On Tuesday, the former president and vice president of a disbanded fraternity at Penn State, where a hazing incident led to a student’s death, received their sentences.

Brendan Young and Daniel Casey were sentenced in Centre County Court to two to four months in jail, followed by three years of probation and community service, as stated by the Pennsylvania Attorney General’s Office. They are both allowed to take part in work release programs.

In July, both men pleaded guilty to 14 counts of hazing and one count of reckless endangerment, all classified as misdemeanors. These charges stemmed from a 2017 hazing event during which 19-year-old Timothy Piazza consumed excessive amounts of alcohol, resulting in multiple falls that led to his death days later.

According to prosecutors, Young and Casey were directly involved in organizing and overseeing the hazing event. At the time, Young held the position of president at Beta Theta Pi fraternity, while Casey was serving as vice president and pledge master.

Young and Casey were the last of more than two dozen fraternity members to be sentenced, with some initially facing involuntary manslaughter charges. However, many of the serious charges were either dropped or dismissed by judges.

This incident spurred significant public outcry regarding fraternity practices and hazing culture on college campuses, leading to policy changes and a national anti-hazing initiative championed by Piazza’s family.

“Our hearts go out to the Piazza family and everyone impacted by this tragedy,” stated Pennsylvania Attorney General Michelle Henry. “Nothing can reverse the suffering Timothy endured seven years ago or restore him to his loved ones. With today’s sentences, the criminal proceedings have come to a close.”

What led to Timothy Piazza’s death?

Piazza, an engineering student from New Jersey, passed away at a hospital on February 4, 2017, two days following a hazing event at the Beta Theta Pi fraternity house, where he was among 14 new pledges attending a bid acceptance event.

In May 2017, a grand jury report detailed the events leading to Piazza’s death. On February 2, security cameras captured him consuming large amounts of alcohol, including vodka and beer, as part of an initiation known as “The Gauntlet.”

Throughout the night, the footage showed him experiencing struggles and falling repeatedly. At one point, fraternity members placed a backpack filled with books on him in an effort to prevent him from choking on his own vomit.

Piazza fell down a staircase later that evening, yet fraternity members did not seek medical help until the next morning. Investigators concluded he had consumed at least 18 drinks in under two hours, and his blood-alcohol concentration when he fell was estimated to be between .28 and .36 percent, which is around four times over the legal driving limit.

Medical examinations confirmed that Piazza suffered several severe brain injuries, including a skull fracture and a lacerated spleen. The jury highlighted that Piazza’s death resulted from the “extremely reckless behavior” of fraternity members amidst the permissive environment created by Penn State’s Interfraternity Council.

The aftermath of Timothy Piazza’s death

Timothy Piazza’s death led Penn State to implement a range of policy modifications for fraternities and sororities, ultimately resulting in the permanent expulsion of its Beta Theta Pi chapter.

Prosecutors noted that the Piazza family played a significant role in the enactment of the Timothy J. Piazza Anti–Hazing Law in Pennsylvania, which instituted more stringent penalties for hazing and mandated anti-hazing policies for educational institutions.

The Pennsylvania Attorney General’s Office indicated that the defendants might have faced more severe punishments had the current laws been in effect during the 2017 incident.

The legacy of Piazza continues through the Timothy J. Piazza Memorial Foundation, a nonprofit in New Jersey dedicated to assisting those in need of prosthetics and offering scholarships for Hunterdon Central High School students. Additionally, Penn State hosts the Timothy J. Piazza Center for Fraternity and Sorority Research and Reform.