Penn State frat members gave pledge 18 drinks in less than 90 minutes, video shows

Mike Deak | (Bridgewater, N.J.) Courier News

Show Caption Hide Caption New charges brought forward in Penn State hazing death A slew of new charges were announced Monday — including aggravated assault and involuntary manslaughter — against former members of the Penn State fraternity accused of being involved in the hazing death of 19-year-old sophomore Timothy Piazza.

STATE COLLEGE, Pa. — Beta Theta Pi brothers gave their pledge 18 drinks in an hour and 22 minutes, surveillance video from the basement of the fraternity house shows.

The new tape led Centre County's district attorney, Stacy Parks Miller, to announce additional criminal charges Monday against frat members as a result of the investigation into deleted surveillance video from Feb. 2 when Timothy J. Piazza participated in a hazing ritual.

Twelve more Beta Theta Pi members have been charged, including five facing manslaughter charges. At least two dozen people now face charges in the case.

The uncovered footage sheds fresh light on the events that resulted in the 19-year-old's death, Jim Piazza, Tim Piazza's father, said Monday afternoon.

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"Now we know," he said, his voice often breaking as he read a prepared statement. "Justice needs to be done."

Not only does Penn State need to take a tougher stand against hazing and drinking, but the fraternity members, who said that they did not know what happened that evening, should "man up," Jim Piazza said.

The elder Piazza said fraternity members should have known the consequences of the hazing.

"Did no one pay attention in high school health class?" he asked.

With his wife by his side, Jim Piazza said this will be the first holiday season the family has spent without their son.

One defendant, a fraternity member, is accused of deleting the video as police were seeking the footage in February. When authorities initially evaluated the video footage, fraternity brothers led police to believe that the basement cameras had been inoperable the night that new pledges were going through the hazing.

Tim Piazza of Readington Township, N.J., suffered a fractured skull, shattered spleen and other injuries after falling on the basement stairs. His blood-alcohol content was estimated at several times the legal limit for adult drivers.

Fraternity members are accused of waiting several hours after his fall before calling for an ambulance.

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The house’s security system captured many of the events the night the younger Piazza was injured, footage that already had been played at a preliminary hearing for those previously charged. But until recently, that did not include the footage from the basement, where Tim Piazza was found.

After examining one of the digital video recorder surveillance boxes, State College police uncovered evidence that the basement camera video had been manually deleted just as police were poised to take possession of the recording equipment.

State College police sent the box to the FBI, whose agents were able to restore the deleted video.

The basement video clearly depicts a continuation of the hazing previously captured upstairs during a gauntlet. Brothers furnished beer to pledges at a beer pong gauntlet station and immediately handed them beers to perform another shotgun together as a pledge class.

On the video, fraternity brothers approach the pledges with alcohol, requiring them to drink wine, beer and vodka. Tim Piazza does not obtain his own alcohol at any point.

“In fact, on video, Tim Piazza does not obtain his own alcohol at any point — rather, every drink consumed was provided to him by a fraternity brother,” Miller said.

As the pledges returned to the first floor, they appeared to show signs of intoxication, and Tim Piazza had to be helped to a couch, according to the grand jury and witness testimony during the lengthy preliminary hearing.

Tim Piazza subsequently stumbled toward the basement steps then fell down them.

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.

► Evidence: Video deleted from Penn State fraternity camera, police say

► Charges: 16 students face judge in Penn State hazing death of Timothy Piazza

The video showed Tim Piazza stumbling around in the dark at several points, then disappearing from view.

After someone noticed his shoes were on the first floor the next morning, fraternity members found Tim Piazza, unconscious, in the basement.

They carried him upstairs, but it was another 40 minutes before an ambulance was called. The 19-year-old died Feb. 4 of his injuries.

The 19-year-old died Feb. 4 of his injuries.

Contributing: The Associated Press. Follow Mike Deak on Twitter: @MikeDeakMyCJ

The charges

The new defendants in the case:

• Braxton Becker. Tampering with evidence, obstructing administration of law and hindering apprehension.

• Ryan Burke. Involuntary manslaughter, aggravated assault, simple assault, reckless endangering another person, four counts of hazing, four counts of furnishing alcohol to minors and four counts of unlawful acts relative to liquor.

• Joseph Ems. Hazing, furnishing alcohol to minors, unlawful acts relative to liquor and consumption of alcohol by a minor.

• Mike Fernandez. Two counts of hazing, two counts of furnishing alcohol to minors and two counts of unlawful acts relative to liquor.

• Brian Gelb. Six counts of hazing, five counts of furnishing alcohol to minors and five counts of unlawful acts relative to liquor.

• Reggie Goeke. Hazing, furnishing alcohol to minors and unlawful acts relative to liquor.

• Patrick Jackson. Two counts of hazing, two counts of furnishing alcohol to minors and two counts of unlawful acts relative to liquor.

• Jonathan Kanzler. Involuntary manslaughter, aggravated assault, simple assault, reckless endangering another person. two counts of hazing, two counts of furnishing alcohol to minors, two counts of unlawful acts relative to liquor and one count of consumption of alcohol by a minor.

• Joshua Kurczewski. Involuntary manslaughter, aggravated assault, simple assault, reckless endangering another person, 10 counts of hazing, eight counts of furnishing alcohol to minors and eight counts of unlawful acts relative to liquor.

• Aiden O’Brien. Involuntary manslaughter, aggravated assault, simple assault, reckless endangering another person, hazing, furnishing alcohol to minors, unlawful acts relative to liquor and consumption of alcohol by a minor.

• Donald Prior. Four counts of hazing, three counts furnishing alcohol to minors and three counts of unlawful acts relative to liquor.

• Bohan Song. Involuntary manslaughter, aggravated assault, simple assault, reckless endangering another person, three counts of hazing, three counts of furnishing alcohol to minors, three counts of unlawful acts relative to liquor and one count of consumption of alcohol by a minor.

The following Beta Theta Pi members, who already have been charged, are facing new charges:

• Michael Bonatucci. Two counts counts of furnishing alcohol to minors and two counts of unlawful acts relative to liquor.

• Gary Dibilio. Five counts counts of furnishing alcohol to minors and five counts of unlawful acts relative to liquor.

• Nick Kubera. Two counts counts of furnishing alcohol to minors and two counts of unlawful acts relative to liquor.



• Luke Visser. 11 counts of furnishing alcohol to minors and 11 counts of unlawful acts relative to liquor.

• Parker Yochim. One count of furnishing alcohol to minors and one count of unlawful acts relative to liquor and one count of consumption of alcohol by a minor.