Two Penn State students who organized the hazing that killed New Jersey freshman Timothy Piazza have been sentenced to up to four months in prison.
Beta Theta Pi President Brendan Young, 28, and Vice President Daniel Casey, 27, pleaded guilty in July to 15 counts of hazing and reckless endangerment.
On Tuesday, the duo learned their fate in Center County Court in Pennsylvania. Each of them was sentenced to between two and four months in prison and have the right to work release.
Upon their release, both will serve three years of probation and perform community service.
Timothy’s father, Jim, told DailyMail.com after the sentence was handed down that he does not believe Young or Casey showed “true remorse.”
“But let’s see what their future actions are,” he said.
Timothy Piazza, 19, consumed 18 drinks in less than 90 minutes before collapsing and falling down a flight of stairs during a Beta Theta Pi hazing event at Penn State in February 2017.
Beta Theta Pi President Brendan Young pleaded guilty to 14 counts of hazing and a single count of reckless endangerment.
‘The defendants and their attorneys went from more than 7 years of blaming victims to calling themselves victims of a broken culture and blaming the system for their poor decisions and behavior.
“The lawyer felt it was more relevant to talk about the pain that they, the defendants, endured rather than accept their responsibility for Tim’s death without excuses.”
The duo were in charge of the fraternity when they organized the drinking ‘obstacle course’ that left Piazza, 19, dead from a traumatic brain injury in February 2017.
The engineering student consumed 18 drinks in 90 minutes and was knocked unconscious after falling 15 feet down a flight of stairs, but it was more than 12 hours before the alarm went off.
Jim accepted that “there are no winners” in such a tragic case, but expressed disappointment at the initial decision to dismiss several more serious charges, including manslaughter.
Young and his vice president Daniel Casey (pictured) were originally charged with more than 200 counts each, including involuntary manslaughter.
As a result, the charges to which the duo pleaded guilty were misdemeanors and limited possible reasonable sentencing options.
‘I believe that with the remaining charges that Justice Marshall had to work with, his statements after sentencing regarding the defendants’ lack of leadership and his sentence overall were well-reasoned and fair.
“We hope this ruling demonstrates that hazing to death and hazing in general is not acceptable in Center County or the state of Pennsylvania, especially with Timothy J. Piazza’s new hazing law.”
The new law was passed last week by the U.S. House of Representatives and establishes stricter punishments for hazing.
Schools are now required to enforce anti-hazing policies as part of the legislation and there are now felonies for serious injuries or deaths caused by hazing.
Piazza’s parents have spoken to thousands of students on college campuses across the country in an attempt to end hazing, and Penn State permanently banned Beta Theta Pi shortly after their son’s death, accusing it of a “persistent pattern.” ” of excessive alcohol consumption, drug use and hazing.
In total, more than 1,000 charges have been filed against 18 members in the largest criminal indictment against a fraternity and its members in U.S. history.
In total, more than 1,000 charges have been filed against 18 members of the Beta Theta Pi house (pictured), in the largest criminal indictment against a fraternity and its members in US history.
Video played in court showed Piazza collapsed shortly before 11:30 p.m., but no one came to his aid.
“There should be no discussion of this case without recognizing the tragic loss of life and the resulting devastation to Mr. Piazza’s family and friends,” said Pennsylvania Attorney General Michelle Henry.
Fourteen students were taken to the fraternity house on February 2, where they were ordered to drink repeated shots of vodka before running a ‘gauntlet’ while drinking beer, wine and playing beer pong.
Video played in court showed Piazza collapsed shortly before 11:30 p.m., but no one came to his aid.
He was then seen repeatedly collapsing while trying to crawl, rolling on the floor, vomiting in his sleep, and drifting in and out of consciousness over the course of the next eight hours.
As the hours passed, one fraternity member slammed him into a couch, another threw a beer or several beers at him, and then lay in a coma while a young man threw his shoes at the visibly intoxicated college student.
Some fraternity members had already left for class when Piazza was taken to a couch shortly after 10 a.m., but it was another 45 minutes before 911 was called.
Parents Evelyn Piazza (left) and Jim Piazza (right) have spoken to thousands of students on college campuses across the country in an effort to end hazing.
