Jim and Evelyn Piazza stand by as Centre County District Attorney Stacy Parks Miller, left, announces the results of an investigation into the death of their son Timothy Piazza, seen in photo at right, a Penn State University fraternity pledge, during a press conference Friday, May 5, 2017, in Bellefonte, Pa. Timothy Piazza had toxic levels of alcohol in his body and was badly injured in a series of falls, authorities said Friday in announcing criminal charges against members of the organization and the frat itself.
BELLEFONTE, Pa. (AP) — A preliminary hearing will continue next month for 16 members of a Penn State fraternity charged in connection with the death of a pledge who died after a drunken fall.
Eighteen Beta Theta Pi members and the fraternity itself are charged because of the death of 19-year-old Tim Piazza, of Lebanon, New Jersey.
Two fraternity brothers waived the hearing that began Monday with 11 hours of testimony. Online court records show it will continue July 10 and 11.
Centre County prosecutors say Piazza was directed to drink heavily before he fell several times. Help wasn’t called until the next morning, and Piazza later died of traumatic brain injuries.
Some defendants face charges of aggravated assault and involuntary manslaughter. Others are accused of less serious crimes.
