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U.S. NEWS Monday 9 July 2018
Sprawling Penn State

hazing death case

grinds through courts

By MARK SCOLFORO peaked at three or four
Associated Press times the legal limit for driv-
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — ing.
The sprawling criminal case ANOTHER MULTIDAY PRE-
against former members LIMINARY HEARING
of a Penn State fraternity Centre County’s president
over the death of a pledge judge, Pamela Ruest, last
last year is about to pick week granted a request In this May 5, 2017, file photo, Jim and Evelyn Piazza, center,
up steam with yet another by the attorney general’s stand by as Centre County, Pa., prosecutors discuss an
preliminary hearing on the office to reinstate charges investigation into the death of their son Tim Piazza, seen in photo
horizon, as well as the first against eight defendants, at right, during a news conference in Bellefonte, Pa.
sentencing. including involuntary man- Associated Press
Twenty-five members of slaughter counts against A pretrial conference for hazing, making the most
shuttered Beta Theta Pi five of them. about the status of those severe cases felonies and
face charges related to She scheduled a five-day charges is scheduled for allowing for confiscation
the February 2017 death preliminary hearing starting July 16. of fraternity houses where
of Tim Piazza, who was fa- July 23 to determine if there ANTI-HAZING LAW PEND- hazing has occurred.
tally injured in a series of is enough evidence to ING It would also add new re-
falls during a night of drink- send the charges to coun- The state Senate in April porting requirements for
ing and hazing after par- ty court for trial, which will voted unanimously to schools when anti-hazing
ticipating in a pledge bid be the fourth preliminary toughen criminal penalties laws are violated.q
acceptance ceremony. A hearing in the matter. Ruest
26th defendant has plead- also replaced the magiste-
ed guilty. rial district judge who had
The case has, so far, pro- twice thrown out charges.
duced three multiday pre- A district judge in May dis-
liminary hearings, rulings by missed all charges against
two different magisterial Braxton Becker, who had
district judges to throw out been accused of evi-
charges, a decision by the dence tampering, hinder-
attorney general’s office to ing apprehension and
take over the prosecution obstruction for allegedly
and a pending legislative erasing security video shot
effort to toughen Pennsyl- in the fraternity basement.
vania’s anti-hazing law. Those charges were sub-
Piazza, a 19-year-old engi- sequently refiled and have
neering student from Leba- been added to the July 23
non, New Jersey, partici- hearing. It will also address
pated in a series of drinking refiled charges against
stations the night of Feb. 2, Joshua Kurczewski of reck-
2017, as well as a basement less endangerment, furnish-
event involving rapid con- ing alcohol to a minor and
sumption of alcohol. The conspiracy to commit haz-
house’s elaborate video ing.
security system recorded Lawyers say it’s quite possi-
him stumbling to a couch ble that the July 23 hearing
on the first floor before fall- could be postponed.
ing down the steps. GUILTY PLEA ENTERED
He was carried back up- One former Beta Theta Pi
stairs, and spent the night brother, Ryan Burke, plead-
in evident pain, most of it ed guilty June 13 to all nine
on the couch as fraternity charges he still faced —
brothers took ineffective four counts of hazing and
and even harmful steps to five alcohol-related offens-
address his condition. es.
After he was found uncon- Lawyers have until July 24
scious in the basement the to submit a document re-
next morning, it took his lated to his sentencing.
friends about 40 minutes to CHARGES IN COUNTY
summon an ambulance, COURT
and he later died at a hos- Despite the most serious of-
pital. fenses being dismissed or
Medical experts say he suf- withdrawn, there are still
fered a fractured skull and dozens of counts that have
shattered spleen, and his been forwarded to county
blood-alcohol level has court for trial against the re-
been estimated to have maining defendants.