Father: Son Who Died At Penn State Fraternity Treated Like 'Roadkill'
NEW YORK (CBS/AP) — The father of a Penn State University student who died after an alcohol-fueled hazing ritual says his son was treated like "roadkill."
Nineteen-year-old engineering student Timothy Piazza died in February after a Beta Theta Pi party.
His father, Jim Piazza, said that fraternity members "had all the intent to feed these young men lethal doses of alcohol." He calls his son's death "premeditated."
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"He died a slow painful death at the hands of these men of principle as they're called," Piazza said.
The family from Lebanon, New Jersey, spoke out about the Feb. 2 death in a Monday interview with The Associated Press. They are considering a lawsuit but said they're focused now on a criminal case against 18 members of the now-shuttered fraternity at Penn State.
Piazza's mother, Evelyn, says her grief is worsening as she learns more about the "horrors" that happened to her son.
"To know that he was lying at the bottom of the basement steps any length of time. It all is terrible," she said.
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According to a grand jury report, Beta Theta Pi pledges were forced to consume heavy amounts of alcohol in a short amount of time as part of a hazing ritual.
Within three hours, prosecutors say Timothy Piazza fell down a flight of basement stairs.
Eight fraternity members face felony charges that could result to up to 20 years in prison.