A judge on Friday dismissed all involuntary manslaughter and reckless endangerment charges against former Penn State University fraternity brothers in the fourth preliminary hearing in the hazing death of PSU student Timothy Piazza.
Six of the seven former brothers entered the hearing already bound over for trial on a number of other charges. Former house manager Braxton Becker was the exception.
Mr. Piazza, a sophomore engineering student from Lebanon, N.J., died in February 2017 after a night of drinking and hazing. Authorities said he had consumed a dangerous amount of alcohol and suffered a series of falls that left him with a fractured skull and severe abdominal injuries.
In May, District Judge Steven Lachman dismissed the three charges stemming from the allegation that Mr. Becker intentionally deleted video from the fraternity’s basement. Jim and Evelyn Piazza’s attorney, Tom Kline, previously said Judge Lachman’s decision left the family “dismayed.”
District Judge Carmine Prestia doubled down on Judge Lachman’s ruling and again dismissed all charges against Mr. Becker.
“The evidence is insufficient to point directly to the defendant as having been the person who initiated any erasure of data. The systems were known to have problems, some cameras were not working, and the LAN indication on the log indicates possible remote access to the devices,” Judge Prestia said.
Former fraternity President Brendan Young and pledgemaster Daniel Casey were the two highest-ranking members of the fraternity involved in the fourth overall preliminary hearing. The district judge dismissed the charges against the two. He let stand 30 hazing charges for each.
Michael Bonatucci, Nicholas Kubera, Jonah Neuman and Joshua Kurczewski each had one count of hazing bound over for trial. Their remaining charges were dismissed.
Earlier this month, former fraternity member Ryan Burke, 21, of Scranton, was sentenced to three months’ house arrest and two years’ probation after pleading guilty to hazing alcohol violations in connection with the death.
The former fraternity brothers are among the more than 20 members of the now-closed Beta Theta Pi to face criminal charges.
Judge Prestia dismissed the involuntary manslaughter and recklessly endangering another person charges, but bound them over for trial on 30 hazing charges each.
Judge Prestia announced his ruling Friday after presiding over two days of testimony and reviewing information from hearings on Thursday.
First Published: August 24, 2018, 5:11 p.m.