Arraignments completed in the Timothy Piazza hazing death case

Eight more Penn State students, all members of the now-closed Beta Theta Pi house on campus, voluntarily surrendered Tuesday on criminal charges stemming from the Feb. 4 hazing-related death of Beta pledge Timothy Piazza, 19, of Lebanon, N.J.

All were released on unsecured bail pending further court action with the following conditions: No alcohol consumption or non-prescribed drugs; no travel outside of Pennsylvania (or the defendant's home state) unless expressly approved by the court; no contact with any other witnesses or defendants in the case.

A preliminary hearing has been tentatively scheduled for May 17.

Don't Edit

File photo

Beta Theta Pi: From Chapter of Excellence to House of Horror

To make a point about persistent acts of hazing that, in their view, set the stage for the fatal accident that led to the death of sophomore pledge Timothy Piazza, prosecutors have filed multiple counts of criminal hazing and furnishing alcohol to minors charges against the Beta Theta Pi fraternity at Penn State as an entity.

Fraternities charged with crimes face fines and possibly community service requirements, though in this case - given Penn State's closure of the Beta house this winter, the only realistic outcome from a conviction of the entity is fines.

Don't Edit

Brendan Young, Jr., president of the chapter is one of the 18 charged in the Beta Theta Pi hazing investigation and the charges regarding the death of Penn State student Timothy Piazza Centre County Court in Bellefonte, Pa., Friday May 5, 2017. DAVID SWANSON | Philly.com

David Swanson

Brendan Young, the president

Young, 21, of Malvern, has served as Beta Theta Pi president since November 2016. He was present at the Feb. 2, 2017 bid acceptance event where 14 pledges, including Piazza, ran the “gauntlet” in which they consumed large amounts of vodka, wine and beer in just about two minutes.

That was before a general party at which the pledges, several witnesses said, were encouraged to drink.

Young had also helped to run the gauntlet as a pledge master in earlier semesters, and he's also accused of trying to orchestrate a coverup after Piazza’s next-day removal to the hospital.

Ironically, less than one month prior to the bid acceptance night, Young sent an email to a fraternity brother saying: “I know you know this. If anything goes wrong with the pledges this semester then both of us are [expletive].”

Don't Edit

Young is charged with:

Involuntary manslaughter

Aggravated assault

Simple assault

Tampering with evidence

Recklessly endangering another person, 50 counts (representing three separate pledge classes in 2016 and 2017)

Hazing, 50 counts

Furnishing alcohol to minors, 48 counts

Unlawful acts relative to liquor

Don't Edit

Daniel Casey is one of the 18 charged in the Beta Theta Pi hazing investigation and the charges regarding the death of Penn State student Timothy Piazza Centre County Court in Bellefonte, Pa., Friday May 5, 2017. DAVID SWANSON | Philly.com

David Swanson

Daniel Casey, the pledge master

Daniel Casey, 19, of Ronkonkoma, N.Y., was the chapter's pledge master, who shared responsibility for bringing the new members into the fold.

He also helped plan the drinking gauntlet the pledges were put through the night of Piazza's fatal fall. Casey was seen on fraternity surveillane cameras slapping an unconscious Piazza in the face, apparently trying to rouse him, at about 11:45 that night.

Medical help for Piazza was not summoned until after 10 the next morning, prosecutors say.

Don't Edit

Don't Edit

Casey is charged with:

Involuntary manslaughter, 1 count

Aggravated assault, 1 count

Simple assault, 1 count

Tampering with evidence, 1 count

Recklessly endangering another person, 50 counts

Hazing, 50 counts

Furnishing alcohol to minors, 48 counts

Unlawful acts relative to liquor, 48 counts

Don't Edit

Photo by Joe Hermitt, PennLive

Jonah Neuman, fraternity brother

Jonah Neuman, 19, of Nashville, Tenn., participated in the gauntlet and is portrayed in the grand jury report as forcefully overruling another brother’s early suggestion that Piazza be taken to the hospital.

Neuman, a high school wrestling standout seen here in a high school photo, was captured pushing his fellow fraternity brother Kordel Davis into a wall. At the time, Davis told grand jurors, Neuman told him to leave, and that "they had it under control."

Don't Edit

He is charged with:

Involuntary manslaughter, 1 count

Aggravated assault, 1 count

Simple assault, 1 count

Recklessly endangering another person, 14 counts

Hazing, 14 counts

Furnishing alcohol to minors, 12 counts

Unlawful acts relative to liquor, 12 counts

Disorderly conduct, 1 count

Don't Edit

Photo by Joe Hermitt, PennLive

Nick Kubera, ran 'shotgun' station, report says

Nick Kubera, 19, of Downingtown, was another participant in the alcohol-fueled gauntlet where the pledges were forced to drink beer, wine and vodka excessively and at a very fast rate, according to the grand jury presentment.

Kubera, specifically, was handing the pledges beers to "shotgun," a method of chugging a beer in which a hole is punctured in the side of a can, the top is opened to create airflow, and the beer is consumed from the side, the report said.

Don't Edit

He is charged with:

Involuntary manslaughter, 1 count

Aggravated assault, 1 count

Simple assault, 1 count

Recklessly endangering another person, 14 counts

Hazing, 14 counts

Furnishing alcohol to minors, 12 counts

Unlawful acts relative to liquor, 12 counts

Don't Edit

Don't Edit

Photo by Joe Hermitt, PennLive

Michael Bonatucci, another 'shotgunner'?

Michael Bonatucci, 19 of Woodstock, Ga., was a fraternity brother who helped serve pledges beers during the gauntlet, according to the grand jury presentment.

Don't Edit

He is charged with:

Involuntary manslaughter, 1 count

Aggravated assault, 1 count

Simple assault, 1 count

Recklessly endangering another person, 14 counts

Hazing, 14 counts

Furnishing alcohol to minors, 12 counts

Unlawful acts relative to liquor, 12 counts

Don't Edit

Photo by Joe Hermitt, PennLive

Gary Dibileo, ran wine station: grand jury

Dibileo, 21, of Scranton, ran the wine station that was part of the gauntlet for Timothy Piazza's pledge class.

In fairness to DiBileo, there is also a reference in the presentment to a point later in the evening - well after Piazza's fall - in which Beta brother Greg Rizzo said that DiBileo and he had, like Davis before them, advocated for calling for an ambulance.

They were told by brother Ryan Foster that Piazza would be fine "as this typically occurs on bid acceptance night."

Don't Edit

He is charged with:

Involuntary manslaughter, 1 count

Aggravated assault, 1 count

Simple assault, 1 count

Recklessly endangering another person, 14 counts

Hazing, 14 counts

Furnishing alcohol to minors, 12 counts

Unlawful acts relative to liquor, 12 counts

Don't Edit

Photo by Joe Hermitt, PennLive

Luke Visser, beer pong official?

Luke Visser, 19, of Encinitas, Calif., admitted to running a beer pong station during the pledge night activities, where he said 12 of the 14 pledges were required to drink, according to the grand jury report.

Visser, later in the report, was also identified as likely the first person to have noticed Piazza's fall down steps leading into the fraternity's basement party rooms.

Don't Edit

Don't Edit

He is charged with:

Involuntary manslaughter, 1 count

Aggravated assault, 1 count

Simple assault, 1 count

Recklessly endangering another person, 14 counts

Hazing, 14 counts

Furnishing alcohol to minors, 12 counts

Unlawful acts relative to liquor, 12 counts

Don't Edit

Photo by Joe Hermitt, PennLive

Joseph Sala, the assistant pledge master

Sala, 19, of Erie, was an assistant pledge master who also participated in the gauntlet.

Don't Edit

He is charged with:

Involuntary manslaughter, 1 count

Aggravated assault, 1 count

Simple assault, 1 count

Recklessly endangering another person, 14 counts

Hazing, 14 counts

Furnishing alcohol to minors, 12 counts

Unlawful acts relative to liquor, 12 counts

Don't Edit

Photo by Dan Gleiter, PennLive

Michael Schiavone, the "risk manager"

Michael Schiavone, 21, of Yardley, was the fraternity's vice president of risk management and its social chairman this spring.

Schiavone is the chapter officer identified in the report as collecting funds from brothers for alcohol purchases, directing Heimer to purchase alcohol, and going with Heimer to pick up the beer and wine for the pledge night.

Don't Edit

He is charged with:

Recklessly endangering another person, 14 counts

Hazing, 14 counts

Furnishing alcohol to minors, 12 counts

Unlawful acts relative to liquor, 12 counts

Don't Edit

Don't Edit

Photo by Joe Hermitt, PennLive

Craig Heimer, ready to be carded

Craig Heimer, 21, of Port Matilda, was a Beta brother who, being of age, was able to make liquor runs. Heimer told the grand jury that he purchased most of the alcohol for the bid acceptance night.

According to collected receipts, the fraternity spent $1,179.30 for the bid night festivities.

Don't Edit

He is charged with:

Recklessly endangering another person, 14 counts

Hazing, 14 counts

Furnishing alcohol to minors, 12 counts

Unlawful acts relative to liquor, 12 counts

Don't Edit

Photo by David Swanson, Philly.com

Jax Yochim, rush committee member

Don't Edit

Yochim is charged with:

Recklessly endangering another person, 14 counts

Hazing, 14 counts

Furnishing alcohol to minors, 12 counts

Unlawful acts relative to liquor, 12 counts

Don't Edit

Photo by Dan Gleiter, of PennLive

Lars Kenyon, rush committee member

Lars Kenyon, 19, and from Barrington, R.I., was a member of the Beta house Rush Committee that helped recruit Timothy Piazza's pledge class. He was also involved, text messages show, in inventorying alcohol for the bid acceptance party.

Don't Edit

Don't Edit

Kenyon is charged with:

Recklessly endangering another person, 14 counts

Hazing, 14 counts

Furnishing alcohol to minors, 12 counts

Unlawful acts relative to liquor, 12 counts

Don't Edit

Photo by David Swanson, of Philly.com

Braxton Becker, the house manager

Braxton Becker, 20, of Niskayuna, N.Y., is accused of participating in directing several Beta members to delete evidence on cell phones and social media formats. He is charged with one count of tampering with evidence for that.

Don't Edit

Becker also made headlines in February when he was arrested for selling marijuana, in an investigation that had apparently begun even before Piazza's death.

Don't Edit

Photo by David Swanson, of Philly.com

Ed Gilmartin, the vice president

Gilmartin, a 20-year-old from Scranton, is cited in the grand jury presentment as joining Neuman in dismissing one brother’s pleas to call an ambulance for Piazza.

According to the report, he also testified to efforts to delete messages about the Piazza incident from a "GroupMe" application that certain fraternity members used, and he texted Casey, in the hours after Piazza was taken to the hospital, to "make sure the pledges keep quiet about last night and this situation."

"They know," Casey replied.

Don't Edit

Gilmartin is charged with one count of tampering with evidence.

Don't Edit

Don't Edit

Photo by Dan Gleiter, of PennLive

Ryan McCann, the 9-1-1 caller

Ryan McCann, 21, of Pittsburgh, is accused of helping try to dress Piazza prior to the EMS crew's arrival at the Beta house on the morning of Feb. 3, so he “looked better” to outsiders. He is charged with one count of tampering with evidence.

Don't Edit

Recordings of McCann's call to Centre County emergency dispatchers were released publicly earlier this week.

"We have a friend who's unconscious," he's heard telling the call-taker. ""He hasn't moved, he has cold extremities... Probably going to need an ambulance."

Don't Edit

Photo by Dan Gleiter, of PennLive

Joseph Ems, the inviter

Joseph Ems, 20, of Philadelphia, was captured on surveillance camera punching Piazza, who was passed out on a couch, in the stomach with his right hand. The presentment doesn't offer a motive, but doctors testified that it could have exacerbated Piazza's spleen injury.

He is charged with reckless endangerment.

Don't Edit

Ems is also identified in the presentment as having been the Beta brother who invited prospective pledges to the house for various rush events, specifically telling them to "wear a watch over your rush band" to keep violations of what was supposed to be a dry process on the down-low.

Don't Edit

Photo by DAVID SWANSON / Philly.com

Lucas Rockwell, fraternity member

Lucas Rockwell, 20, of Bolling Air Force Base, Washington, D.C., is also accused trying to help dress Piazza before the ambulance crew’s arrival. He is charged with one count of tampering with evidence.

Don't Edit

Don't Edit

Photo by DAVID SWANSON / Philly.com

Ryan Foster, charged with tampering

Ryan Foster, 21, of Bedford, Mass., is accused of participating in the clean-up of evidence at the fraternity house before police arrived. He’s also charged with one count of tampering with evidence.

Don't Edit

Prosecutors have noted that Foster's case shows that brothers weren't charged simply for not intervening, or not understanding the severity of Piazza's injuries.

The presentment notes, for example, that in response to a 2:19 a.m. text from Beta brother Greg Rizzo that Piazza should be taken to the hospital, Foster told Rizzo he was being "over-dramatic."

At another point, Foster was reported to have said Piazza "would be fine, as this typically occurs on bid acceptance night."

Don't Edit

Read more

'No parent should have to go through this': father of Penn State frat fall victim

Penn State's message to fraternities: 'You violate the rules, you're history'

A night of shrugging it off: Cameras show some care, concern, but no action