
Eight Penn State students and the Beta Theta Pi fraternity were charged Friday with involuntary manslaughter. Those findings, which Penn State's president calls "sickening", were released Friday.
Barron says it's "numbing" to see that a unsafe atmosphere could occur at a fraternity that prided itself on commitment to each other and the community.
Security footage from the house was used during the investigation, which appears to contradict the defense's claims.
Authorities say Piazza repeatedly fell down stairs while he had toxic levels of alcohol in his body. Videos show Piazza unable to open a door and needing help to walk.
He was found at the bottom of the steps after apparently falling face-first. The charges were laid after recommendations were made by a grand jury.
The grand jury was quick to look beyond Beta Theta Pi when placing blame in their report, writing that Piazza's tragic death was the "direct fault" of Penn State's entire Greek community.
A fraternity brother told him they had it under control and shoved him aside.
In an interview with "Good Morning America" that aired Sunday, Beta Theta Pi brother Kordel Davis says despite his repeated pleas to call 911, no one did. He fell onto a stone floor at 5 a.m. and was last caught on video after 7 a.m.
"Timothy was lying on his back with his arms clenched tight at his sides and his hands in the air", jurors wrote.
"I have a friend who knows someone from the fraternity who was one of the ones who got off easy, I think he's just being charged with tampering with evidence or something like that". Bail for them was set at $50,000 and they also were released on their own recognizance, with the same conditions.
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