Craig Heimer, right, arrives for his preliminary hearing on charges related to the hazing death of Timothy Piazza at Penn State's Beta Theta Pi fraternity at the Centre County Courthouse in Bellefonte,... (Associated Press) 
 
 BELLEFONTE, Pa. (AP) — A detective testifying at a hearing for 18 Penn State fraternity brothers accused in the death of a 19-year-old pledge said Monday the student looked like a corpse in surveillance video from the frat house. 
 
 "He looked dead, he looked like a corpse," said State College Police Detective David Scicchitano, describing sophomore Tim Piazza's appearance in footage showing frat brothers carrying him upstairs the morning after a pledge event that involved heavy drinking. 
 
 Scicchitano spoke at preliminary hearing at a courthouse near campus that will determine if there's enough evidence to send the case to court for trial. 
 
 Video shot inside the Beta Theta Pi house was being shown from the night the pledge was ordered to drink and then fatally injured in a series of falls. 
 
 Piazza consumed what prosecutors said was a life-threatening amount of alcohol during a hazing ritual on Feb. 2 in State College, Pennsylvania, and he died two days later. 
 
 Fraternity members didn't call 911 until nearly 12 hours after his first fall. 
 
 Piazza's father, Jim, rocked back and forth quietly in the front row of the courtroom as he heard his son's final hours described. When the video started, he and his wife Evelyn left the courtroom. 
 
 Scicchitano said the footage shows Piazza was clearly injured after his first serious fall, at 11:22 p.m. 
 
 "He is unconscious, his eyes are closed, he is limp. He is dead weight," he said, also noting he had a bruise on his abdomen. 
 
 By about 3 a.m., the detective said, Piazza was left alone on the couch. He later falls several times in the house's great hall and other areas. 
 
 He can be seen hitting his head and stomach, rolling around on the floor and then staggering severely to the lobby area and toward the basement stairs, Scicchitano said. 
 
 He's not seen on tape again until two hours later, when brothers looking for him find him in the basement. 
 
 Piazza was carried upstairs and had labored breathing, he said. 
 
 By that time, he had "lost all color," and some of the fraternity members thought he may have died, Scicchitano said. 
 
 The defendants face a variety of charges, with some accused of involuntary manslaughter and felony aggravated assault. The fraternity chapter is also a defendant. 
 
 Piazza, of Lebanon, New Jersey, died at a hospital Feb. 4 from traumatic brain injury and had suffered severe abdominal bleeding. His blood-alcohol measured at a dangerous level. 
 
 Penn State has permanently banned the fraternity, saying the school found "a persistent pattern" of excess drinking, drug use and hazing. ||||| Breaking News Emails Get breaking news alerts and special reports. The news and stories that matter, delivered weekday mornings. 
 
 / Updated By Erik Ortiz 
 
 Nearly two dozen members of a Penn State University fraternity are facing criminal charges, including involuntary manslaughter and aggravated assault, after a pledge fatally fell down stairs during an alcohol-fueled event, Pennsylvania prosecutors announced Friday. 
 
 Ten of the 18 brothers belonging to Beta Theta Pi were arraigned Friday afternoon following a months-long investigation into the death of 19-year-old Timothy Piazza, a sophomore engineering major from Lebanon, New Jersey. They did not comment about the charges, and were later released on bail. 
 
 The charges include aggravated assault, hazing, furnishing alcohol to minors and consumption of alcohol by a minor, said Centre County District Attorney Stacy Parks Miller. Eight of the brothers have also been charged with involuntary manslaughter and the fraternity itself has been charged. 
 
 The involuntary manslaughter counts carry a maximum punishment of 2-1/2 years to 5 years, while the aggravated assault counts, a first-degree felony, carry a maximum prison term of 10 years to 20 years. 
 
 "I've said this before: This didn't have to happen," Piazza's father, Jim Piazza, said at a news conference after the charges were announced. "This is the result of a feeling of entitlement, flagrant disobedience of the law and disregard for moral values that was then exacerbated by egregious acts of self-preservation. Again, this did not have to happen." 
 
 The State College-based school shut down the Beta chapter permanently following the Feb. 2 pledge event that led to Piazza's death. Police said he fell head first down 15 basement steps at around 11 p.m., but first responders were not called until almost 12 hours later. 
 
 Related: First of 37 Defendants Sentenced in Fatal Hazing Case 
 
 Four brothers allegedly carried him upstairs after the fall and placed him on a couch that night, but no one called 911 until the next morning. Piazza died at the hospital. 
 
 The coroner ruled Piazza's death accidental and said he sustained multiple traumatic injuries from the fall. 
 
 According to prosecutors, members of the fraternity testified to a grand jury that Beta was supposed to be a "dry" house, but alcohol was still consumed during its events. 
 
 Timothy Piazza (C) with his parents Evelyn Piazza (L) and James Piazza (R) on Oct. 31, 2014. Timothy died in February 2017 at a fraternity event at Penn State. Patrick Carns / AP 
 
 About 40 students lived at the house. Members partook in alcohol-filled festivities such as a Four Loko night and a cigar and beer night. 
 
 From Jan. 25 to Feb. 2, one Beta brother bought nearly $1,180 worth of alcohol, including Four Loko and Crown Russe vodka, prosecutors said. Text messages and a chat group called "we f--- moms" revealed members allegedly asking about buying alcohol, including for pledges, and collecting money for their so-called "slush fund." 
 
 During the pledge night event, the recruits were required to drink various types of alcohol at stations as part of a contest known as "the gauntlet," prosecutors said. 
 
 Cameras Capture Pledge Event 
 
 Surveillance footage from inside the house shows much of what was happening that night and the aftermath of Piazza's fall, according to the grand jury investigation. 
 
 The brothers first gathered in the house's "great hall" with the lights turned off, according to the report. Pledges wearing khakis, button-down shirts and sports jackets were led into the room and then back out before they started the "gauntlet." 
 
 The report describes the pledges engaging in heavy drinking, and Piazza at one point is seen swigging from a bottle of vodka and then consuming beer. 
 
 About 20 minutes later, a "visibly intoxicated" Piazza was assisted to a couch, but he got up and staggered toward the front door, detectives said. He was unable to open the front door and instead headed toward the basement steps. 
 
 Although the fall itself was not caught on camera, fraternity members told police that they heard a sound and then found Piazza lying unconscious on the landing with his legs still on the staircase. 
 
 One of the brothers said they needed to take Piazza to the hospital, but the others told him to leave the room, according to the report. 
 
 The Beta Theta Pi House at Penn State. WJAC-TV 
 
 They were seen on camera trying to slap him awake, and at one point, two of the brothers landed on top of his unconscious body. Piazza also vomited. The brothers became frustrated and one even struck Piazza "hard one time in the abdomen with his open right hand," detectives said. 
 
 Detectives said four of the brothers carried him upstairs. They tried to coax him up, but he did not respond. His arm was limp and he had a bruise on his chest. 
 
 Eventually, after midnight, Piazza became physically responsive and managed to move around. The brothers failed to provide any meaningful assistance, detectives said, even as Piazza staggered around and somehow managed to end up back on the basement floor. 
 
 At around 10 a.m., the brothers found him down there. One brother told investigators Piazza "felt cold to the touch, his skin appeared pale, and his eyes remained half-open." 
 
 Instead of calling 911, the brothers attempted to shake him, the report said. The brothers searched "falling asleep after a head injury" and "cold extremities in drunk person," according to a search of their cellphones by detectives. 
 
 It wasn't until 10:48 a.m. that one of the brothers finally called 911. Detectives said the brothers used a group chat discussion to come up with a plan to cover up what happened. 
 
 'Heart-Wrenching and Incomprehensible' 
 
 In a statement, the Beta Theta Pi International Fraternity called the charges "incredibly disheartening" and said it was standing by its decision to disband the chapter. 
 
 Fraternity leaders have "clearly and consistently expressed its position that it does not tolerate hazing or alcohol abuse in any form by its members," they said. "The former undergraduate members were well educated by the International Fraternity and Penn State on these policies; however, they are entitled to the presumption of innocence as they face these charges." 
 
 Penn State President Eric Barron added that the charges were "heart-wrenching and incomprehensible." 
 
 "All indicators suggested Beta Theta Phi was a model fraternity — the house, privately-owned and situated like all other fraternity houses on private property, was beautiful, the subject of a multi-million dollar renovation; both the Beta alumni and the national organization provided strict rules of behavior; and, the brothers had a no alcohol policy which stated that anyone caught drinking would be expelled," Barron said. "It is clear, however, this was no 'model' fraternity.'" 
 
 Piazza's death led to a number of changes on campus, including a ban on all social activities involving alcohol for the rest of the semester, monitoring at social events to prevent underage and excessive drinking, no hard liquor at events that allow for alcohol, and probation and immediate revocation of a Greek-letter chapter's status if rules are violated. 
 
 Barron said the university has since suspended Sigma Alpha Mu for two years for violating its alcohol-use policy. ||||| Centre County District Attorney Stacy Parks Miller, left, hugs Evelyn Piazza as her husband Jim stands in the background after announcing the findings in the investigation of the February death of the... (Associated Press) 
 
 BELLEFONTE, Pa. (AP) — Eighteen Penn State fraternity brothers have been charged with crimes ranging up to involuntary manslaughter in the case of a pledge who authorities say repeatedly fell down a flight of stairs after he and others were made to run a gantlet of drinking stations where they guzzled vodka, beer and wine. 
 
 Fraternity members at Beta Theta Pi resisted getting help for 19-year-old Timothy Piazza, causing him to suffer for hours and possibly making his injuries worse, a prosecutor said Friday in announcing the results of a grand jury investigation. 
 
 "This is a very sad day for Centre County — it's been sad ever since we lost a child for reasons that are totally preventable. A child who just wanted to come to college here, who put his faith in Penn State," District Attorney Stacy Parks Miller said at a news conference. 
 
 Eight of the fraternity brothers and the chapter itself were charged with involuntary manslaughter. Other charges include aggravated and simple assault, evidence tampering, alcohol-related violations and hazing. An attorney for the chapter did not immediately respond to telephone or email messages seeking comment. 
 
 The grand jury, aided by security camera footage, said the fraternity was heavily stocked with booze for the Feb. 2 ceremony at which Piazza, a sophomore engineering student from Lebanon, New Jersey, and 13 others accepted pledge bids. The pledges were pressured to chug vodka, shotgun beers and drink wine at different stations. 
 
 Piazza tumbled down a long flight of stairs that night and fell several other times, injuring his head, Miller said. The next morning, he fell down the same steps and was unconscious when help was finally summoned. Piazza died Feb. 4 as a result of a traumatic brain injury. 
 
 Miller said doctors estimate Piazza had a blood-alcohol content of nearly .40 percent. 
 
 The investigation found some frat members tried to cover up what happened. A text message recovered by police urged pledges to get rid of evidence of alcohol, and conversations were found discussing deleting conversations from a messaging app. 
 
 "Sadly, we're never going to see his smile again except in pictures," said the student's father, Jim Piazza, who attended the news conference. "This didn't have to happen. This is the result of a feeling of entitlement, flagrant disregard" for the law. 
 
 Penn State permanently banned Beta Theta Pi on March 30, accusing it of a "persistent pattern" of excessive drinking, drug use and hazing. University President Eric Barron called the report heart-wrenching, sickening and incomprehensible. 
 
 "It is numbing how an atmosphere that endangers the well-being and safety of another person could occur within an organization that prided itself on commitment to each other and to its community," Barron said. 
 
 Miller said video footage turned over to investigators was critical to the investigation, providing evidence of what occurred and contradicting stories some witnesses had told. 
 
 The cameras recorded Piazza drinking vodka and beer at around 9:20 p.m. and an hour later needing help to walk, staggering and hunched over, from an area near the basement stairs to a couch. He's later shown trying unsuccessfully to open the front door, then "severely staggering drunkenly toward the basement steps" at about 10:45 p.m., the grand jury report said. 
 
 He was subsequently found at the bottom of the steps after apparently falling face-first. Four brothers carried his limp body back upstairs, where some poured liquid on him and one slapped him in the face, the jury said. Fraternity members put a backpack containing textbooks on him so Piazza, lying on his back, would not suffocate on his own vomit, the grand jury wrote. 
 
 When a brother insisted Piazza needed medical help, he was confronted and shoved into a wall, the report said. When the same brother insisted again that Piazza required help, he was told others were biology and kinesiology majors so his opinion wasn't as valuable as theirs, the jury said. 
 
 Piazza tried to get up around 3:20 a.m. but fell backward and hit his head on the wood floor, the report said. He fell onto a stone floor at 5 a.m. and was last caught on video after 7 a.m. He was discovered in the basement at about 10 a.m. 
 
 "Timothy was lying on his back with his arms clenched tight at his sides and his hands in the air," grand jurors wrote. "His chest was bare, his breathing heavy and he had blood on his face." 
 
 During the next 40 minutes, fraternity brothers shook him, tried to prop him up, covered him with a blanket, wiped his face and attempted to dress him before one finally called 911, the grand jury said. 
 
 The eight defendants facing more serious charges were scheduled to appear before a judge late Friday to be arraigned and have bail set. That will occur for the other defendants next week, Miller said. Five face a single count each of evidence tampering.
– A detective testifying at a hearing for 18 Penn State fraternity brothers accused in the death of a 19-year-old pledge said Monday the student looked like a corpse in surveillance video from the frat house. "He looked dead, he looked like a corpse," said State College Police Detective David Scicchitano, describing sophomore Tim Piazza's appearance in footage showing frat brothers carrying him upstairs the morning after a pledge event that involved heavy drinking, reports the AP. Scicchitano spoke at preliminary hearing at a courthouse near campus that will determine if there's enough evidence to send the case to court for trial. Video shot inside the Beta Theta Pi house was being shown from the night the pledge was ordered to drink and then fatally injured in a series of falls. The Post-Gazette notes that this is the first time prosecutors showed the video. Piazza consumed what prosecutors said was a life-threatening amount of alcohol during a hazing ritual on Feb. 2 and he died two days later. Fraternity members didn't call 911 until nearly 12 hours after his first fall. Piazza's father, Jim, rocked back and forth quietly in the front row of the courtroom as he heard his son's final hours described. When the video started, he and his wife Evelyn left the courtroom. "The grand jury presentment released last month had described what was on the video in detail, but still it was no match for the actual footage," the Post-Gazette notes. The defendants face a variety of charges, with some accused of involuntary manslaughter and felony aggravated assault. Piazza died at a hospital Feb. 4 from traumatic brain injury and had suffered severe abdominal bleeding. His blood-alcohol measured at a dangerous level. Penn State has permanently banned the fraternity, saying the school found "a persistent pattern" of excess drinking, drug use, and hazing.