Former Penn State fraternity president Brendan Young, 28, and former vice president Daniel Casey, 27, were sentenced to two to four months in jail, followed by three years of probation and community service, for charges related to a 2017 hazing event that led to the death of student Timothy Piazza. Piazza died after consuming large amounts of alcohol during a fraternity initiation ritual. Young and Casey pleaded guilty to 14 counts of hazing and one count of reckless endangerment.
Piazza, an engineering student, was found unresponsive at the Beta Theta Pi fraternity house after drinking excessive amounts of alcohol during the event. Security footage showed Piazza struggling and falling multiple times throughout the night. Fraternity members failed to seek medical treatment for him until the next morning, leading to his death two days later. Piazza suffered multiple traumatic brain injuries and a lacerated spleen as a result of the hazing ritual.
The case sparked outrage over frat culture and resulted in policy reforms at Penn State, including stricter punishments for hazing. The Piazza family was instrumental in passing the Timothy J. Piazza Anti-Hazing Law, which established harsher penalties for hazing incidents. Piazza is remembered through a memorial foundation and a center for fraternity and sorority research at Penn State.
Young and Casey were the final two defendants to be sentenced in the case, which initially involved more than two dozen fraternity members facing charges ranging from involuntary manslaughter to hazing. The case highlighted the dangers of hazing rituals on college campuses and the need for accountability within Greek organizations.
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