Bedford Man Among 18 Penn State Students Charged in Frat House Death

BEDFORD, MA — A Bedford man is one of 18 Penn State students who have been charged in connection with a student's death at a frat party in February. Ryan K. Foster, 21, has been charged with tampering with evidence in connection with the death of 19-year-old Timothy Piazza.

Foster and 17 of his fellow Beta Theta Pi frat brothers are facing the charges in connection with the death of Piazza, who was intoxicated when he fell down a flight of stairs during a Feb. 2 pledge party. Piazza was placed on a couch, and medical attention was not summoned until the following morning, police said.

He died two days later from his injuries, which included a collapsed lung, ruptured spleen and traumatic brain injury. Officials have said his death was preventable and that the injuries initially were not life-threatening.

Seven Beta Theta Pi frat brothers face manslaughter charges, including Chapter President Patrick Young; Pledge Master Daniel Casey, Jonah Neuman; Nick Kubera; Michael Bonatucci; Gary Dibileo; Luke Visser; and Joe Sala. Ten others, including Foster, face related charges, including hazing, tampering with evidence and furnishing alcohol to minors.

The Beta Theta Pi fraternity itself has also been charged, Centre County District Attorney Stacy Parks Miller said during a Friday news conference.

The Philadelphia Inquirer reports the grand jury investigation revealed Beta Theta Pi pledges were forced to participate in the fraternity's ritual known as “the gauntlet.” During "the gauntlet," pledges had to visit stations that featured various ways to consume alcohol quickly, such as games and chugging.

A fraternity member told the grand jury that some pledges drank as many as five alcoholic drinks in two minutes, the Inquirer report said.

The Penn State Interfraternity Council has issued a statement in response to the charges. "Our thoughts continue to lie with the Piazza family as the justice process moves forward," Michael Cavallaro, the organization's VP for Communications, said in a statement. He said Penn State's greek organizations are focused on preventing another similar tragedy in the future.

"We are committed to addressing the critical issues in our fraternity community head on," Cavallaro said in the statement.

PHOTO: Timothy Piazza