April 10, 2017
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The fraternity house of the now-closed Beta Theta Pi chapter at Penn State University is shown.
The parents of a Pennsylvania State University student and fraternity pledge who died in February after falling down a flight of stairs while attending a fraternity party claim their son, Timothy Piazza, sent an alarming text to his girlfriend in the hours before his death.
The text, according to statements from Jim and Evelyn Piazza reported on by Philly.com, said, “They’re going to get me f---ed up.”
The disclosure of the alleged final text comes as a grand jury investigation into the case is nearing completion.
The Beta Theta Pi fraternity campus chapter, where Piazza was a pledge, has been permanently banned from the university. Penn State said an investigation found “forced drinking, hazing and other illegal activity." A ban on alcohol at fraternity-related social events on the main campus for the rest of spring semester was also implemented.
Piazza, 19, of Lebanon, Hunterdon County, New Jersey, reportedly fell down a flight of stairs while attending a Beta Theta Pi pledge acceptance party on Feb. 3 and died two days later after having sustained a collapsed lung, ruptured spleen and traumatic brain injury, according to Philly.com.
According to reports, no one at the party called for medical help for 12 hours after his fall.
The lawyer for the Piazzas has reportedly told Philly.com, “There’s every indication that this was a brutal, horrible, hazing incident, the likes of which should never be allowed on a campus of an American university.”
Read more at Philly.com.
