The eight defendants facing more serious charges were scheduled to appear before a judge late Friday to be arraigned and have bail set.
Flanked by Piazza's parents and a blown-up portrait of the sophomore engineering major, Centre County District Attorney Stacy Parks Miller accused fraternity members of putting Piazza through a booze-fueled hazing ritual and failing to call for help once it was clear he was seriously injured.
The frat itself faces charges including 50 counts of hazing, 48 counts of furnishing alcohol to minors and one count of involuntary manslaughter. Eight face involuntary manslaughter charges. "And I said, 'no, I really do know what I'm talking about". It was a "result of a feeling of entitlement, flagrant disregard for the law". "Again, this did not have to happen". Police said Piazza fell at the frat around 11 p.m. however, first responders were not called until nearly 12 hours later. Piazza passed away two days later from a traumatic brain injury.
The fraternity brothers and other witnesses who testified before the grand jury led the investigative body to conclude the students engaged in hazing during Piazza's pledge class this semester but had also hazed pledges during the previous two semesters. Members partook in alcohol-filled festivities such as a Four Loko night and a cigar and beer night.
On February 2 the fraternity began its initiation, which involved significant quantities of alcohol, prosecutors said.
The district attorney said today that Piazza had two serious falls during the night and by the time he went to the hospital on February 3 it was essentially too late, according to The Patriot-News. The pledges were pressured to chug vodka, shotgun beers and drink wine at different stations. Videos show Piazza unable to open a door and needing help to walk. They say the next morning he fell down the same steps a second time and was unconscious when help was finally summoned.
During the next 42 minutes, fraternity brothers shook him, tried to prop him up, covered him with a blanket, wiped his face and tried to dress him but were unsuccessful "due to the stiffness of Timothy's body".
At another point, one fraternity brother tackled another, landing on top of Piazza.
Gurpreet Singh quits AAP over Bhagwant Mann's appointment as Punjab unit chief
Ghuggi, who is the former Punjab convener of the AAP , said that he would stay in politics but not be associated with the AAP . I have known Bhagwant Mann for many years, we have been colleagues and I am not upset with him as an individual, he said.
Other fraternities and sororities at Penn State are restricted from recruiting new members until 2018 as well as limited as to the number of social events they can hold and how much and what kind of alcohol they may serve.
Eventually, after midnight, Piazza became physically responsive and managed to move around. Fraternity brothers stepped over him, according to the findings.
At about 1am, fraternity brothers put a backpack full of books on Piazza, who had thrown up and was twitching, in an attempt to keep him from rolling onto his back, according to the grand jurors' findings.
It is also alleged that a number of brothers used a group chat app to discuss how they would cover up what had happened.
"The nature of those charges are incredibly disheartening as the organization and its membership continue to grieve Tim's passing and the pain experienced by his family", Beta Theta Pi International Fraternity said in a statement, according to ABC News.
During the entire ordeal, some fraternity members even clicked pictures for Snapchat. Penn State has one of the most aggressive student misconduct policies in the country, and its off-campus policy pertaining to misconduct remains the most vigorous in the Big Ten.
Penn State president Eric Barron at a news conference called the "alleged details in the grand jury presentment. sickening and hard to understand".
A grand jury report shows Piazza was attending a bid acceptance night at the fraternity house on the Penn State campus.
Comments