Expressing ‘sincere remorse,’ former Penn State frat member receives sentence in hazing case
A former Penn State fraternity member who plied two pledges with vodka was sentenced Friday to three months of probation, the state attorney general’s office said.
Patrick Jackson, who was not accused of providing alcohol to Timothy Piazza, apologized to the family in a three-page letter sent to Centre County Judge Brian Marshall.
“I write to you to express my sincere remorse for my association with a tragedy that has impacted so many people. I still feel a tremendous sense of sadness and continue to grieve for the Piazza family,” Jackson wrote. “While time has not changed the sorrow that I feel, it has allowed me to comprehend the magnitude of the family’s loss.”
Piazza, 19, died in February 2017 after suffering fatal injuries during an alcohol-fueled night at the now-closed fraternity house. Jackson was also sentenced to 40 hours of community service and ordered to pay $2,000 in fines.
Jackson, 23, of Northampton County, is the only former Beta Theta Pi member to return to the university after receiving an indefinite expulsion, defense lawyer James Burke wrote. Jackson was readmitted in January after he completed more than 200 hours of community service and graduated in May.
He pleaded guilty in October 2018 to two misdemeanor alcohol violations.
He deferred sentencing more than one year because he expected to testify during the trials of then-fraternity President Brendan Young and pledge master Daniel Casey, but opted to be sentenced Friday because both of their cases are pending and no trial date has been scheduled, Burke wrote in a 30-page pre-sentence memo to Marshall.
That decision put Jackson’s professional life on hold, as three employers rescinded job offers because of his connection to the notorious case, Burke wrote.
Jackson is one of at least one dozen former fraternity members to be sentenced for charges filed after Piazza’s death.
This story was originally published November 22, 2019 at 4:55 PM.