pie piazza died of toxic levels of alcohol in his body and injuries from the fall. doctors estimate piazza had a blood alcohol content of .40, beta theta pi fraternity now banned from campus and 18 members are facing charges as serious as involuntary manslaughter and aggravated assault. this video of these students from a previous court appearance, grand jury investigation found that the actions and inactions of these classmates may have, made his injuries worse. piazza was found around 10:00 o'clock the next morning when fraternity brothers called 911. so in addition to the charges piazza's parents pushed for stricter rules related to greek life, hazing and board of trustees at penn state ordered a mandatory shut down. any organization that hazes with alcohol, physical or mental abuse, today's hearing begins at 8:30. we have dave kinchen there to bring us more. >> it will take a few weeks. >> thanks, jenny. >> pennsylvania budget deadline is just hours way and there is still no agreement in harrisburg. 32 billion-dollar budget package is on governor wolf's december

february 2nd piazza 13 others participated in a drinking challenge called the gauntlet drinking copiousts of alcohol quickly, and he suffered a catastrophic fall down a stairs. a brother there said he tried to get him the help he needed. >> i lost it. i was screaming and yelling, we need to take him to a hospital, call an ambulance, dial 9-1-1. >> instead of calling 9-1-1 there were eight hours of distressed injured piazza trying to get up, four men trying to drag his limp body up the stairs and trying to rouse him by slapping his face and pouring water over him. >> this is the worst possible depravitiy you could possibly have. >> the brothers were searching for phrases fall ago sleep after head injury and few minutes later binge drinking, alcohol, bruising or discoloration, cold feet and cold hands. 12 hours after piazza awesome fa 12z hour 12 hours after piazza's first fall the call. >> when they saw him in intensive care. >> we were trying to find a spot of skin to touch. the nurse told me to kiss him good-bye. it was hard. that's what you think of when you close your eyes. >> it loo

a grand jury investigation found that the actions and in actions of piazza's classmates may have made his injuries worse. eight of the students are charged with involuntary manslaughter, others are charged with aggravated and simple assault and then tampering and related offences so this is footage of the students charged in the case entering the courthouse for a previous hearing. according to prosecutors, he had fallen down, stairs multiple times. surveillance video shows four fraternity brot are carried piazza's limp body backup stairs where they poured liquid on him and slap him in the face apparently one student who insisted piazza needed medical treatment was confronted and shoved into a wall piazza was found in the basement 10:00 the next morning when the fraternity brothers called 911. penn state began cracking down on greek life any organization that hazes with alcohol, physical or mental abuse will be shut down, and the changes came after piazza's parents demanded the board of trustees do something to prevent anything like this from happening ever again. so today's hearing wi

was shown. >> the piazzas do not want to see the video of their son dying. it's reall really that simple. >>> the defense suggest timothy kept drinking at a social that happened after the hazing ritual known as the gauntlet. >> the fact of the matter is that tim piazza was in had for forced alcohol situation. >> reporter: on whether piazza actually suffered a second fall downstairs while heavily intoxicated. defenders said there's no evidence of a second fall. >> there were serious injuries hours before what is now becoming called the second fall. i don't think that they get anywhere by making a big deal out of the second fall. >> reporter: only about seven defense attorneys had a chance to cross-examine so far and attorneys i spoke with say they knew it wasn't going to end likely on day three. we've learned that this will reconvene in august. in bellefont, dave kinchen, fox 29 news. >>> well tonight philadelphia police are hoping some surveillance video can help them catch a gunman. take look. police say the guy shot a man yesterday morning on the 5600 bloc

tom kline represents timothy piazza's parents. >> they're and crushed today. i spoke with jim piazza on the way from the courthouse to his car and he told me there isn't a moment that goes by in that courtroom that he doesn't think about and miss tim piazza, his son. >> reporter: district attorney stacy parks miller spent part of the day trying to prove an alleged coverup with 16 attorneys defending their clients at times it was testy in the courtroom. william brennan represents joey ems of philadelphia. >> it's the courtroom. it's a battlefield. she's a passionate litigator. i don't -- i don't take anything personal in her approach. >> reporter: former sandusky prosecutor frank fina spent the afternoon cross-examining state college police detective dave scitano. fina asked how many drinks he had on his own and during the infamous gauntlet when pledges chugged booze. the detective said he didn't know. >> there is no doubt it is inescapable of tim piazza died as a result of reckless conduct and criminal conduct which caused his life. >> reporter: association da

after piazza fell downstairs twice and hit his head and also piazza and his fellow pledges were pressured to move through multiple drinking station that is required them to chug vodka , shotgun beers and drink wine. piazza later indict of toxic levels of alcohol in his body. doctors estimate he had a blood alcohol content of .40. the fraternity is banned from campus and 18 members are facing charges as involuntary manslaughter and aggravated assault. we have video thaw are looking at of these students from previous court appearance, grand jury investigation found that the actions and inactions of these classmates may have made the teens injuries worse. he was found in the basement around 10:00 o'clock next morning when the fraternity brothers, finally called 911 his parents pushed for stricter rules related to greek life hazing and they got them. board of trustees at penn state ordered a mandatory shut down of any organization that hazees without cause physical or mental abuse. the hearing begins at 8:30 and could last a couple days, thomas. >> they will go overall of the evidence to make

on day one of the preliminary hearing, the piazza left the courtroom when the video of piazza' final hours were played for the judge. 16 of 18 defendants are in the courtroom. with the so many dmpts, -- defendants, it will go into tomorrow when the judge decides who if anyone will be charged. chad perdelli channel 6 "action news." >> turning to accuweather, steamy conditions are making their way back into the forecast. sky6 live hd showing you the view of wilmington at lunchtime. we have a mix of sun and clouds, a bit more humid than yesterday, meteorologist david murphy is in the weather center with a check of the forecast, back to work forecast. >> reporter: absolutely, rick, yesterday was gorgeous across the region. this morning it started out well and in a moment we'll see if the humidity is beginning to rise up. satellite and radar shows you a lack of of significant cloud cover. there's a little bit of spotty stuff out there, but generally speaking most areas looking at sun. there's an area where we have some precipitation. storm tracker 6 live double scan shows that to you, cen

piazza's parents there listening to it all. >> it is excruciatingly difficult for the piazzas to sit and to listen to the callous and reckless misconduct of individuals who cost them their son. >> reporter: today, one defense attorney arguing that the pledges weren't physically forced to drink. another saying this tragedy was not a crime. >> none of them had the intention to harm timothy piazza, and they are trying to figure it out. >> reporter: we're learning two security guards hired by penn state were checking in on that frat party, and inside that house just minutes before piazza's fall. the students will be back in court tomorrow facing a range of charges, including involuntary manslaughter, david. >> gio benitez tonight. gio, thank you. >>> we turn next to the emergency playing out across the country. 68 major fires burning tonight. thousands of families, even young campers escaping the fires. children in tears and there are red flag warnings up tonight in at least six states. abc's senior national correspondent, matt gutman, from california. >> reporter: tonight, with those fi

timothy piazza did not survive, and we see the text messages from the students. what they saw and feared as those hours went by. abc's gio benitez at the courthouse tonight. >> reporter: today, a pennsylvania prosecutor arguing why 18 members of a penn state fraternity should stand trial in connection with the alcohol-fueled death of 19-year-old pledge tim piazza. >> we have a friend who's unconscious. he's -- hasn't moved. probably going to need an ambulance. >> reporter: that call for help 12 hours after piazza had fallen head first down the stairs after an alleged hazing ritual called "the gauntlet" -- an obstacle course of alcohol. the prosecutor, today, saying as piazza lay dying of brain injuries in the hospital, one brother was texting "he drank because we hazed him." another brother writing he "didn't want to go to jail" for it. and one writing, "i think we are expletive." as in, i think we are in trouble. piazza's parents there listening to it all. >> it is excruciatingly difficult for them to sit and listen to the callous and reckless misconduct of indi

piazza fell down the stairs, and no one called help for 12 hours. in court the district attorney shared text messages, between beta members in the moments after piazza died. one of the messages from the phone of brendan young, chapter president from malvern, quote, make sure the pledge's clean the basement and get rid of any evidence of alcohol, end quote. piazza's parents were also in the courtroom, visibly shaking during testimony. the entire episode involving piazza and fraternity brothers was caught on closed circuit surveillance video. at one point in the video joseph m, defendant from philadelphia, slapped bee ass a to try to wake him up, charged wreckless endangerment. philadelphia attorney bill brennan reps joseph m. >> i guess i'll look at it again today, but there was nothing on the video that i saw that was assault of criminal behavior. this is a terrible tragedy, the family feels absolutely compassionate, and deeply sorry about the lost of this young man, but we can't equate tragedy with criminality. >> several of those pledges and sever

a judge hearing more evidence in the death of tim piazza. the preliminary hearing is now in its third day. piazza prosecutors say died after a series of falls inside a frat house at penn state. today lawyers for members of the that fraternity focused on one of the detectives involved in the case. our dave kinchen was at that hearing and joins us live in belmont center county. dave darks was tense. >> reporter: yeah, very tense. in fact this hearing literally just ended moments ago and it was not a day without emotion and lots of fireworks between opposing counsel. the parents of 19-year-old timothy piazza arrived for day three of a hearing into their son's death and would have emotional front seat view of the most heated day of testimony and cross examination yet. with clash after clash between the defense attorneys representing 16 former members of penn state's beta theta pi fraternity and outspoken center county da stacey parks miller who called the legal defenders members of the peanut gallery as they challenged intricate details of the c

in the courtroom today, piazza's parents. >> the text messages were devastating. the piazzas find it extraordinarily difficult to hear that and see it in front of their very eyes. >> reporter: the charges range from involuntary manslaughter to evidence tampering in a case that scrutinized the darker side of greek life on college campuses. today a shouting match erupted between the prosecutor and defense attorneys who say their clients did not intend for piazza to die. >> i think the charges that have been brought with respect to my client in particular have stretched the bounds of the law and the facts as they relate to him. >> reporter: the hearing continues tomorrow as the judge decides whether this case should head to trial. >>> a dangerous combination of wildfires and heat shows no letup in the west tonight. more than a dozen wild large fires are burning. nbc's national correspondent, miguel alma fwar is in the fire zone tonight. >> reporter: tonight firefighters say their battle is shifting. not just losing land but now homes at an alarming rate. this weekend

else a defendant from philadelphia, slaps piazza. philadelphia attorney bill bren on republicans e ms. >> there was nothing that i saw was assault or criminal behavior. this is a terrible tragedy, the e ms family feels absolutely compassion nate. >> reporter: it is entirely possible, jessica and ukee, we will see 18 separate trials going forward here, district attorney stacy parks-miller will continue tomorrow morning , behind me at 8:30 in the morning to proceed to see if there is enough evidence to go forward with the trial. reporting live from bellefonte center county david spunt for cbs-3 "eyewitness news". >> we will see what happens, thanks very much. >>> five two-year old man was killed after a shipping container felon top of his pickup truck. chopper was over that scene at pack mare reen terminal on the 3300 block of columbus boulevard. philadelphia police and fire crews responded unidentified man was pronounced dead at the scene. >>> septa conductors begun checking tickets at several regional rail stations in philadelphia ch

. >> piazza died in february after authorities say that he drank excessive amounts of the alcohol, at a beta theta pi pledge party. he fell downstairs but no one called 911 for 12 hours, 18 former members of the fraternity are facing chargees from involuntary manslaughter to reckless endangerment four from the philadelphia area brendan young from malvern was fraternity president at the time of the piazza's death and charged with involuntary manslaughter, nick camera from downingtown also seen here is charged win voluntary manslaughter. yardley native michael schiavone charged with reckless endangerment and joseph e ms from philadelphia is charged with reckless endangerment. authorities say e ms slapped piazza to try to wake him up, bill bren on is e ms attorney. >> terrible tragedy that tim piazza who his life but i don't have charge that forces me to attack the deceased. >> reporter: in court several more defense attorneys questioned state college detective, authorities played surveillance video, showing timothy piazza walking around with friends, his last moments before losing consc

piazza died in february, after authorities say he drank excessive amounts of alcohol at abate a fata pi pledge party. he philadelphia down the stairs, none of his fraternity brother called 911 for 12 hours. >> should be very interesting. >> da safety sat analyst toned more defense attorneys, cross-examined state college detectives. spent two full days presenting her case in front after judge, now, 16 separate defense attorneys plan to cross-examine her witness. multiple heated exchange took place between and the 16 defense attorneys, bullying calling her a liar, judge both told sides to stop the shouting, most of the piazza except episode caught on side video, portions of the video why played. outside of the court we caught up with attorney for michael bonntucci, former beta member charged with involuntary manslaughter. >> served cup of kids not timothy piazza beer and disappeared from the video the rest of the night. not there during any of the critical time. >> four charged from the philadelphia area, emotional moment when they played surveillance video from inside the beta house i

they constantly say my client didn't intend to hurt piazza, we are not claiming that.untary manslaughter is simply unintentionally causing a death or reckless behavior. the behavior here was wildly reckless, reckless simply means behavior outside the norms that a reasonable person would practice. there's no question in our minds in the case that when presenting is deliberately holding an event which makes somebody fatally drunk, risk death, it's reckless, outside the norm, a reasonable person would practic practice. >> martha: we have a little bit of a delay, i don't mean to be stepping on you, i want to apologize for that. you have to prove that they forced him to drink unsafe amounts, correct? >> no. that's another complete misnomer. it doesn't have to be forced, it is simply that they engaged in reckless behavior. in this particular case it simply that they planned an event in which they deliberately supplied enough alcohol in which people got to fatal levels of drunkenness. it does not matter if you voluntarily consumed it or not. manslaughter, in fact, says in the

piazza's parents there listening to it all. >> it is excruciatingly difficult for the piazzas to sisr son. >> reporter: another says this tragedy was not a crime. >> none of them had the intention to harm piazza, and they're trying to figure it out. >> reporter: now we're learning two security guards fired boy penn state were checks in on that frat party inside that house just minutes before piazza's fall. they'll be facing a range of charges including involuntary manslaughter. gee know benitez, abc news, bellefonte, pennsylvania. >>> the minnesota police officer acquitted in the death of a driver legally armed is now taking a buyout. he'll get more than $48,000 as part of a separation agreement. yanez is also receiving pay for 600 hours of unused leave. he was acquitted in the death of philando castile. the case made headlines after his girlfriend live streamed the shooting's aftermath on facebook. >>> fire crews are starting to gain a little bit on some of the fires raging out west. >> but thousands are still unable to return home. in southern california, one of the largest fires b

piazza stumbled and fell several times including down basement stairs twice and being left for hoursith no one calling 911. spirited objections today defense attorneys accusing the prosecutor of cherry picking text messages used in the case. we can also tell you there was a discussion about the difference between peer pressure and actually forcing someone to do something. the defense will continue cross examination tomorrow. in bellefont, dave kinchen fox 29 news. ♪ >>> right now police in moorestown are releasing the name of the man killed during an apparent home invasion. police say 26-year-old james doyle died early sunday morning in from a stabbing he was stabbed by the owner of a house. police are not releasing that person's name because they have not been charged with a crime. one other person was stabbed but not killed. police are not releasing that person's name at this time. >>> annie meg al night in delaware as friends and family come together to remember a local mom and three cats. they all died yesterday after a car slammed into the brandywine valley spca in new castle. t

it was shown. >> the piazzas do not want to see the video of their son dying.lly that simple. >> another debate, the defense suggesting timothy kept drinking at a social that happened after the hazing ritual, known as the gauntlet. >> the fact of the mat is her that tim piazza was in a forced alcohol situation. >> on whether piazza actually suffered a second fall downstairs while heavily intoxicated. defenders said there is no evidence of a second fall. >> there were serious injuries hours before what is how being called the second fall. i don't think that they get anywhere by making a big deal out of the second fall. >> dave kinchen, "fox 29 news." >> 5:22, do you remember this awful video of seeing that poor man being pick on by those teenagers, he's intellectually challenged, just nail him, so hard there in the face. well, two of those teens, they were in court yesterday, charged in the roam quarrel day assault, they a periods in juvenile court yesterday, philly. com reporting both boys admitted their roles, and their conduct in this attack. they're going to

over 14 linked to timothy piazza's death are expected to speak in court today. piazza died in february after a fraternity hazing ritual involved heavy drinking. jericka duncan is at the courthouse. good morning. >> reporter: good morning. the parents of timothy piazza will come face-to-face once again with the young man who they believe was involved. they could address the court. that could happen today for the first time. then it will be up to a judge to determine whether or not enough evidence for this case to go to trial. timothy piazza's parents tom and evelyn were unable to bring themselves to watch surveillance video from inside the fraternity house. the prosecution presented it as e evidence during last month's preliminary hearing. nearly a month after it was shown in court, they still haven't seen it. tom klein represents the family. >> they know that the video shows their son struggling, that he was struggling for his life, and that he was painfully trying to cry out for help. >> reporter: it shows piazza struggling for hours. they slapped and pour liqu

attorneys for the piazza family and defendant joseph enz spoke outside court today. >> jim piazza told me from the courthouse to the car that there wasn't a moment today that he couldn't stop thinking about his son tim. this is a terrible tragedy. the enz family feels absolutely compassionate and deeply sorry about the loss of this young man. but we can't equate tragedy with criminality. >> the hearing will continue tomorrow. >> the fight is continuing against sunoco's natural gas liquid's pipeline where city officials are trying to put a stop to the work. eyewitness news reporter is in west goshen tonight with the effort to end the project. >> reporter: this is just the latest controversy for this natural gas liquids pipeline that sunoco is building right now west goshen says all of the activity, all the machinery you see behind me, it shouldn't be here and they're trying to stop this project. the heavy equipment is ready to go but west goshen township says sunoco should not be building this. >> there wasn't going to be any above-ground facilities except at their existing station and

. >> none of them had the intention to harm piazza, and they're trying to figure it out. >> reporter: now we're learning two security guards were checking on that frat party inside that house minutes before piazza's fall. they'll be facing a range of charges including involuntary manslaughter. >>> the minnesota police officer acquitted in the death of a driver legally armed is now taking a buyout. he'll get more than $48,000 as part of a separation agreement. yanez is also receiving pay for hours of unused leave. he was acquitted in the death of philando castile. the case made headlines after his girlfriend live streamed the facebook. >>> firefighters are starting to gain a little bit on the fires raging out west. >> but thousands are still unable to return home. in santa barbara county, more than 45 square miles of dry brush have been burned. >> how will the forecast impact those efforts? paul williams is keeping an eye on them for us. good morning. >> good morning, kendis, diane. the interior continues to sizzle. big time heat still rocking in salt lake stircity, vegas, stily too dr

he's accused of striking piazza in the abdomen. his attorney says the surveillance video does not support that claim. >> the videotape that was supposed to be the supporting evidence against him in my opinion falls flat. this is a tragic horrible situation this young man died, but nobody knew that in real time. >> reporter: brennan said his client joseph ems did not participate in any sort of frat reunion outside the courthouse last month. he also says he plans to ask for a dismissal. gayle? >> it's still very hard to hear that story. thank you very much, jericka. >>> a british court this morning will consider new me cal in evidence the case of a terminal infant, charlie gard. his parents are fighting to bring him to the united states for experimental treatment. >> there's now seven doctors supporting us from all over the world, from italy and america as well as england. yeah. this has a chance. it's got up to 10% chance of working for charlie and we feel that that's a chance taking. he's our son, our flesh and blood. we feel it sh

piazza's parents were in the courtroom all day, they only stepped out when lawyers played a video of, showing their 19 year-old son's final moments in the frat house. >> they will not sleep until justice is done for their son, if that means coming to one trial or 18 trials, they are going to do it. >> investigators say piazza died after a night of heavy drinking, 18 ex-fraternity members are facing charges ranging from involuntary man slaught tore reckless endangerment. >>> happening today, sentencing foreman prosecutors called the master mind of the george washington bridge closing scheme. former port authority offerings david wildstein face s up to 27 months in prison but defense attorneys and prosecutors are asking for probation. the bridge closing plot involves closing traffic lanes to cause traffic jams in the town of fort lee, new jersey, after the marry fuse todd endorse governor chris christie for reelection. >>> search is on for group of vandals who ransack a bowling alley run by a local church, the suspects are teens, caught on camera at saint monica's in south philadelphia

piazza's parents who say they can't bear to watch the video spoke to "gma" in may. >> they set out toounts of alcohol from the outset. >> reporter: the charges range from involuntary manslaughter to reckless endangerment to tampering with evidence. the video shows the frat traces of alcohol before police arrived and even putting a clean shirt on piazza's unconscious body. defense attorneys for the former frat brothers say the video does not show intent to hurt piazza. >> i don't see how anybody could be charged with the knowledge that this was anything more than a frat brother who had too much to drink. >> reporter: still, piazza's parents say their behavior is indefensible. >> i don't know where their consshs was, where the voice in the back of their head was saying he's hurt, i got to do the right thing. >> reporter: and penn state t l telling abc thus in morning it is vigorously working to implement new safety measures for the fall semester calling piazza's death a terrible tragedy. robin. >> it was that. all right, gio, thank you. >>> robin, also this morning, venus williams is ba

attorneys for the piazza family and the defendant spoke outside the courtroom. >> jim piazza told me from the courthouse to the car that there wasn't a moment today that he couldn't stop thinking about his son, tim. >> this is a terrible tragedy, the ems family feels absolutely compassionate, and deeply sorry about the loss of this young man, but we can't equate tragedy with criminality. >> total of 18 frat members face charges, two have wade their preliminary hearing. >> in chester county controversy around the sunoco pipeline in west goshen township continues this morning. officials filed a complaint hoping the public utility commission won't put an end to the project. the commission will decide whether or not to stop work on the natural gas liquid pipeline today. folks nearby in west whiteland blame the company for brown water last week. west goshen township's attorney says the station goes against the agreement. >> there wasn't going to be any above grounds facilities, except that the station, their station on the other side of 202. and we're trying to stop putting anything on th

then the frat brothers get rid of the alcohol before police arrived and put a clean shirt on piazza's unconscious body. >> he was left to die. the evidence shows that. >> but defense lawyers counter showing it does not show intent to hurt piazza and the client was marginally involved. >> the charges should be dismissed. after the hearing the judge will decide if there is evidence to go to trial. >> penn state has shut down the fraternity. last month the school anewsed new proposals to improve safety on campus. in new york, maggie rulli, abc7 news. nancy: happening now, people who live near the marine corps base may be hearing large sounds but don't be alarmed. this is a training exercise. federal, regional and the local organizations are participating through 8:00 tonight. keep it in mind if you are in the area. now go to the "live desk" with larry smith and a look at "abc7 news at 5:00". hey, larry. larry: good to see you and everyone. new line of defense against child sex trafficking from 30,000 feet. plus, water pouring into a train station. but not here. imagine being trapped in y

penn state university fraternity brothers charged in connection with the hating death of timothy piazza. they will have cameras installed in that fraternity house, and that was shown at a hearing were. that was last month, right. it ended as defense attorneys were preparing to cross-examine the sole witness who testified. this week the judge will decide if there is enough evidence to send this case to trial. >>> today dave kinchen is there. >> good morning, dave. >> yep. >> that is right, alex and mike here we go again good morning to you. i can tell you defense attorneys cannot wait to get to cross-examination in this case, cross-examining the sole witness but that is after the center county d.a. wraps up, this follows an 11 hour day of court last month you'll recall 20 year-old joseph else of philadelphia seen here with his attorney is one of the 18 former members of the penn state's beta theta pi fraternity now closed fraternity facing charges in the hazing death of 19 year-old timothy piazza, a pledge in that case, now, this followed a night of excessive drinking in february and som

attorneys for the piazza family and defendant joseph enz spoke outside court today. >> jim piazza told me from the courthouse to the car that there wasn't a moment today that he couldn't stop thinking about his son tim. this is a terrible tragedy. the enz family feels absolutely compassionate and deeply sorry about the loss of this young man. but we can't equate tragedy with criminality. >> the hearing will continue tomorrow. >> the fight is continuing against sunoco's natural gas liquid's pipeline where city officials are trying to put a stop to the work. eyewitness news reporter is in west goshen tonight with the effort to end the project. >> reporter: this is just the latest controversy for this natural gas liquids pipeline that sunoco is building right now west goshen says all of the activity, all the machinery you see behind me, it shouldn't be here and they're trying to stop this project. the heavy equipment is ready to go but west goshen township says sunoco should not be building this. >> there wasn't going to be any above-ground facilities except at their existing station and

the 18 former fraternity brothers charged in connection with the death of 19-year-old timothy piazza faced a judge once again today. >> they're waiting to see if there's evidence to head to trial. fox 29's dave kinchen was at the hearing and joins us live from bellefont center county, dave. >> reporter: iain and dawn, we can tell you day two of court wrapped up but we can also say the defense is in control of this thing and they have been taking swings at testimony from the sole witness. >> looking forward to asking some questions today. >> reporter: it took 16 hours of a court hearing the defense for nearly 18 formers members of the beta theta pi fraternity at penn state finall finally got ts examination stated in the hazing death of glean old timothy piazza. william brennan represents joseph ems of philadelphia. >> in the final unless the tape tells the story. >> brennan is in to challenge testimony who went over text messages allegedly ems was involved in co planning the night of excessive booze and struck piazza who was unresponsive. >> do you think more charges could possibly co

several times a year, high tides and storm surges flood the city, especially the famous piazza san marco. the worst flood occurred in november 1966, when the venice lagoon rose more than six feet above sea level. after the deluge, the city designed an alert system which has kept pace with the times. >> what happens is we are alerted via an app as well as text messages and in addition, we have sirens that are blasted through the city. >> reporter: those warning sirens are coordinated from this command center on the grand canal. a siren is followed by pitched whistles. one whistle means about 12% of the city will be flooded, water is ankle deep, and shopkeepers barricade their doors. two whistles mean the water will be higher. almost one-third of the city will be flooded. >> three means run for the hills, because it's going to be high! >> reporter: venetians generally take "acqua alta" in stride. like the manager of the gran caffe lavena, massimo milanese. he showed us pictures of his cafe during a recent flood. tables and chairs sitting in the water. >> see the special doors here. >> repo

t timothy piazza died in february. we have the latest on the case against the frat members. >> reporter: this morning, former penn state fraternity brothers are heading back to court to find out whether they are going to trial. >> do you have anything to say? >> reporter: 18 are charged in the brutal hazing death of 19-year-old tim piazza. his devastated parents plan to be in the courtroom again. >> they hope that the death of their son is not in vain and that the death of their son will encourage change. >> reporter: during the first part of the hearing last month, prosecutors played surveillance video of piazza drunk falling head first repeatedly head first inside the fraternity house in february. >> we have a friend unconscious. >> reporter: it took 12 hours for someone to call 911. >> that is what made the difference. >> yes. >> they killed him. >> reporter: his parents furious at what they call the inappropriate behavior of the defendants in court in june, likening it to a fraternity gettogether. >> lapping each o

and into the gauntlet where piazza and other pledges chugged booze and the party afterwards. frank fina says that anything consumed during the party was voluntarily. and they could not say how much he drank but the da responded it's irrelevant saying there is not a cutoff and that fateful night was one big event. defense attorneys tell me they don't participate this preliminary hearing ends today and will likely resume in august because all of these defense attorneys have other commitments. >> thank you. >>> three people were shot in philadelphia's german town section overfight season police are trying to figure out if the shootings are connected. first, a 19-year-old woman shot in the foot at midnight along the 5900 block of german town avenue. they were investigating that case and heard gun fire a few blocks away and believe a 15-year-old woman was hit by a bullet leaving a restaurant. and another man was shot and they are in critical condition. so far there are no arrests. >>> a woman was rushed to the hospital in critical condition after being stabbed in the chest in port

attorneys for both piazza family and one defendant spoke to reporter. >> jim piazza told me from the courthouse to the car that there wasn't a moment today that he couldn't stop thinking about his son, tim. >> terrible tragedy. the ems family feels absolutely compassionate, and deeply sorry about the loss of this young man, but we can't equate tragedy with criminality. >> total of 18 fraternity members face charges in connection to piazza's death. two of them have waived their hearings. >> in chester county resident are awaiting decision from the public utility commission. that is after officials petition today stop construction on the sunoco pipeline in west goshen township. the commission will make the call on whether or not work can continue on the pipeline today. the company was criticized nearby in west whiteland for brown water and in some cases no water at all. west goshen's attorney says the station wasn't part of the settlement agreement. >> there wasn't going to be any above grounds facilities except the station on other side of 202, and we're trying to stop putting anythin

that was distressing to the piazzas. >> reporter: the charges range from manslaughter.kless endangerment. >> participate in some sort of jovial back slapping. quite the contrary. >> reporter: accused of aggravated assault. >> with regard to the charges against my client, they are both factually and legally unfounded, unjustified and unwarranted. >> nbc's gabe gutierrez reporting. he is in the courtroom and will give us updates throughout the day. >>> the fight for mosul is coming to a close but slow fight to the finish. why that is and what the prime minister plans to do the second that happens. that's next. ♪ only tylenol® rapid release gels have laser drilled holes. they release medicine fast, for fast pain relief. tylenol® it's just a burst pipe, i co(laugh) it. no. with claim rateguard your rates won't go up just because of a claim. i totally could've - no! switching to allstate is worth it. before fibromyalgia, i was a doer. i was active. then the chronic, widespread pain drained my energy. my doctor said moving more helps ease fibromyalgia pain. she also prescribe

brendan young to his girlfriend about 19-year-old college timothy piazza. the preliminary hearing continues into his hazing death. the district attorney says text messages from young and other fraternity members shall the brothers were worried about going to jail and tried to cover up evidence after piazza suffered lethal injuries at the fraternity house during a drinking hazing ritual called the gauntlet. they say he messaged daniel casey, the pledge master. "make sure the pledges clean the basement and get rid of every evidence of alcohol. he also wrote was girlfriend i don't think you fully account for the situation. i will be going to court, paying for an attorney, going to jail. piazza died in the hospital the next day after consuming deadly amounts of alcohol. prosecutors say he would be alive today if brothers had not waited 12 hours to call 911. eight fraternity brothers now faced involuntary manslaughter and aggravated assault charges. ten others face lesser crimes like tampering with evidence. all are represented by individual defense lawyers. som

where 18 ex beta theta pi brothers face charge force the haze death of 19-year-old pledge timothy piazza his parents enduring recapping and expanding on text messages showing fraternity members fearing getting busted for running a boozing marathon known as the gauntlet that would have deadly consequences. >> the piazzas have sat there as patiently as any grieving parents could possibly do. >> state college police detective david chick tan ton knee was back on the stand testifying the text messages showed fraternity leaders were afraid of going to jail and being sued for piazza's death but still efforted what prosecutors call a coverup. make sure the pledges clean the basement and get rid of the evidence of alcohol. fraternity president brendan young of malvern texted the frats pledge master according to court records. and in a text message from young to his girlfriend "at the end of the day, i'm accountable for it all". >> computer records showed one of the brothers searching online to see how nine drinks in an hour affect a 200-pound guy. an attorney william brennan hit back at accusati

this hearing so far has been tough for timothy piazza's family. tomorrow they will once again be sitting feet away from the men they say didn't do enough to save their son. 18 former penn state fraternity brothers will be back in court tomorrow morning facing charges in the death of a sophomore pledge. a judge to decide whether there is enough evidence for this case to go to trial. >> i observed the defendants, men kidding, back slapping, joking and acting as though they were at a fraternity reunion. >> reporter: 19-year-old tim piazza died in february after falling head first down the stairs of the beta theta pi fraternity house during an alleged alcohol-fueled hazing ritual. the fraternity brothers are accused of waiting nearly 12 hours before calling for help. >> we have a friend who's unconscious, he's -- hasn't moved, and he's probably going to need an ambulance. >> reporter: prosecutors say the fraternity brothers waited to get piazza help in an attempt to cover up their drinking and coordinate a story. >> i don't know where their conscience

piazza's father says he hasn't scenes much remorse from any of the defendants. excitement filled wednesday night in atlantic city. thousands flooding the beach for a look at pop music star pink. this oppress tiff heat didn't stop fans from singing and dancing the night along. our dave kinchen was there for the story ♪ >> reporter: and get the party started she did. super star pop princess pink fired off the fan favorites in atlantic city but the hot hits were met with an often overheated crowd. >> super hot. it took forever to get. >> reporter: concert goers lined the beach hours before the show when the sun was baking the thousands already getting the party started and drinking. >> it's crazy hot, humid. >> reporter: exactly the thing medical staff had been worried about. teams have been fetching people for treatment after the sun was a little too much for them. >> the day has been very very busy they're many people and seeing a lot of heat related illness. peel are having to get rehydrated. get out of the sun and get cooled down. >> reporter: they treated more

investigators claim surveillance video from inside that frat house shows frat members ignoring piazzae spice the pledge showing serious sign of of distress n south philadelphia police are looking for a group of teens who according to investigators broke into the bowling alley in the basement of saint monica school and wrecked the place. it happened on two separae occasions last week at the school along the 1600 block of shunk street. police say the group stole cash and damaged items in the bowling ally. >> tonight trump, jr., spoke exclusively with fox news tell his father he did not tell -- tell his father about meeting with a russian lawyer. now he's at the center of the investigation. this all stems from allegations that he met with a russian lawyer to get some incriminating information about then opponent hillary clinton. that lawyer today claiming she did not give any dirt on clinton and donald trump, jr., releasing the chain of e-mails between him and a producer named ron goldstone. he offered to set up a meeting with a quote russian government attorney. >>> vacation is delayed