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Pair face charges in college beating

Pair face charges in college beating

A Westminster College football player and a University of Pittsburgh student face a court hearing Tuesday on charges they beat two teenagers so severely during a fracas outside a fraternity house they required surgery.

Louis Fani Jr., 22, who played fullback and tight end for the Westminster Titans before being suspended from the team, and Adam Eury, 21, turned themselves in Monday.

They were charged in connection with attacks Oct. 9 on three teenagers during a party at the Sigma Nu fraternity house in New Wilmington.

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Police Chief Carmen Piccirillo said the incident began when five teenagers from the New Castle area crashed a fraternity party at about 11:45 p.m.

Inside the Sigma Nu house, they ran afoul of fraternity brothers, who questioned why they were there and accused the teens of intending to steal things.

Police said Fani pinned a 16-year-old against a wall and hit him in the head with a full beer can.

Fani and Eury, a friend who was visiting from Pitt, then went after the 16-year-old's friends, according to police. Once outside, Eury attacked another 16-year-old with his fists, causing multiple facial fractures, Piccirillo said.

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Police said Eury then helped Fani beat up Justin Burk, 18, the only victim whose full name is used in a police affidavit. Burk suffered a severely broken nose.

Piccirillo said that all the attacks were unprovoked and that the victims did nothing wrong.

The teenagers made it to their car and drove away. Two days later, after police had been alerted, the team suspended Fani, a senior, who missed his final five games. Mark Meighen, a college spokesman, said Fani faces a judicial board hearing at the school.

On Oct. 18, Burk underwent reconstructive surgery at Jameson Hospital in New Castle to repair his nose. The 16-year-old, identified only as "K.P.," had surgery Oct. 14 at Allegheny General Hospital. A metal plate was inserted into his head, Piccirillo said. The other 16-year-old was not badly hurt.

Other fraternity members intervened in the scrap, but not in time to prevent the injuries, Picirrillo said. However, he praised them for supplying crucial information to police.

Two days after the incident, Piccirillo met with fraternity members, including Fani. He told them the injuries to the victims were serious and that they needed to come forward and identify the perpetrators.

The police affidavit said six witnesses told police that in the days following the assaults, Fani admitted to punching two people. He also had injuries to his hands, the affidavit said.

The chief said it took him a month to sort out statements to determine who hit whom before filing charges.

Fani and Eury, who are both from Green Tree, turned themselves in Monday to Neshannock District Justice James Reed, where they were arraigned. Both were released on their own recognizance.

Fani was charged with aggravated assault, two counts of simple assault and disorderly conduct. Police charged Eury with two counts each of aggravated assault and simple assault.

First Published: November 19, 2004, 5:00 a.m.

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