1 00:00:05,320 --> 00:00:09,440 Speaker 1: A national fraternity at Penn State University is suspended after 2 00:00:09,480 --> 00:00:12,719 Speaker 1: the death of a student. Nineteen year old Timothy Piazza, 3 00:00:12,800 --> 00:00:16,520 Speaker 1: a sophomore at Penn State University, partied inside the Beta 4 00:00:16,560 --> 00:00:21,120 Speaker 1: Theta Pi fraternity house, left unconscious twelve hours after falling 5 00:00:21,120 --> 00:00:24,360 Speaker 1: down a flight up stairs. This is Crime Stories with 6 00:00:24,480 --> 00:00:27,960 Speaker 1: Nancy Grace. Court documents at Piazza fell head first down 7 00:00:27,960 --> 00:00:30,840 Speaker 1: a flight up stairs after he was forced to bench drink. 8 00:00:31,240 --> 00:00:34,199 Speaker 1: A former member now speaking out, claiming he wanted to 9 00:00:34,240 --> 00:00:36,400 Speaker 1: call nine one one and no one would let him. 10 00:00:36,479 --> 00:00:38,400 Speaker 1: I was screaming at the time of my lungs. I 11 00:00:38,440 --> 00:00:41,280 Speaker 1: was like Tim right now, Like we should call nine 12 00:00:41,280 --> 00:00:44,400 Speaker 1: on one right now. Prosecutors say A brother called nine 13 00:00:44,400 --> 00:00:47,240 Speaker 1: one one the next morning, twelve hours after the fall. 14 00:00:47,560 --> 00:00:51,760 Speaker 1: Eighteen students chars eight with involuntary manslaughter. It seemed like 15 00:00:52,040 --> 00:00:55,240 Speaker 1: they just wanted to make sure that they themselves were safe, 16 00:00:55,320 --> 00:01:00,240 Speaker 1: rather than Tim truly being saved. Everybody was surrounding him, 17 00:01:00,320 --> 00:01:05,600 Speaker 1: laughing and pointing. A Penn State fraternity brother says he 18 00:01:05,760 --> 00:01:10,360 Speaker 1: begged and begged to call nine one one for a 19 00:01:10,480 --> 00:01:14,800 Speaker 1: young teen pledge who dies after a hazing ritual, and 20 00:01:14,840 --> 00:01:18,959 Speaker 1: he was called crazy as all the party goers. The 21 00:01:19,040 --> 00:01:23,880 Speaker 1: frat boys at Penn State mocked made fun of the 22 00:01:24,040 --> 00:01:30,080 Speaker 1: unconscious boy Timothy Pianza as he died. He is dead 23 00:01:30,800 --> 00:01:34,640 Speaker 1: after an alcohol fueled pledge night at Beta Theta Pie 24 00:01:34,840 --> 00:01:39,400 Speaker 1: party at a private chapter house, and one of the 25 00:01:39,600 --> 00:01:43,240 Speaker 1: fraternity brothers, Cordell Davis, says he begged and begged and 26 00:01:43,319 --> 00:01:45,119 Speaker 1: kept saying, we gotta call nine one one, we gotta 27 00:01:45,160 --> 00:01:49,320 Speaker 1: call nine one one, And everybody blew him off, laughing 28 00:01:49,400 --> 00:01:53,560 Speaker 1: and pointing, making fun of the unconscious boy. I mean, 29 00:01:54,000 --> 00:01:57,360 Speaker 1: I don't know about you, but I've been saving since 30 00:01:57,360 --> 00:02:01,480 Speaker 1: the twins were born, to a forward to send them 31 00:02:01,520 --> 00:02:05,760 Speaker 1: to what college they want to go to. And I 32 00:02:05,800 --> 00:02:10,079 Speaker 1: mean now it is fifty seventy thousand dollars a year 33 00:02:10,120 --> 00:02:13,240 Speaker 1: for some colleges, and you send your child away for 34 00:02:13,440 --> 00:02:19,799 Speaker 1: higher learning and bam he's dead. Oh oh no, Hell 35 00:02:19,840 --> 00:02:24,239 Speaker 1: would have no fury like mine. Uuh in Oh, I'm 36 00:02:24,320 --> 00:02:29,160 Speaker 1: Nancy Grace. This is crime stories, and this is a crime. 37 00:02:29,720 --> 00:02:35,480 Speaker 1: Now you will hear. The law is that to omit, 38 00:02:36,000 --> 00:02:39,480 Speaker 1: to act, to fail to act, it's not a crime. 39 00:02:40,240 --> 00:02:44,519 Speaker 1: Sadly that is true. However, if you had a hand 40 00:02:44,800 --> 00:02:49,200 Speaker 1: at all, and this boy's death Oh yeah, you're gonna 41 00:02:49,240 --> 00:02:53,679 Speaker 1: be charged with me, Alan Duke, Alan, I am disgusted. 42 00:02:54,040 --> 00:02:58,920 Speaker 1: I am disgusted not by a prank that went bad, 43 00:02:59,080 --> 00:03:03,480 Speaker 1: but by the others mocking and laughing and pointing and 44 00:03:03,560 --> 00:03:06,280 Speaker 1: making fun of the little boy as he either I say, 45 00:03:06,320 --> 00:03:09,960 Speaker 1: he's a little boy. He's a teen, a pledge at 46 00:03:10,000 --> 00:03:13,160 Speaker 1: Beta Theta Pie. So I guess you know, in some 47 00:03:13,240 --> 00:03:15,560 Speaker 1: circles you would not say he was a boy. But 48 00:03:15,720 --> 00:03:19,480 Speaker 1: to me, I mean, that's just a little baby. He 49 00:03:19,560 --> 00:03:22,040 Speaker 1: didn't even know what he was doing, much less that 50 00:03:22,120 --> 00:03:25,840 Speaker 1: everyone was standing around mocking him as he like dying 51 00:03:26,280 --> 00:03:28,520 Speaker 1: at a frat party. What do you know, Alan Duke, 52 00:03:29,040 --> 00:03:36,080 Speaker 1: this is a supposedly dry fraternity. Now it's Beta Theta. 53 00:03:36,400 --> 00:03:42,120 Speaker 1: Is it Pie? Or five is Pie? P H? I Alan, sadly, 54 00:03:42,280 --> 00:03:45,040 Speaker 1: and I know I'm risking the wrath of people commenting 55 00:03:45,080 --> 00:03:48,200 Speaker 1: how mean I am to you. But it's not Greek, 56 00:03:48,400 --> 00:03:53,160 Speaker 1: and that is American English fanatics. P I would be 57 00:03:53,240 --> 00:03:59,120 Speaker 1: Pie and p H I would be Fie. Okay, as 58 00:03:59,200 --> 00:04:03,440 Speaker 1: in phil harmon on it, go with it. This fraternity 59 00:04:03,480 --> 00:04:07,760 Speaker 1: in their manual, manual, manual go ahead. Yeah, really, they 60 00:04:07,760 --> 00:04:09,480 Speaker 1: didn't go buy the book on this one because They 61 00:04:09,520 --> 00:04:13,320 Speaker 1: broke every rule in their book. They're supposedly dry. Anybody 62 00:04:13,320 --> 00:04:16,480 Speaker 1: with alcohol at the house is supposed to be immediately 63 00:04:16,480 --> 00:04:19,840 Speaker 1: ejected from the fraternity. And of course we know now 64 00:04:20,120 --> 00:04:22,480 Speaker 1: from the gran jury testimony that we've got a copy 65 00:04:22,520 --> 00:04:27,120 Speaker 1: of at least page charging document, is that it from 66 00:04:27,160 --> 00:04:30,680 Speaker 1: the president on down. They collected money to buy twelve 67 00:04:30,800 --> 00:04:34,520 Speaker 1: hundred dollars worth of booze, including fifteen cases of beer, 68 00:04:34,680 --> 00:04:38,760 Speaker 1: well hundred dollars worth of It took them eight days 69 00:04:38,839 --> 00:04:41,560 Speaker 1: to buy it all. They and they used what they 70 00:04:41,560 --> 00:04:43,760 Speaker 1: called it slush funds, so they didn't show up on 71 00:04:43,800 --> 00:04:47,400 Speaker 1: the fraternity ledger. Every person at the beginning of the 72 00:04:47,680 --> 00:04:51,799 Speaker 1: semester contributed two hundred and fifty dollars to their alcohol 73 00:04:51,880 --> 00:04:54,679 Speaker 1: slush fund for these parties. This was a pledge event. 74 00:04:54,920 --> 00:04:59,840 Speaker 1: They had thirteen young men nine years old who were 75 00:05:00,000 --> 00:05:03,720 Speaker 1: students at Penn State University who were considering joining and 76 00:05:03,760 --> 00:05:07,040 Speaker 1: in fact, they were celebrating that night that these thirteen 77 00:05:07,120 --> 00:05:10,360 Speaker 1: had accepted the invitation to join this fraternity. And that's 78 00:05:10,360 --> 00:05:13,640 Speaker 1: why they lined them up in the basement, gave them 79 00:05:13,640 --> 00:05:17,719 Speaker 1: a bottle of vodka and said drink it, and told 80 00:05:17,720 --> 00:05:21,760 Speaker 1: the pledges to keep passing out until they keep passing 81 00:05:21,760 --> 00:05:24,839 Speaker 1: it around until they finished it. And that is where 82 00:05:24,960 --> 00:05:29,479 Speaker 1: it started. You know, I'm just imagining my son or 83 00:05:29,520 --> 00:05:34,200 Speaker 1: my daughter in that situation. You know, they're nine now, 84 00:05:34,240 --> 00:05:36,320 Speaker 1: this is just a few years from now that they'll 85 00:05:36,360 --> 00:05:38,200 Speaker 1: be going off. I don't even want to talk about it, 86 00:05:38,640 --> 00:05:42,520 Speaker 1: going away to college, and I can't even imagine them 87 00:05:42,560 --> 00:05:44,680 Speaker 1: in that situation. I gotta tell you something. You know, 88 00:05:45,400 --> 00:05:48,719 Speaker 1: half of my college I was Greek, half of my 89 00:05:48,839 --> 00:05:52,039 Speaker 1: college I was Independent. And then law school I don't 90 00:05:52,040 --> 00:05:56,040 Speaker 1: even know what happened. I remember studying NonStop. People will say, hey, 91 00:05:56,120 --> 00:05:58,320 Speaker 1: don't you remember that law school partyment? I might, No, 92 00:05:59,200 --> 00:06:03,200 Speaker 1: don't you remember that timing? No? No, I just you 93 00:06:03,240 --> 00:06:06,320 Speaker 1: know all I did with study then. And you know, 94 00:06:06,600 --> 00:06:08,279 Speaker 1: once I decided to go to law school, it was 95 00:06:08,320 --> 00:06:12,839 Speaker 1: all all off. And the sorority I was in for 96 00:06:13,000 --> 00:06:19,160 Speaker 1: two years ad pie. No one even once told me 97 00:06:19,200 --> 00:06:22,839 Speaker 1: I had to drink. I never at any of the 98 00:06:22,920 --> 00:06:27,640 Speaker 1: parties the sorority had, we didn't have alcohol. I can 99 00:06:27,680 --> 00:06:30,560 Speaker 1: honestly say that now. I sat plenty of parties where 100 00:06:30,560 --> 00:06:35,280 Speaker 1: there was alcohol, fraternity parties and other independent parties, but 101 00:06:35,400 --> 00:06:39,400 Speaker 1: no never. And I'm just trying to imagine. You know, Alan, 102 00:06:39,800 --> 00:06:42,760 Speaker 1: don't they read the news. Don't they all have iPads 103 00:06:42,760 --> 00:06:46,200 Speaker 1: where they can see how wrong this is. So twelve 104 00:06:46,279 --> 00:06:48,400 Speaker 1: hundred dollars worth of booze? Is that what you said? 105 00:06:48,440 --> 00:06:50,840 Speaker 1: They had to purchase over eight days and they were 106 00:06:50,920 --> 00:06:54,160 Speaker 1: given a big bolavaka and said drink until it's gone. 107 00:06:54,600 --> 00:06:57,960 Speaker 1: All of these frat members and the detective that testified 108 00:06:58,400 --> 00:07:02,360 Speaker 1: detailed the shotgunning. In fact, after the vodka that would 109 00:07:02,360 --> 00:07:04,080 Speaker 1: be handed that and told to swig it and keep 110 00:07:04,080 --> 00:07:07,520 Speaker 1: going with it. Then they were required to quote shotgun 111 00:07:07,720 --> 00:07:11,920 Speaker 1: a beer shotgunning. The fraternity president explained, it curse when 112 00:07:11,920 --> 00:07:13,880 Speaker 1: you put a hole in the side of the can. 113 00:07:14,280 --> 00:07:16,320 Speaker 1: So if this is like a normal can, you put 114 00:07:16,320 --> 00:07:17,520 Speaker 1: it in the side, you put it in the hole, 115 00:07:17,560 --> 00:07:20,040 Speaker 1: and when you drink from the hole, you open up 116 00:07:20,080 --> 00:07:22,360 Speaker 1: the top of it creates an airflow easier to drink 117 00:07:22,440 --> 00:07:26,200 Speaker 1: real fast. You've ever chugged or shotgun a beer? I haven't. 118 00:07:26,200 --> 00:07:30,560 Speaker 1: I'm shocking, I'm sure, but no, I have not shotgunned 119 00:07:30,560 --> 00:07:35,120 Speaker 1: a beer, Alan, Duke, It's very fast, intake. How can 120 00:07:35,160 --> 00:07:37,560 Speaker 1: you even ask me if I shotgun to beer for 121 00:07:37,600 --> 00:07:40,920 Speaker 1: Pete's snake? You're from near Macon and I you please 122 00:07:41,000 --> 00:07:45,800 Speaker 1: quate dragging geography into every single discussion beer, just so 123 00:07:45,880 --> 00:07:47,880 Speaker 1: you know it was sold in every state in the Union. 124 00:07:47,960 --> 00:07:49,560 Speaker 1: Can we get back to these facts and not what 125 00:07:49,640 --> 00:07:52,440 Speaker 1: you did when you were in college? Okay, thanks, you know, 126 00:07:52,600 --> 00:07:54,280 Speaker 1: let's get down to at the corner in this case, 127 00:07:54,320 --> 00:07:58,440 Speaker 1: determine Piazza died not from alcohol poisoning, but as a 128 00:07:58,520 --> 00:08:04,600 Speaker 1: result of multiplematic injuries sustained from a fall. Okay, tell 129 00:08:04,600 --> 00:08:07,520 Speaker 1: me about the fall. Alan. He hit his head several times. 130 00:08:07,640 --> 00:08:10,920 Speaker 1: First of all, he did register his blood alcohol level 131 00:08:10,960 --> 00:08:13,119 Speaker 1: was point three six. Let's get that on the record. 132 00:08:13,160 --> 00:08:17,040 Speaker 1: First of all, way over the legal limits. According to 133 00:08:17,080 --> 00:08:20,320 Speaker 1: the scenario, he fell a number of times. There was 134 00:08:20,440 --> 00:08:23,520 Speaker 1: an upstairs area and he comed down, fell down a 135 00:08:23,560 --> 00:08:26,560 Speaker 1: flight of stairs, to put it simply right. And they 136 00:08:26,600 --> 00:08:29,160 Speaker 1: say he tried to stagger to the door like he 137 00:08:29,240 --> 00:08:31,920 Speaker 1: was trying to leave, because he knew he had to go, 138 00:08:32,360 --> 00:08:35,199 Speaker 1: he had to get help, and he the final time 139 00:08:35,559 --> 00:08:38,040 Speaker 1: was he fell and he hit his head. And who 140 00:08:38,040 --> 00:08:40,400 Speaker 1: knows if that's the final blow, but yes, it was 141 00:08:40,440 --> 00:08:42,880 Speaker 1: the concussions. And you know, I find it really hard 142 00:08:42,920 --> 00:08:46,440 Speaker 1: to believe he got multiple blows to the head falling 143 00:08:46,480 --> 00:08:49,840 Speaker 1: down a flight of stairs. His fall was not caught 144 00:08:49,960 --> 00:08:53,120 Speaker 1: on camera, but somebody in that front house heard it 145 00:08:53,600 --> 00:08:57,360 Speaker 1: and found the boy lying face down at the bottom 146 00:08:57,360 --> 00:09:00,600 Speaker 1: of the stairs. You know, it's it's at she making 147 00:09:00,640 --> 00:09:04,240 Speaker 1: me sick to my stomach, imagining John David or Lucy 148 00:09:04,320 --> 00:09:07,080 Speaker 1: in this situation. One of the other guys at the 149 00:09:07,120 --> 00:09:11,079 Speaker 1: party messaged all the other frat brothers and said, quote, 150 00:09:11,400 --> 00:09:15,720 Speaker 1: tem Piazza might actually be a problem. He fell fifteen 151 00:09:15,720 --> 00:09:18,640 Speaker 1: feet down a flight of stairs. Here first going to 152 00:09:18,720 --> 00:09:21,400 Speaker 1: need help. But they didn't get him help. Know what 153 00:09:21,559 --> 00:09:24,080 Speaker 1: they did. In fact, of the eighteen who are charged, 154 00:09:24,320 --> 00:09:26,960 Speaker 1: five of them are just charged with tampering with evidence. 155 00:09:27,280 --> 00:09:29,800 Speaker 1: That means trying to hide things. But what they would 156 00:09:29,840 --> 00:09:32,040 Speaker 1: do in order to the only help they gave him 157 00:09:32,200 --> 00:09:34,640 Speaker 1: was they made sure he didn't roll over on his back. 158 00:09:34,679 --> 00:09:36,760 Speaker 1: I guess the theory was, Hey, we don't want him 159 00:09:36,760 --> 00:09:39,240 Speaker 1: throwing up and choking on his own vomit, right, So 160 00:09:39,320 --> 00:09:42,840 Speaker 1: they actually piled textbooks on top of him to keep 161 00:09:42,920 --> 00:09:46,440 Speaker 1: him from rolling over. Now that's some assistance right there. 162 00:09:46,600 --> 00:09:52,040 Speaker 1: Surveillance video catches after the fall, it's about thirteen minutes 163 00:09:52,080 --> 00:09:57,839 Speaker 1: till eleven pm. They show the other frat boys carrying 164 00:09:57,920 --> 00:10:02,439 Speaker 1: him upstairs, four of them. He was limp and already 165 00:10:02,520 --> 00:10:06,760 Speaker 1: had a visible bruise on his side. Now I'm suspicious 166 00:10:06,760 --> 00:10:10,880 Speaker 1: of that, because you fall, you don't get the bruise immediately. 167 00:10:11,480 --> 00:10:14,360 Speaker 1: Was he bruised some other way? Then they put him 168 00:10:14,400 --> 00:10:18,080 Speaker 1: on a couch and poured liquid on his face, and 169 00:10:18,200 --> 00:10:22,080 Speaker 1: one guy even punched him in the stomach. Someone said 170 00:10:22,120 --> 00:10:25,120 Speaker 1: his legs sat on his legs to keep him from 171 00:10:25,240 --> 00:10:28,400 Speaker 1: rolling off the couch. All this is happening as he's dying. 172 00:10:29,280 --> 00:10:35,560 Speaker 1: He is dying now. One of the new initiates got 173 00:10:35,640 --> 00:10:38,439 Speaker 1: upset and screamed they needed to get him to the hospital. 174 00:10:39,160 --> 00:10:43,480 Speaker 1: And he saw Piazza thrashing and making weird movements on 175 00:10:43,520 --> 00:10:47,360 Speaker 1: the couch, stressing that they had to get him to 176 00:10:47,400 --> 00:10:50,720 Speaker 1: the hospital, that he could have a concussion. He said, 177 00:10:50,840 --> 00:10:52,840 Speaker 1: he told the grand jury. We now have the grand 178 00:10:52,920 --> 00:10:57,840 Speaker 1: jury testimony. Piaza the boy looked quote horrible, and when 179 00:10:57,840 --> 00:10:59,840 Speaker 1: he wanted to call for help, they told him to 180 00:11:00,000 --> 00:11:02,680 Speaker 1: get out and shoved him against the wall and said 181 00:11:02,679 --> 00:11:05,520 Speaker 1: we've got it under control. If you look at the 182 00:11:05,640 --> 00:11:08,720 Speaker 1: charging documents, this is the summary of what the gauntlet 183 00:11:08,960 --> 00:11:11,840 Speaker 1: in two minutes, as they called the gauntlet. The pledges 184 00:11:11,920 --> 00:11:15,920 Speaker 1: consumed approximately four to five alcoholic beverages, beer, wine, liquor, 185 00:11:16,240 --> 00:11:19,080 Speaker 1: all within a two minute time span. That would knock 186 00:11:19,120 --> 00:11:20,840 Speaker 1: me out. I can tell you that would knock me 187 00:11:20,880 --> 00:11:26,240 Speaker 1: out flat PM. The pledge master slaps Piazza three times 188 00:11:26,240 --> 00:11:32,400 Speaker 1: in the face, allegedly. Seven minutes later, another tackles another 189 00:11:32,480 --> 00:11:36,599 Speaker 1: frat brother onto the couch. They land on him. One am. 190 00:11:36,640 --> 00:11:38,959 Speaker 1: They put that backpack full of books on him to 191 00:11:39,040 --> 00:11:42,480 Speaker 1: keep him from rolling onto his back. Now three two 192 00:11:42,720 --> 00:11:46,040 Speaker 1: a m. He's still alive. He tries to stand up, 193 00:11:46,800 --> 00:11:50,000 Speaker 1: but he falls and hits his head again on the 194 00:11:50,000 --> 00:11:53,760 Speaker 1: wooden floor. Three forty six it's almost four am. This 195 00:11:53,840 --> 00:11:56,520 Speaker 1: is going on since ten o'clock. He's in the fetal 196 00:11:56,559 --> 00:12:01,400 Speaker 1: position on the floor. The fetal position. He falls at 197 00:12:01,400 --> 00:12:04,720 Speaker 1: four a m. Five a m, each time hitting his 198 00:12:04,800 --> 00:12:07,199 Speaker 1: head on an iron railing and landing on a stole 199 00:12:07,720 --> 00:12:11,160 Speaker 1: stone floor. He tries to get up, hits his head 200 00:12:11,160 --> 00:12:12,920 Speaker 1: on the front door. I find it really hard to 201 00:12:12,920 --> 00:12:18,719 Speaker 1: believe he keeps accidentally hitting his head. Fraternity brothers enter 202 00:12:18,760 --> 00:12:21,080 Speaker 1: and leave the frat house, just step over him, leaving 203 00:12:21,160 --> 00:12:27,080 Speaker 1: him there. Seven a m. Seven a m. He falls 204 00:12:27,120 --> 00:12:31,120 Speaker 1: down the basement stairs again, He's cold to the touch, 205 00:12:31,280 --> 00:12:34,880 Speaker 1: blood on his face. Forty more minutes pass before they 206 00:12:34,920 --> 00:12:38,760 Speaker 1: call nine one one. He rolls to his side, clutching 207 00:12:38,800 --> 00:12:42,120 Speaker 1: his abdomen. Several of them are caught on video trying 208 00:12:42,160 --> 00:12:45,480 Speaker 1: to shake him and prop him up, and when they 209 00:12:45,520 --> 00:12:48,359 Speaker 1: do call nine one one, they don't tell them Piazza 210 00:12:48,440 --> 00:12:54,319 Speaker 1: fell down the steps the night before. Ultimately, cops conclude 211 00:12:54,400 --> 00:12:58,040 Speaker 1: after Piazza was taken to the hospital, the frat brothers 212 00:12:58,080 --> 00:13:01,760 Speaker 1: tried to hide evidence of hazing and under age drinking 213 00:13:02,240 --> 00:13:06,880 Speaker 1: by deleting their messages and trying to erase surveillance video. 214 00:13:07,920 --> 00:13:11,079 Speaker 1: One text, Allan says, if need be, just tell them 215 00:13:11,080 --> 00:13:13,360 Speaker 1: what I told you guys. Founding behind the bar the 216 00:13:13,400 --> 00:13:16,760 Speaker 1: next morning around ten am, he was freezing Cole, but 217 00:13:16,840 --> 00:13:19,800 Speaker 1: we decided to call nine one one instantly because the 218 00:13:19,880 --> 00:13:26,319 Speaker 1: kid's health was paramount. I'm so distraught. Just imagine if 219 00:13:26,360 --> 00:13:30,200 Speaker 1: this was your child in this condition, in this situation. 220 00:13:31,080 --> 00:13:34,000 Speaker 1: All he did was go to a party have some 221 00:13:34,080 --> 00:13:36,480 Speaker 1: alcohol when he was forced to and told to if 222 00:13:36,480 --> 00:13:39,480 Speaker 1: he wanted to be part of the fraternity. And now 223 00:13:39,520 --> 00:13:43,920 Speaker 1: he's dead. I mean, the heartbreak of this family. I 224 00:13:43,960 --> 00:13:47,440 Speaker 1: gotta tell you I'm beside myself about this kid. Other 225 00:13:47,520 --> 00:13:50,600 Speaker 1: disturbing details in the charging document says this isn't the 226 00:13:50,600 --> 00:13:52,400 Speaker 1: first This is the first time they had a death 227 00:13:52,440 --> 00:13:54,320 Speaker 1: in the house, but not the first time they had 228 00:13:54,320 --> 00:13:57,920 Speaker 1: a serious problem like this. One of the young young 229 00:13:57,920 --> 00:14:01,040 Speaker 1: men who testified, who had been part of all of this, 230 00:14:01,320 --> 00:14:04,680 Speaker 1: testified that when he pledged about four or five months earlier, 231 00:14:04,960 --> 00:14:08,760 Speaker 1: that he fell in his head, resulting in profuse bleeding, 232 00:14:09,360 --> 00:14:11,600 Speaker 1: and they took him to urgent care, but nobody ever 233 00:14:11,720 --> 00:14:14,319 Speaker 1: called nine one one. It never got reported to police. 234 00:14:14,679 --> 00:14:18,360 Speaker 1: I'm just so distraught, Alan, because I keep and I 235 00:14:18,440 --> 00:14:23,120 Speaker 1: know as a prosecutor or a lawyer, you're not supposed 236 00:14:23,160 --> 00:14:27,720 Speaker 1: to inject your own emotions into the case. It clouds 237 00:14:27,760 --> 00:14:31,280 Speaker 1: the case. It clouds your ability to try the case 238 00:14:31,440 --> 00:14:33,960 Speaker 1: or to analyze the facts. But I gotta tell you, 239 00:14:34,000 --> 00:14:38,280 Speaker 1: I can hardly I keep looking at this boy, Timothy 240 00:14:38,320 --> 00:14:43,120 Speaker 1: Pianza and imagining John David or Lucy in this situation. 241 00:14:43,960 --> 00:14:47,200 Speaker 1: It's just what more do have we learned from the 242 00:14:47,280 --> 00:14:50,560 Speaker 1: charging documents? This is not a new practice. This has 243 00:14:50,640 --> 00:14:53,920 Speaker 1: been going on. One of the conversations that they captured 244 00:14:53,960 --> 00:14:56,680 Speaker 1: from a year before, text messages between members of the 245 00:14:56,760 --> 00:15:00,680 Speaker 1: fraternity are talking about how they do this, and it's 246 00:15:00,720 --> 00:15:05,200 Speaker 1: the same setup. So year after year they have been 247 00:15:05,280 --> 00:15:09,280 Speaker 1: doing this, and they know, they noted in it, that 248 00:15:09,520 --> 00:15:12,920 Speaker 1: every time they do it, somebody has a problem. And 249 00:15:13,200 --> 00:15:17,320 Speaker 1: so these guys were not ignorant of the problems. Say 250 00:15:17,400 --> 00:15:20,400 Speaker 1: obviously new, But I I guess until you have a death, 251 00:15:20,440 --> 00:15:24,760 Speaker 1: you don't really in your fraternity know that it is deadly. 252 00:15:24,840 --> 00:15:28,080 Speaker 1: I mean, but they should have there. This is nothing new. 253 00:15:28,400 --> 00:15:32,160 Speaker 1: I went online to one of these organizations that monitors 254 00:15:32,200 --> 00:15:34,960 Speaker 1: hazing and tries to prevent it. And this has been 255 00:15:34,960 --> 00:15:37,960 Speaker 1: going on since the eighteen hundreds in this country. This 256 00:15:38,040 --> 00:15:40,880 Speaker 1: has been going on forever. You know. The Penn State 257 00:15:40,960 --> 00:15:46,920 Speaker 1: President Eric J. Baron permanently banned the fraternity. But I 258 00:15:47,000 --> 00:15:49,720 Speaker 1: really don't know if that's enough. I really do not 259 00:15:49,960 --> 00:15:53,360 Speaker 1: know if that's enough, because I mean, it just has. 260 00:15:53,360 --> 00:15:56,200 Speaker 1: It seems like it happens over and over and over. 261 00:15:57,120 --> 00:16:01,480 Speaker 1: So they're facing in voluntary manslaughter, will probably end up 262 00:16:01,600 --> 00:16:06,760 Speaker 1: in straight probation, if anything at all. They may even 263 00:16:06,760 --> 00:16:09,920 Speaker 1: get p t I pre trial intervention, which which means 264 00:16:10,200 --> 00:16:12,560 Speaker 1: you go to some classes and then the whole thing's 265 00:16:12,640 --> 00:16:17,160 Speaker 1: wiped wiped off of your record. And then at some 266 00:16:17,280 --> 00:16:20,160 Speaker 1: point the fraternity will petition to get back on campus. 267 00:16:20,160 --> 00:16:23,440 Speaker 1: In it will because they always do. But these chilling 268 00:16:23,520 --> 00:16:28,040 Speaker 1: text messages revealed to me more than involuntary manslaughter. It 269 00:16:28,120 --> 00:16:32,480 Speaker 1: reveals to me they knew he needed help, that heat 270 00:16:32,640 --> 00:16:36,080 Speaker 1: desperately needed help, but instead of calling nine one one, 271 00:16:36,240 --> 00:16:38,600 Speaker 1: they mocked him, made fun of him, and made up 272 00:16:38,600 --> 00:16:41,720 Speaker 1: a plan to cover up his death. Found at the 273 00:16:41,720 --> 00:16:45,720 Speaker 1: bottom of the stairs, bleeding and cold, he died. The 274 00:16:46,240 --> 00:16:51,200 Speaker 1: c o D cause of death alan is traumatic brain injury, 275 00:16:51,440 --> 00:16:57,080 Speaker 1: traumatic brain injury, and eighteen of the fraternity brothers are 276 00:16:57,160 --> 00:17:01,320 Speaker 1: charged with involuntary manslaughter. What do you think I mean? 277 00:17:01,360 --> 00:17:05,320 Speaker 1: According to Thomas Klein, a lawyer for the family, these 278 00:17:05,359 --> 00:17:09,000 Speaker 1: young men deserve to be punished. I mean, they knew 279 00:17:09,080 --> 00:17:12,000 Speaker 1: he needed help. I'm wondering if you could prove more 280 00:17:12,000 --> 00:17:14,840 Speaker 1: than involuntary Well they I don't know. You you're the lawyer. 281 00:17:14,880 --> 00:17:18,320 Speaker 1: You told me involuntary manslaughter. If you knew that this 282 00:17:18,359 --> 00:17:21,600 Speaker 1: could result in death, if you were aware that that 283 00:17:21,640 --> 00:17:25,800 Speaker 1: has happened before, is it involuntary manslaughter? What are the 284 00:17:25,880 --> 00:17:29,919 Speaker 1: legal arguments? Well, the fact that they slapped him, punched him, 285 00:17:30,440 --> 00:17:36,080 Speaker 1: sat on him. To me, those are at acts an 286 00:17:36,160 --> 00:17:42,160 Speaker 1: active form of assault, not just standing by and letting 287 00:17:42,280 --> 00:17:45,520 Speaker 1: it happen. I think that there's an argument to be 288 00:17:45,640 --> 00:17:51,960 Speaker 1: made for voluntary manslaughter, but even with involuntary they can 289 00:17:52,080 --> 00:17:54,159 Speaker 1: do jail time. And I think they need to do 290 00:17:54,240 --> 00:17:58,880 Speaker 1: jail time. I really do. I mean, this is beyond 291 00:17:58,920 --> 00:18:03,720 Speaker 1: the pail, his unacceptable behavior, and every parent that is 292 00:18:03,800 --> 00:18:07,480 Speaker 1: sending all you moms and dad's this is from this 293 00:18:07,640 --> 00:18:11,439 Speaker 1: kid's from a good family. He was an athlete, he 294 00:18:11,560 --> 00:18:16,800 Speaker 1: made good grades, the works. His family is heartbroken. This 295 00:18:16,880 --> 00:18:20,600 Speaker 1: can happen to anybody that sends your kid off to college. 296 00:18:21,720 --> 00:18:26,359 Speaker 1: Really distressed about it, because college for my family was 297 00:18:26,480 --> 00:18:29,399 Speaker 1: the dream. My mom and dad didn't get to finish college. 298 00:18:29,440 --> 00:18:32,360 Speaker 1: My mom didn't get to go to college, and their 299 00:18:32,480 --> 00:18:35,800 Speaker 1: dream was for us to go. And they work their 300 00:18:35,920 --> 00:18:40,919 Speaker 1: fingers to the bone for me to go and do 301 00:18:41,000 --> 00:18:45,040 Speaker 1: a good job, not to be treated like this and 302 00:18:45,160 --> 00:18:48,680 Speaker 1: mocked and made fun of at some drunken party. And 303 00:18:48,840 --> 00:18:51,679 Speaker 1: you know, and this kid ends up dead. His parents 304 00:18:51,680 --> 00:18:53,600 Speaker 1: are trying to give him the world and he ends 305 00:18:53,680 --> 00:18:57,879 Speaker 1: up dead, and I want justice. Alan. When I first 306 00:18:58,359 --> 00:19:02,040 Speaker 1: saw this story, I was thinking, is a bright young man, 307 00:19:02,119 --> 00:19:05,399 Speaker 1: Why would he go through this? What is the motivation 308 00:19:05,680 --> 00:19:09,040 Speaker 1: other than just to get into the fraternity be accepted? 309 00:19:09,520 --> 00:19:12,520 Speaker 1: I found in the grand jury's charging document. The detective 310 00:19:12,560 --> 00:19:15,440 Speaker 1: testified he asked one of the members what would happen 311 00:19:15,480 --> 00:19:18,960 Speaker 1: if a pledge did not participate in this hazing, and 312 00:19:19,240 --> 00:19:22,960 Speaker 1: the fraternity brother answered back that failing to participate could 313 00:19:23,000 --> 00:19:27,000 Speaker 1: affect the pledges pledge ranking, which determines whether or not 314 00:19:27,000 --> 00:19:29,680 Speaker 1: they're able to live in the Beta house. So there 315 00:19:29,720 --> 00:19:33,520 Speaker 1: was an actual incentive to go through the hazing, not 316 00:19:33,640 --> 00:19:36,320 Speaker 1: just to have fun. This was about getting a bed 317 00:19:36,640 --> 00:19:42,359 Speaker 1: in the house for your college career, and also about acceptance. 318 00:19:43,359 --> 00:19:45,960 Speaker 1: You know a lot of teens and children are not 319 00:19:46,080 --> 00:19:51,320 Speaker 1: strong enough or confident enough to say no. You know, 320 00:19:52,400 --> 00:19:54,560 Speaker 1: I just hate it. I hate it so much for 321 00:19:54,640 --> 00:19:59,000 Speaker 1: this family. All I can say now is Timothy Piazza 322 00:19:59,600 --> 00:20:04,919 Speaker 1: rest in peace and God comfort his parents and his 323 00:20:05,080 --> 00:20:10,639 Speaker 1: family at this time of deep, deep sorrow. Nancy Grace 324 00:20:10,960 --> 00:20:14,160 Speaker 1: Crime Stories signing off goodbye friend.