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Fifth Former Beta Theta Pi Brother Scheduled To Plead Guilty

Aidan O’Brien will join the four other former Beta Theta Pi brothers who entered guilty pleas to charges related to the death of Penn State student Tim Piazza at the on-campus fraternity house in February 2017.

O’Brien, who received his charges as part of the November 2017 grand jury presentment after the FBI recovered deleted basement video footage from Beta Theta Pi’s bid acceptance night where Piazza died, is scheduled to plead guilty December 6, according to court records.

Then-Centre County District Attorney Stacy Parks Miller initially announced charges of aggravated assault, involuntary manslaughter, and reckless endangerment against O’Brien, but he had just one count of hazing, two counts of unlawful acts relative to liquor, and one count of underage drinking bound over for trial. The Office of the Attorney General, which took over the case in January, dropped manslaughter and assault charges, while Judge Steven Lachman dismissed REAP charges.

Of the four previous defendants to enter a guilty plea, Ryan Burke is the only former brother to be sentenced so far. He was sentenced in July to three months house arrest, 27 months of probation, 100 hours of community service, and fines on four counts of hazing and five alcohol charges.

Joseph Ems and Michael Angelo Schiavone are scheduled to be sentenced on September 27 and October 22, respectively. Bo Han Song — who entered his guilty plea on August 30 — has not yet been scheduled for sentencing.

Less than 20 defendants still face charges in the case. Most are scheduled to head to trial starting February 2019.

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About the Author

Steve Connelly

Unfortunately, former editor Steve Connelly has graduated. Where is he now? He might be doing something related to that PR degree he got in 2019. Maybe he finally opened that sports bar named after one of his photos, the Blurry Zamboni. Or he might just be eating chicken tenders and couch surfing. Anything’s possible. If you really want to know, follow him on Twitter @slc2o.

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