Death of Tim Piazza

The Penn State fraternity hazing scandal involves a case related to Timothy John Piazza (September 25, 1997 – February 4, 2017) who died as the result of hazing at the Beta Theta Pi fraternity at Pennsylvania State University at University Park, Pennsylvania.

The incident led to closure of the fraternity's chapter at the university, and at least 26 members of the fraternity had charges of involuntary manslaughter dropped by a presiding judge.

The scandal led to the largest criminal indictment against a fraternity and its members in American history.

More than 1,000 counts were levied against 18 members of Beta Theta Pi, including eight who were charged with involuntary manslaughter and aggravated assault.

Additional charges were added later.

Piazza's death became a turning point for America's fraternities.

In 2005, Penn State alumnus Don Abbey, a member of Joe Paterno's first ever Penn State Nittany Lions football scholarship class and s Beta Theta Pi alumnus, donated $1.2 million to renovate the Beta Theta Pi house.

In 2006, Abbey raised another $3.5 million in renovation funds.

The renovation was lauded by Paterno and his wife, Sue Paterno.

Throughout the renovation process, fraternity brothers smashed holes in the walls with baseball bats, leading Abbey to predict future damage to the property.

He was a staunch critic of hazing.

Due to the toxic culture he found in Beta Theta Pi, he installed an extensive video surveillance system to ensure he would be notified if an emergency situation ever occurred on the property.

The Penn State chapter of Beta Theta Pi was known to have a deep history of hazing.

Brothers once held a party on their front porch, yelling racial slurs at an African American Penn State student as he walked past the house.

The house was once banned for having a front yard littered with used condoms along with hot sauce covering the entire Great Hall.

The fraternity was supposed to be alcohol-free after a suspension in 2009.

In September 2016, Kordel Davis, a Beta Theta Pi pledge, was driven to a clinic after a night of hazing that left a gash on his head.

A fraternity brother nicknamed "Pajamas" saw Davis in a desperate state, and Davis asked "Pajamas" to drive him back to his dorm room.

"Pajamas" texted Pledge Master Brendan Young this information, and Young replied, "Who? Cordell [sic]. Not worth it."

Several students accepted a bid to join Penn State’s Beta Theta Pi in the Spring of 2017, including Tim Piazza, a 19-year-old sophomore engineering student at Pennsylvania State University.

He was a pledge of the Beta Theta Pi fraternity at the university.

On the night of February 2, 2017, while undergoing hazing activities for the fraternity, Piazza, on an essentially empty stomach, drank large amounts of alcohol in a short time as part of an obstacle course called "The Gauntlet", which required each pledge to drink from a bottle of vodka, drink a beer, and finally drink from a bag of wine.

It later was revealed that Piazza took prescription anti-depressants, which contributed to his inebriation.

St. Moritz Security Services failed to shut the party down, despite sending investigators to the house on February 2, 2017, and maintaining knowledge that Beta was supposed to remain alcohol free.

In this state of intoxication, Piazza fell on the basement stairs of the house, knocking him unconscious.

He was carried to a couch, where surveillance cameras captured a conspicuous bruise that bloomed on his left abdomen; however, this was shown to have originated from another one of the alcohol-fueled rush events for fraternities that Piazza had attended a week earlier.

Jonah Neuman, Lars Kenyon, and Edward Gilmartin colluded in prohibiting witnesses from calling 9-1-1.

Neuman threw someone against a wall, Gilmartin labeled witnesses crazy and insane, whilst Kenyon downplayed the concerns of witnesses in group chats.

Some time later, Piazza regained consciousness and rolled off the couch.

Three brothers picked him up and placed him back on the couch.

Security footage shows them poking Piazza in the face, to determine if he was okay, but he remained unconscious and unresponsive.

Kordel Davis, a newly initiated fraternity chapter member, attempted to render aid to Piazza, encouraging fraternity members to dial 9-1-1 and get an ambulance to the house.

He was shoved up against a wall and his attempts were ignored.

At around 3:30 am on February 3, 2017, Piazza tried to get up, but once he reached a standing position, fell backward.

He continued to stand up only to repeatedly fall back down.

Once he was finally able to maintain balance, he staggered toward the lobby area of the house, but fell again headfirst into an iron railing and landed on a stone floor, likely incurring serious head trauma.

He got up and tried to reach the front door but fell headfirst into it, knocking himself unconscious again.

He later tried once more to ascend the basement stairs and was missing until several of the fraternity brothers discovered him several hours later behind the bar in the basement, cold and breathing rapidly.

It was at this point that he was carried upstairs.

After several minutes of debating on what the next step should be, the conclusion was made that Piazza's injuries were indeed serious and that he would require medical attention.