Beta Theta Pi Fraternity Preliminary Hearing

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Written By Justin Merriman

A member of Beta Theta Pi fraternity arrives for the preliminary hearing at the Centre County courthouse on Monday Morning, June 12, 2017 in Bellefonte, Pa. Today's hearing will determine whether the 18 brothers, as well as their fraternity, should stand trial for the death of Timothy Piazza.

Jim and Evelyn Piazza, the parents of Timothy Piazza, the 19-year-old pledge who died following a Feb. 2 event at the Beta Theta Pi frat house at Penn State University, leave the Centre County courthouse following a preliminary hearing on Monday Morning, June 12, 2017 in Bellefonte, Pa.

Luke Visser, a member of the Beta Theta Pi frat house at Penn State University, leaves the Centre County courthouse following a preliminary hearing on Monday Morning, June 12, 2017 in Bellefonte, Pa. Visser faces 56 counts: involuntary manslaughter, aggravated assault, simple assault, recklessly endangering another person, hazing, furnishing alcohol to minors, unlawful acts relative to liquor, and consumption of alcohol by a minor.

Jim and Evelyn Piazza, the parents of Timothy Piazza, the 19-year-old pledge who died following a Feb. 2 event at the Beta Theta Pi frat house at Penn State University, wait to enter the Centre County courthouse prior to a preliminary hearing on Monday, July 10, 2017 in Bellefonte, Pa.

Piazza family attorney Tom Kline speaks with members of the media outside of the Centre County courthouse at the conclusion of the fraternity members' preliminary hearing on Monday, July 10, 2017 in Bellefonte, Pa.

Brendan Young, president of the Beta Theta Pi fraternity, arrives back at the Centre County courthouse for the continuation of the preliminary hearing in the death of Timothy Piazza, 19, who died following a Feb. 2 pledge event at the frat house at Penn State University, on Thursday, Aug. 10, 2017 in Bellefonte, Pa. 

Young faces 200 counts including involuntary manslaughter, aggravated assault, simple assault, tampering with evidence, recklessly endangering another person, hazing, furnishing alcohol to minors, and unlawful acts relative to liquor.

As the preliminary hearing for the death of Tim Piazza continues, fog sits over Bellefonte, Pa., on Friday, Aug., 2017 in Bellefonte, Pa.

Leonard Ambrose, the attorney for Joe Sala, a member of the Beta Theta Pi fraternity, arrives at the Centre County courthouse for a continuation of the fraternity members' preliminary hearing on Aug. 30, 2017 in Bellefonte, Pa. Sala faces 55 counts including involuntary manslaughter, aggravated assault, simple assault, recklessly endangering another person, hazing, furnishing alcohol to minors, unlawful acts relative to liquor.

Members of the Beta Theta Pi fraternity walk to the Centre County courthouse after a break in the 7th day of the fraternity members' preliminary hearing on Aug. 31, 2017 in Bellefonte, Pa.

Luke Visser, a member of the Beta Theta Pi fraternity, arrives at the Centre County courthouse for verdict in the fraternity members' preliminary hearing on Sept. 1, 2017 in Bellefonte, Pa. Visser faces 56 counts including involuntary manslaughter, aggravated assault, simple assault, recklessly endangering another person, hazing, furnishing alcohol to minors, unlawful acts relative to liquor, and consumption of alcohol by a minor.

Brendan Young, president of the Beta Theta Pi fraternity, stands in front of the Centre County courthouse after the verdict in the fraternity members' preliminary hearing on Sept. 1, 2017 in Bellefonte, Pa after a judge threw out the most serious charges for the fraternity members.

Tom Kline, the attorney for Jim and Evelyn Piazza, the parents of Timothy Piazza, 19, who died following a Feb. 2 pledge event at the Beta Theta Pi frat house at Penn State University, speaks with media in front of the Centre County courthouse after the verdict in the fraternity members' preliminary hearing on Sept. 1, 2017 in Bellefonte, Pa.

On Feb. 4, Tim Piazza, a sophomore pledge at the Beta Theta Pi fraternity at Penn State University died after a night of heaving drinking and hazing by fraternity members. After falling down a flight of stairs and suffering sustained multiple traumatic injuries from the fall, it would be 12 hours until his fraternity brothers would call for help. In pretrial hearings that lasted throughout the summer, it ended with the most serious charges of involuntary manslaughter and aggravated assault dropped; however, 14 of the Beta brothers will still face a total of 328 criminal charges.

Justin Merriman

Justin Merriman is a freelance photojournalist, commercial photographer, licensed drone pilot, and filmmaker based in Pittsburgh. His career began in Southwestern Pennsylvania, where he worked as a newspaper photographer dedicated to community storytelling and politics. Since then, his work has been recognized with regional, national, and international awards and has appeared in publications around the world.

After covering the crash of United Flight 93 in Shanksville, Pennsylvania, on September 11, 2001, Merriman committed to documenting the U.S. military’s War on Terror, reporting from Pakistan, Afghanistan, Iraq, and across the United States. His international assignments have also included life in Fidel Castro’s Cuba, India’s campaign to eradicate polio, the aftermath of Haiti’s 2010 earthquake, Pope Benedict XVI’s visit to Cuba in 2012, the 2013 conclave that elected Pope Francis in Rome, the second anniversary of Egypt’s revolution, Russia’s 2014 invasion of Crimea, and the uncertain future of Guantanamo Bay in 2015. That same year, he traveled the full U.S.–Mexico border to document immigration issues.

In addition to photography, Merriman works as a director and filmmaker, creating recent films on refugees in Turkey, Jordan, India, and South Africa.

Closer to home, he frequently covers stories across Pennsylvania, Ohio, and West Virginia, focusing on the intersections of economic, environmental, and political life. Most recently, he reported on the Norfolk Southern train derailment in East Palestine, Ohio, and its impact on the community.

Born in Greensburg, Pennsylvania, Merriman graduated from the University of Pittsburgh at Greensburg with a B.A. in English Writing. In 2009, the university awarded him its prestigious Alumnus of Distinction award. He is a founding member of Argo Collective, a group of photographers sharing diverse visions of America. He lives outside Pittsburgh with his wife, Stephanie Strasburg, a photojournalist with PublicSource.

http://www.justinmerriman.com
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