Ronkonkoma teen allegedly involved in hazing death of Penn State frat pledge

<p>A Ronkonkoma teen was allegedly involved in the hazing death of a fraternity pledge at Penn State. T</p>

News 12 Staff

May 8, 2017, 9:54 PM

Updated 2,714 days ago

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Ronkonkoma teen allegedly involved in hazing death of Penn State frat pledge
A Ronkonkoma teen was allegedly involved in the hazing death of a fraternity pledge at Penn State.
Timothy Piazza, a sophomore at Penn State, died in February after an alleged hazing ritual. Now, 18 Penn State University students affiliated with the Beta Theta Pi fraternity have been charged, including 19-year-old Daniel Casey, of Ronkonkoma.
According to court documents, Piazza died from traumatic brain injuries after being forced to drink excessively, resulting in repeated falls - including one down 15 feet of stairs.
Prosecutors say Casey, the pledge master, and 17 others waited too long to get him help. They say surveillance video inside the frat house captured the final moments of Piazza's life as Casey and others tried to revive him. Court documents say Casey slapped Timothy three times in the face, and that Casey and other frat brothers tried to destroy evidence, including conversations on Facebook and on an app called Group Me. Investigators say messages can't be recovered after they are deleted on Group Me. 
Investigators say Casey searched topics like how to delete a group on Facebook after the death.
According to the Penn State president, the Beta Theta Pi fraternity has been banned from ever returning to the university.