Ex-leaders of Penn State frat where Tim Piazza fell and later died sentenced to jail time

Two former leaders of the Penn State fraternity where a pledge fell and later died after a night of excessive drinking seven years ago were sentenced Tuesday to jail time in a case that shined a national spotlight on the dangers of frat culture.

Brendan Young, 28, who was president of the now-defunct chapter of Beta Theta Pi, and Daniel Casey, 27, who was vice president and pledge master, were each sentenced by Centre County Judge Brian Marshall to two to four months in jail. They are scheduled to report Monday to the Centre County Correctional Facility.

They were also sentenced to three years of probation and 10 days of community service, half of which can be served by giving anti-hazing presentations to high schools or colleges in Centre County.

They are set to be the first to spend time behind bars in connection with the death of Timothy Piazza, a 19-year-old engineering student from New Jersey. At one point, more than two dozen men faced charges in one of the largest hazing cases in U.S. history.

Comparisons to similar cases from states with different hazing laws are difficult, but the jail time handed down by Marshall appears to be among the lengthiest. Others have faced a minimum of one month in jail.

In an uncommon move, Marshall offered extensive insight into the reasons for his sentence and used that time to criticize Young and Casey’s inability to stop what he described as a “barbarous ritual.”

“The choice to do so would’ve been no heroic act,” Marshall said. “It would’ve only met the minimum standards for being a leader.”

He later added: “These defendants planned, implemented and participated in the next round of the hazing ritual. Their failure to show leadership qualities that some say they possessed resulted in foreseeable and tragic consequences. The result of each defendant’s failure to stop the hazing ritual and their participation in it could not have had a more severe and consequential effect on the victim, Timothy Piazza.”

Jim and Evelyn Piazza had no visible reaction as Marshall announced the sentences. But in speaking with reporters outside the courtroom, they expressed gratitude for what Jim said was a “well-reasoned” sentence.

“I think his comments today were indicative of the fact that he knew this was a serious matter,” Jim Piazza said. “I appreciate that he gave it the weight that it deserved.”

Packed courtroom silenced by Tim’s harrowing night

Young and Casey each pleaded guilty in July to misdemeanors , including 14 counts of hazing and a count of reckless endangerment specific to Piazza. The hazing counts were for each member of the fraternity’s spring 2017 pledge class who were plied with alcohol.

Piazza and the other pledges were seeking to join the fraternity the night prosecutors said they were forced to drink heavily at a ceremony led by Young and Casey.

His agonizing night was captured on the house’s elaborate video system, including his fall down the basement steps that led others to carry his unconscious, 6-foot-3-inch body back upstairs.

Prosecutors played portions of the footage in court Tuesday, showing Piazza stumbling, slamming into hard objects, falling repeatedly and writhing in pain.

Packed with dozens of people, the courtroom was no louder than the hum of a refrigerator. The slightest sniffle or creak of a chair seemed thunderous.

”I have seen the video,” Evelyn Piazza said. “I have seen Tim get up and try to save himself, but he kept falling and hitting his head again and again. I have those images burned in my brain of my baby suffering alone in severe pain, trying to save himself.”

Even as what Chief Deputy Attorney General Brian Zarallo described as obvious signs of severe injuries, fraternity members took inadequate and counterproductive measures to assist Piazza. They waited nearly 12 hours to call for help.

Piazza died at a hospital from traumatic brain, spleen and lung injuries. He arrived at the fraternity eager to forge new friendships, but his blood alcohol content rose to at least triple the legal driving limit within two hours of arriving.

Young and Casey’s conduct was “inexcusable” and prioritized their lives and the fraternity over someone who was supposed to be their brother, Zarallo wrote in a memo to the judge.

“The untimely death of Timothy Piazza has robbed society of a young man who was determined to make a positive impact on the lives of people less fortunate than himself,” Zarallo wrote.

‘We miss him’

More than two dozen people submitted letters to Marshall in support of Piazza, many of them loved ones who remembered him as a smart, funny and caring person who wanted to pursue a career designing prosthetics for kids and soldiers.

His girlfriend Kaitlyn Tempalsky described him as an all-American boy who always looked out for others and had a contagious smile.

“He was someone who made a huge impact on my life and showed me what it truly means to love,” Tempalsky wrote. “To say I miss him incredibly is an understatement, I think about him every day as does his family and friends.”

Josh Zebula, who had Piazza as a roommate during his freshman and sophomore years, wrote of a friend that was there every step of the way — from studying engineering and eating together to playing video games and heading to the gym.

“Tim was one of the most kind humans that I have ever met. He treated everyone with respect, always had a positive attitude, had a great sense of humor and was incredibly smart,” Zebula wrote. “He affected people in a positive way as he always brought a smile to your face and made others feel comfortable around him. He truly is missed every day and we are all worse off without him.”

Some of the strongest language came from Beta Theta Pi CEO Jeff Rundle, who said Piazza deserved “so much more from the young men he sought to join in the name of friendship and brotherhood.”

He described the fateful night as an individual and institutional failure, as well as a betrayal of the fraternity’s values of mutual aid, integrity and trust. Tim’s death left “an indelible scar on our history,” Rundle said.

“We will forever carry the burden of knowing he suffered at the hands of those who bore the name of Beta Theta Pi,” Rundle said. “These men were once brothers who took an oath to protect each other and to act in the best interests of their peers. Their failure is a reminder to us all of the deadly consequences of hazing, carelessness and indifference.”

But among the thousands of words written by those who knew Piazza best, there was also a palpable sense of anger, heartbreak and grief.

Anger that he received little to no help from people who were supposed to become lifelong friends. Heartbreak that the last image many had of the battered Piazza was at an open-casket funeral. Grief that a promising young life was snuffed out.

“The hurt we all feel at losing Tim is profound. In nineteen years, he touched the lives of so many people. It is impossible to understand, through description alone, his charm, wit, magnetism, and kindness. Those who knew him feel very lucky and treasure having stood witness to his personality,” his older brother Mike Piazza said. “He was at the precipice at the rest of his life and was cut down over nothing. He was taken by the stupidity, arrogance, selfishness and cowardice of the fraternity brothers that night.

“There was so much in store for Tim. As we grieve him, we grieve the opportunity to see what was next for him. We miss him. We miss his laugh. His jokes. His gentleness. His loudness. Nothing can ever come close to filling the void we feel in the world now.”

Ex-leaders offer apologies to the Piazza family

Young and Casey’s defense lawyers sought leniency, arguing for sentences of probation. Neither had any prior criminal history, they were not being sentenced for causing Piazza’s death and have led productive, law-abiding lives.

A Temple alumnus, Young works in the financial technology sector in Philadelphia. He pleaded guilty at the first opportunity he had to argue for a sentence that did not include jail time, defense lawyer Julian Allatt wrote.

In what may have been his first public statement in more than 7 1/2 years, he read from a prepared statement and apologized to the Piazza family. Young told them he “cannot imagine the pain and suffering that they feel.”

He also took responsibility for facilitating — and not stopping — the hazing rituals at the fraternity. He said he was an “immature, young man” who has “deep regret” for his actions.

“I feel as if I am a completely different person, maturing from a boy to a man over the past seven years,” Young said.

Casey has since graduated from Binghamton University in New York, works as a senior consultant with a real estate advisory firm and married his longtime girlfriend, defense lawyer Steve Trialonas wrote.

He stood and turned toward the Piazza family when he delivered his apology, telling them he is “truly sorry for your loss.” Casey also said he believes he and Tim would have become friends.

“I understand the gravity of the situation,” Casey said.

More than three dozen people wrote letters to Marshall seeking leniency, including former Beta Theta Pi members who were at the fraternity the night Piazza was fatally injured.

It was not immediately clear if Young and Casey’s lawyers planned to appeal.

A legacy of meaningful change

Young and Casey were the final two fraternity members to be sentenced in the case. Some pleaded guilty to hazing and alcohol violations while others were placed into a pre-trial diversion program meant for nonviolent offenders with a limited criminal record.

Penn State banned the fraternity, which touched off years of legal wrangling.

After a three-day bench trial, Marshall ruled that a clause in a 1928 deed gave the university the right to buy back the property. Two retired judges were appointed in August as neutral arbitrators to determine a sale price.

Piazza’s death also led to the creation of Penn State’s Timothy J. Piazza Center for Fraternity and Sorority Research and a rewrite of Pennsylvania’s anti-hazing law. The stricter law made the most severe forms of hazing a felony, required schools to maintain policies to combat hazing and allowed confiscation of frat houses where hazing has occurred.

The Piazzas have also advocated for what could become the first federal anti-hazing law . Known as the Stop Campus Hazing Act, the bill passed the U.S. House of Representatives last week with bipartisan support and awaits action in the Senate.

They also founded the Timothy J. Piazza Memorial Foundation , which provides help for people who need prosthesis.

The Piazzas settled their lawsuit against Penn State. Litigation against others is ongoing.

“Our thoughts are with the Piazza family and everyone affected by this tragedy,” Pennsylvania Attorney General Michelle Henry said in a statement. “Nothing can undo the harm Tim suffered seven years ago — nothing can bring Tim back to his family and friends. With the sentences ordered today, the criminal process reached a conclusion.”