As day two got under way for a second preliminary hearing for 11 of the former Beta Theta Pi members facing charges in connection with Piazza's February 2017 death, video evidence from inside the now-banned Penn State fraternity house was the focus.
The new Timothy J. Piazza Antihazing Law would create a tiered system for grading hazing offenses, stronger penalties and new requirements for enforcement and reporting by educational institutions.
Piazza’s parents, Jim and Evelyn, who again sat in the front row of the courtroom gallery, cried as Kamerow recounted the injuries to their son’s head and spleen.
The proposed law would make it a first-degree misdemeanor for any hazing that “causes or risks causing bodily injury,” a second degree felony for hazing that “causes or risks causing serious bodily injury,” and a first-degree felony for hazing that “results in the death of the victim.”
The bills would expand the state-related universities' requirements under the state's Right to Know law and Public Official and Employee Ethics Act, and make changes to the size and operation of Penn State's Board of Trustees.
Former Penn State general counsel Cynthia Baldwin faces a hearing before the Pennsylvania Disciplinary Board in May over her handling of testimony by former university administrators during the Jerry Sandusky investigation.