PSU Athletic Trainer Was "Asleep" in Beta Theta Pi House the Night of Piazza's Death

Timothy Bream, head athletic trainer at Penn State University and live-in adviser for the Beta Theta Pi fraternity house, has not been charged for the death of Timothy Piazza. Bream's room was on the second floor of the house where he was from 9pm the night of the incident until 5am the next morning. He claims to have been "sleeping" while the bid acceptance party was going on.

Defense Attorney for Joe Sala, 19, called Mr. Bream to testify as a witness at the Preliminary Hearing. Attorney Leonard Ambrose stated, "Bream was the captain of the ship. When you have a captain on the ship and it runs into the dock when the captain was sleeping, the person in charge of the ship can't just walk away from this by saying, "I was sleeping.""

However District Attorney, Stacey Parks Miller, told reporters that her reason for not charging Bream was because he was "not a participant in the crime."

Bream stated that, though he knew the fraternity had applied for an alcohol permit for pledge acceptance night, he was unaware as to whether their request was granted or not.

Mr. Ambrose stated that whether Bream knew the alcohol permit was granted it "is a very important point" that he knew about the application for the alcohol permit to the Interfraternity Council in the first place. This is especially important because the Beta Theta Pi house was banned to have any alcohol in the house by the housing corporation.

"If anybody should have put a stop to [the fraternity party] it was Tim Bream," Mr. Ambrose further said. "But he allowed it to go on. and [for the fraternity brothers] that tactic was approval."

When it came to Bream's role in the house Bream asserted his 5th amendment right and didn't answer any questions. Mr. Ambrose believes that as the role of an adviser, which Bream stated at the Preliminary hearing, he "was duly authorized. And if alcohol was going to come in, he had a duty to act as chaperone."

While Bream has still not been charged for the death of Timothy Piazza, but as of early February 2018 he resigned from his position.*

Tom Kline, Defense Attorney for one of the fraternity brothers charged, states "While it does not excuse the bad conduct of others, Bream is an important person in this matter. We've always thought that."

*Correction made February 13th, 2018; Bream was not fired from his position but rather resigned.

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http://www.post-gazette.com/sports/psu/2018/02/04/Penn-State-athletic-official-hazing-death-fraternity-pledge/stories/201802030014