BELOW SUPERNAV drop zone ⇩

Frat hazing death: Timothy Piazza’s parents say ‘changes are happening’

  • Timothy Piazza died in 2017 after drinking and falling at a frat party
  • At least two dozen members were charged at one point
  • Seven years after his death, Piazza's parents say they grieve daily

MAIN AREA TOP drop zone ⇩

MAIN AREA TOP drop zone ⇩

ovp test

mLife Diagnostics LLC: Oral Fluid Drug Testing

Male shot by female at Shreveport apartment

Class to create biodiverse backyard

Rules for outbursts at Caddo School Board Meeting

(NewsNation) — The parents of Timothy Piazza, a former Penn State student who died after a hazing at a fraternity party, are confronted with their son’s death in new ways each day.

Jim and Evelynn Piazza joined “Morning in America” on Friday — three days after a judge ordered prison time for the two ex-fraternity leaders charged in Timothy Piazza’s death.

The case’s closure has delivered at least some relief, the parents said. The criminal justice system was, at times, grueling and disappointing for Piazza’s family. Although the past seven years have raised awareness and influenced legislation around hazing, nothing hasn’t softened the reality of waking up each day without their youngest son.

“I never thought that I would be this person, but I am no longer able to forgive,” Evelynn Piazza said. “I have seen too much. I have seen the video. I am too educated now in the ways of hazing. And I know that hazing is always done with the intent to cause harm in some way.”

Timothy Piazza died after drinking and falling down the stairs at a Feb. 2, 2017 fraternity party at Pennsylvania State University.

The 19-year-old engineering student from Lebanon, New Jersey, was among a group of 14 pledges hoping to join the Beta Theta Pi fraternity. On the night of the party, he had 18 drinks in less than two hours and fell multiple times while trying to complete an “obstacle course” as part of his initiation, The Associated Press reported.

The fraternity leaders knew what they were doing and knew that someone would get hurt, Evelynn Piazza said.

“When they did cause harm, they did nothing to help my son — (any) of them,” she said. “All of the attendees there that day. All of the fraternity brothers. All of the sorority that was attending… I’m not able to forgive anymore.”

Security cameras captured Timothy Piazza’s final hours, including a fall down the basement steps. Other partygoers carried him back up the stairs and he showed signs of severe pain as he spent the night on a first-floor couch.

No one called for help until the next morning when Piazza was found unconscious with severe head and abdominal injuries.

“They had so many opportunities to right their wrong,” Jim Piazza said. “Instead, they covered it and they prevented other people from getting Tim the help that he needed — and had he gotten it, he would have survived, according to the doctor. So, it’s hard to forgive.”

The former fraternity president and vice president, 28-year-old Brendan Young and 27-year-old Daniel Casey, will spend two to four months in prison, followed by three years of probation and community service.

The sentence was fair, Jim Piazza said. But he wishes they had been charged with harsher crimes.

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.

Prosecutors were unable to secure more serious charges, including involuntary manslaughter and aggravated assault. 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.

“This has happened quite a bit,” Jim Piazza said. “There’s a number of other parents that are dealing with what we’re dealing with…There is an awareness that’s being created. And I believe changes are happening. Not quick enough for us. But changes are happening.”

Crime

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed

 

MAIN AREA MIDDLE drop zone ⇩

Trending on NewsNation

MAIN AREA BOTTOM drop zone ⇩

tt

KC Chiefs parade shooting: 1 dead, 21 shot including 9 kids | Morning in America

Witness of Chiefs parade shooting describes suspect | Banfield

Kansas City Chiefs parade shooting: Mom of 2 dead, over 20 shot | Banfield

WWE star Ashley Massaro 'threatened' by board to keep quiet about alleged rape: Friend | Banfield

Friend of WWE star: Ashley Massaro 'spent hours' sobbing after alleged rape | Banfield

Clear

la

49°F Clear Feels like 49°
Wind
0 mph ENE
Humidity
30%
Sunrise
Sunset

Tonight

A few clouds. Low 48F. Winds light and variable.
48°F A few clouds. Low 48F. Winds light and variable.
Wind
5 mph NE
Precip
5%
Sunset
Moon Phase
Waxing Gibbous