Investigators on Monday said they recovered deleted security camera footage taken inside a Penn State fraternity house and had filed dozens of new charges in the death of a pledge who consumed a dangerous amount of alcohol and suffered fatal injuries.
Centre County District Attorney Stacy Parks Miller said the new evidence enabled police to determine that Beta Theta Pi pledge Tim Piazza had been given at least 18 drinks over less than 90 minutes.
Piazza, a 19-year-old engineering student from Lebanon, New Jersey, was found to have suffered a fractured skull, shattered spleen and other injuries. His blood-alcohol content was estimated at several times the legal limit for adult drivers.
Miller said the new footage was the basis for charges against 10 additional defendants, as well as seven who had been charged previously. One defendant, a fraternity member, is accused of deleting the video as police were seeking the footage in February.
At least two dozen people now face charges in the case.
The house's security system captured many of the events the night Piazza was injured, footage that had already been played at a preliminary hearing for those charged previously. But until recently, that did not include the basem*nt, where Piazza was found the next morning.
The lead detective had said the cameras in the basem*nt did not record the night of Feb. 2-3, according to a grand jury, but Miller said the detective pursued the question further and got help from the FBI to restore the missing footage.
Piazza and other pledges convened in the basem*nt, which housed a bar, for about an hour after completing what was called "the gauntlet," a series of stations inside the fraternity house where they were instructed to quickly down beer and wine.
A news release from Miller said the basem*nt video "clearly depicts a continuation of the hazing activity previously captured upstairs at the gauntlet," including giving pledges beer, wine and vodka.
"In fact, on video, Tim Piazza does not obtain his own alcohol at any point — rather, every drink consumed was provided to him by a fraternity brother," she said in the news release.
As they returned to the first floor, the pledges appeared to show signs of intoxication, and Piazza had to be helped to a couch, according to the grand jury and witness testimony during a lengthy preliminary hearing.
Piazza subsequently stumbled toward the basem*nt steps, then fell down them.
Over the rest of that evening, fraternity members were recorded pouring liquid on him, strapping a loaded backpack to him and taking other ineffective or counterproductive steps to deal with his condition.
The video showed Piazza stumbling around in the dark at several points, then disappearing from view.
After someone noticed his shoes were on the first floor the next morning, fraternity members located Piazza, unconscious, in the basem*nt.
They carried him back upstairs, but it was another 40 minutes before an ambulance was summoned.
According to a news release from the Centre County District Attorney's Office, here are the names of the new defendants and their charges:
- Joshua Kurczewski:involuntary manslaughter, aggravated assault, simple assault, reckless endangering another person, hazing, furnishing alcohol to minors, and unlawful acts relative to liquor.
- Ryan Burke:involuntary manslaughter, aggravated assault, simple assault, reckless endangering another person, hazing, furnishing alcohol to minors, and unlawful acts relative to liquor.
- Jonathan Kanzler:involuntary manslaughter, aggravated assault, simple assault, reckless endangering another person, hazing, furnishing alcohol to minors, unlawful acts relative to liquor and consumption of alcohol by a minor.
- Bohan Song:involuntary manslaughter, aggravated assault, simple assault, reckless endangering another person, hazing, furnishing alcohol to minors, unlawful acts relative to liquor and consumption of alcohol by a minor.
- Aiden O'Brien:involuntary manslaughter, aggravated assault, simple assault, reckless endangering another person, hazing, furnishing alcohol to minors, unlawful acts relative to liquor and consumption of alcohol by a minor.
- Joseph Ems:hazing, furnishing alcohol to minors and unlawful acts relative to liquor.
- Brian Gelb:hazing, furnishing alcohol to minors and unlawful acts relative to liquor.
- Patrick Jackson:hazing, furnishing alcohol to minors, and unlawful acts relative to liquor.
- Reggie Goeke:hazing, furnishing alcohol to minors, and unlawful acts relative to liquor.
- Mike Fernandez: hazing, furnishing alcohol to minors, and unlawful acts relative to liquor.
- Donald Prior: hazing, furnishing alcohol to minors and unlawful acts relative to liquor.
- Braxton Becker:tampering with evidence, obstructing administration of law and hindering apprehension.
In addition to those who face new charges, some defendants now face additional charges, a news release states. They are:
- Luke Visser: furnishing alcohol to minors and unlawful acts relative to liquor.
- Gary Dibilio: furnishing alcohol to minors and unlawful acts relative to liquor.
- Nick Kubera: furnishing alcohol to minors and unlawful acts relative to liquor.
- Michael Bonatucci: furnishing alcohol to minorsand unlawful acts relative to liquor.
- Parker Yochim: furnishing alcohol to minors, unlawful acts relative to liquor and consumption of alcohol by a minor.
Previous coverage:
- Frat, 18 of its members charged in Penn State student's death
- Frat members seek dismissal in Penn State pledge death case
