(NewsNation) — Two former Penn State fraternity leaders were sentenced to prison Tuesday in connection with the 2017 death of pledge Timothy Piazza, who fell down the stairs after drinking heavily at a party.
A Centre County, Pennsylvania, judge ordered 28-year-old Brendan Young and 27-year-old Daniel Casey to spend two to four months in prison. Their time behind bars will be followed by three years of probation and community service, according to a news release from the Pennsylvania Attorney General’s Office.
Piazza’s parents, Jim and Evelyn Piazza, will join “Morning in America” on Friday for an exclusive interview.
What were Brendan Young, Daniel Casey accused of?
Young and Casey — both former leaders of the school’s Beta Theta Pi chapter — previously pleaded guilty to 14 counts of hazing and a single count of reckless endangerment. They were the last two criminal defendants sentenced in the case that prompted Pennsylvania lawmakers to crack down on hazing.
More than two dozen fraternity members faced a variety of charges at one point. More than a dozen pleaded guilty to hazing and alcohol violations. Others entered a diversion program designed for first-time, nonviolent offenders.
What happened at the party?
Piazza, a 19-year-old engineering student from Lebanon, New Jersey, and 13 other pledges were seeking to join the fraternity the night he consumed at least 18 drinks in less than two hours, The Associated Press reported.
Security cameras captured Piazza’s final hours, including a fall down the basement steps that required others to carry him back upstairs. He showed signs of severe pain as he spent the night on a first-floor couch.
Help was called the next morning. Piazza suffered severe head and abdominal injuries and died at a hospital. Penn State has since banned the fraternity.
“Nothing can undo the harm Tim suffered seven years ago — nothing can bring Tim back to his family and friends,” Pennsylvania Attorney General Michelle Henry said in a statement.
Prosecutors were unable to secure more serious charges, including involuntary manslaughter and aggravated assault, in connection with Piazza’s death. However, the young man’s family helped pass the Timothy Piazza Anti–Hazing Law, which includes a felony-graded offense in cases that result in serious injury or death.
