Woodstock Student Sentenced In Penn State Frat Hazing Death

WOODSTOCK, GA — Three former Penn State Beta Theta Pi fraternity brothers, including a 21-year-old man from Woodstock, have been sentenced to jail time in connection with the 2017 hazing death of pledge Timothy Piazza.

Michael Bonatucci, 21, of Woodstock, was one of 11 Beta Theta Pi brothers charged in 2017 with involuntary manslaughter and aggravated assault with their connection to the hazing death of Timothy Piazza, who was a 19-year-old sophomore when he died in 2016, authorities said.

Bonatucci, Luke Visser and Joshua Kurczewski were sentenced Tuesday by Centre County Judge Brian Marshall to minimum sentences ranging from 30 days to three months, The Centre Daily Times first reported. A fourth former fraternity brother, Joseph Sala, was sentenced Tuesday to three months of house arrest.

Bonatucci, 21, of Woodstock, Georgia; Visser, 21, of Encinitas, California; and Kurczewski, 20, of Erie all pleaded guilty to charges of hazing in January.

Piazza, a Hunterdon County, New Jersey native, died in February 2017 after drinking heavily at a Beta Theta Pi pledge acceptance party then falling down a flight of stairs. No one summoned help until late the next morning, and Piazza died the following day at the hospital.

Bonatucci's family issued a public statement in May 2017 saying the charges were "inappropriate." The statement came hours after Timothy Piazza's parents appeared on several morning news programs. In an interview on NBC's "Today," Piazza's father, Jim, said the fraternity brothers who failed to call for help, allowing his son to suffer for 12 hours, are responsible for his death. "They killed him," Jim Piazza said.

Bonatucci's lawyer disputed his client, one of 18 charged in connection with the fatal incident and one of eight facing manslaughter charges, was in any way responsible for that death.

"Michael was not even present in the Beta house when the most salient events and observations alleged in the presentment occurred," according to a statement from the family that was distributed by Rocco C. Cipparone Jr., the lawyer representing Bonatucci.

The charges are "devastating to him and to our entire close-knit family," the family's statement said.

Cipparone said previously that the charges against his client, who was in his freshman year at Penn State when the fatal incident occurred, "simply do not fit the facts and evidence known to date."

Patch has contacted Cipparone for comment.

A total of 18 Beta Theta Pi fraternity brothers were charged in connection with Piazza's death; two waived their preliminary hearing. Eight fraternity brothers faced manslaughter charges. Others were charged with aggravated assault, tampering with evidence and related charges.

More than a dozen former fraternity brothers have been sentenced in connection with the fatal incident but Tuesday's were the first to include jail time. Additional sentencings are forthcoming.

Authorities began investigating the case immediately following the tragic event. In May 2017,a grand jury report revealed disturbing details into the hours before and after Piazza's fall, including that fellow brothers slapped him, poured water on him, and stepped over his limp body.

Video evidence from the scene showed Piazza being served 18 drinks in 82 minutes at various drinking stations before taking a fatal fall down the basement stairs, prosecutors said.

More serious charges of involuntary manslaughter and aggravated assault originally filed in November 2017 by Centre County Prosecutor Stacy Parks Miller against some of the Penn State fraternity brothers were dropped by a Centre County judge.

The case was then taken over by the Pennsylvania Attorney General's office.

"There is no indication in that very detailed presentment that Michael personally provided any alcohol to Mr. Piazza; that Michael saw or was aware that Mr. Piazza fell; that Michael saw any bruising or injury to Mr. Piazza; that Michael engaged in the alleged "backpacking" as to Mr. Piazza; that Michael had any physical contact with Timothy Piazza before, during or after he fell; or that Michael participated in any alleged debate about Timothy Piazza's condition or what to do about it," the lawyer said in the statement.

Click here for a timeline of the case.

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• 911 Audio From Penn State Frat House Death Released

Patch Editor Kara Seymour contributed to this article.