Judge Drops Serious Charges Against Penn State Fraternity Members Linked To Timothy Piazza’s Death

This just in. A judge has dismissed the more serious charges against Penn State fraternity members linked to the death of Timothy Piazza. For those who need a refresher, Piazza was the victim of a hazing incident. Long story short, he drank way too much alcohol, slipped down a staircase and fell unconscious. Some fraternity members eventually moved him to a couch but didn’t really seem too concerned about his health. He fell in and out of consciousness and it was CLEAR he needed medical attention, but fraternity members continued to hesitate. They didn’t call emergency services until hours after the initial fall.

Doctors were unable to save him.

On Friday, a judge dismissed the more serious charges against the fraternity members involved in the case.

District Justice Allen Sinclair made his ruling Friday over whether prosecutors have put on enough evidence to send the charges against the now-shuttered Beta Theta Pi fraternity and 16 former members to county court for trial.

 

In all, 18 fraternity brothers faced charges that for some included involuntary manslaughter and aggravated assault, while others are charged with less serious allegations. Two defendants waived the hearing.

 

Eight faced the most serious charges of involuntary manslaughter and aggravated assault, but the judge on Friday dropped those charges.

 

Four of the defendants who were charged with single counts had their cases dismissed, but the rest were ordered to stand trial on the remaining charges including reckless endangerment, hazing and tampering with evidence.

 

Fourteen fraternity brothers are now headed to trial in the case.

 

“Obviously now the teeth have really been taken out of the commonwealth’s case,” defense attorney Michael Engle said.

The defense argued that “students had little reason to anticipate tragic results from a night that also included an alcohol-fueled social mixer with a sorority group.”

“Yes, there’s excessive drinking on college campuses,” defense attorney Theodore Simon argued Thursday. “That does not transform it into criminal behavior.”

 

Parks Miller said many of the defense arguments would be more suitable for a jury to consider. She disputed a suggestion that defendants would not have known of the danger because no one had died during the fraternity chapter’s long history.

 

“As far as this idea, ‘Well, nobody died before,’ do they really think they get a free death before someone is held responsible?” Parks Miller told the judge.

 

Defense attorney Michael Engle argued that “the voluntariness of the drinking” is an important factor when considering Piazza’s fate.

 

“What we have is evidence from this record that this tragic death was simply not foreseeable here,” Engle said.

Reactions:

That’s terrible. Those boys should be in jail

— Marjorie Harrold (@MrsSparkleFab) September 1, 2017

Show of hands…anybody surprised?

— Ron DeBose (@rdebose1) September 1, 2017

Ohh noooo this is horrible

— KatRemainsTheKat (@thekat0711) September 1, 2017

that is crap.

— willshebelate4 (@thcinemashow) September 1, 2017

Incomprehensible

— STEVE CHELOTTI ❄️ (@schelotti_67) September 1, 2017

Omg…

— Mrs Alicia M. Cook, (@mamamon01) September 1, 2017

No one is responsible? If you see someone dying, you’re not legally (or morally) obligated to call for help????

— shekoi (@sherrillkoithan) September 1, 2017

It’s pretty outrageous to me.

Your thoughts?

h/t CBS News