In 2017, two former Penn State fraternity leaders, Brendan Young and Daniel Casey, pleaded guilty to charges related to the hazing death of sophomore Timothy Piazza. Young was the president and Casey was the vice president of Beta Theta Pi when 14 pledges participated in a drinking obstacle course as part of their acceptance bid. The fraternity, which was supposed to be alcohol-free due to a suspension eight years prior, had the pledges consume large quantities of alcohol through various activities.
During the hazing event, Piazza, who was on an empty stomach, consumed a significant amount of alcohol and was later left unsupervised on a couch. With his blood alcohol content reaching dangerous levels, Piazza stumbled around the house before falling down the basement stairs around 11 p.m. He sustained serious internal injuries from the fall and was not taken to the hospital until the next morning, where he later died from a ruptured spleen and hemorrhagic shock.
Young and Casey each pleaded guilty to 14 counts of hazing and one count of reckless endangerment, all misdemeanors. They were involved in facilitating the hazing event, with Casey serving as the pledge master at the time of the incident. State prosecutors appealed an order that cellphone evidence couldn’t be used in the case, which contributed to the length of the criminal prosecution process.
Pennsylvania Attorney General Michelle Henry emphasized the tragic loss of Piazza’s life and the devastation caused to his family and friends. Piazza, like many college students, was simply seeking to join a social organization for community and shared experiences. His untimely death led to the university banning the fraternity order from campus and suspending all Greek life parties with alcohol.
Following Piazza’s death, his family played a crucial role in passing the Timothy Piazza Antihazing Law in the state legislature. This law includes a felony-graded offense when serious injury or death results from hazing practices. The two former fraternity leaders are scheduled to be sentenced on October 1. The case highlights the dangers of hazing practices within college fraternities and the need for stricter laws and regulations to prevent similar tragedies from occurring in the future.
