New details emerge in horrific Penn State fraternity death (ABC News)
Eighteen
Pennsylvania State University students and a former fraternity at the
school are facing charges in connection with the death of Beta Theta Pi
pledge Timothy Piazza, who died after falling down stairs at the frat
house during a pledge ceremony, a prosecutor said this morning, as she
released new details in how the deadly night unfolded.
Centre
County District Attorney Stacy Parks Miller announced the results of
the grand jury investigation this morning, three months after the Feb. 4
death of Piazza, a 19-year-old Penn State sophomore.
Eighteen Penn State students are facing charges: eight for involuntary manslaughter,
aggravated assault, reckless endangerment and hazing, among other
charges; four for reckless endangerment and hazing, among other charges;
and six for evidence tampering. The fraternity itself is facing charges
including involuntary manslaughter and hazing.
On
the morning of Feb. 3, police were called to the Beta Theta Pi
fraternity house, where Piazza was found unconscious, about 12 hours
after he fell down the stairs. Piazza was hospitalized and pronounced
dead in the early hours of Feb. 4, according to the Centre County,
Pennsylvania, grand jury investigation report released today.
Here
is how the night of Feb. 2 and early morning hours of Feb. 3 unfolded
at Beta Theta Pi, according to the report, which cited evidence
including video from surveillance cameras, testimony and phone records.
On
the night of Feb. 2, Piazza engaged in drinking as a part of a pledge
ritual and his blood alcohol content reached between .28 and .36.
His
fall was not captured on surveillance cameras but someone heard it, and
when one man went to the top of the basement stairs, he saw Piazza
lying face-down at the bottom of the steps. In a group message to other
fraternity brothers at 11:53 p.m. that night, that man wrote, "Tim
Piazza might actually be a problem. He fell 15 feet down a flight of
stairs, hair-first, going to need help."
Surveillance
video at 10:47 p.m. showed Piazza being carried upstairs by four
fraternity brothers; in the video, his body appeared limp, his eyes were
closed, he appeared unconscious and a bruise was visible on his side.
Piazza was placed on a couch and liquid was dumped on his face twice,
but he didn't respond either time.
About
a half an hour after the fall, at 11:14 p.m., a newly initiated member
saw Piazza lying on the couch, looking "horrible," he later told the
grand jury. He saw Piazza "thrashing and making weird movements on the
couch" and screamed at the fraternity brothers for help, stressing that
Piazza needed to go to the hospital because he could have a concussion.
One brother shoved the newly initiated member into a wall and said they
had it under control.
At
11:25 p.m., the pledge master slapped Piazza three times in the face.
At 11:37 p.m., one fraternity brother tackled another brother into the
couch, physically landing on top of Piazza.
By
1 a.m., some brothers saw Piazza vomit and twitch on the couch. Three
brothers filled a backpack with books and placed it on Piazza to try to
keep him from rolling to his back if he passed out. At 1:48 a.m., Piazza
rolled off the couch and to the floor, and three brothers picked him up
and "slammed him onto the couch." One brother hit Piazza hard once in
the abdomen.
By
2:38 a.m., Piazza rolled to the floor and at 3:16 p.m. his legs were
moving. At 3:22 p.m., Piazza tried to stand and the backpack came off
and he fell back, hitting his head on the hardwood floor. A fraternity
brother attempted to shake him for a moment and then left the room.
At
3:46 a.m., Piazza was curled up on the floor in the fetal position with
his knees toward his chest. At 3:49 a.m., Piazza positioned himself on
his knees, bent over with his elbows on the floor and his head in his
hands. At 3:54 a.m., he tried to stand but fell face-down onto the
floor. At 4:59 a.m., he stood and then fell head-first into an iron
railing, landing on a stone floor.
"He
gets up again and attempts to go to the front door but before he
reaches it he falls head-first into the door," the grand jury report
says. He later rolled to his side, clutching his abdomen.
At
5:15 a.m., one brother came into the room, stepped over the injured
pledge, looked at him and then left the room. At 5:26 a.m., another
brother saw Piazza on the floor and walked him to another room but
Piazza fell down three steps, and the brother stepped over him on the
floor and left him there.
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