Two Students Charged After Hazing That Left Freshman Paralysed And Unable To Speak
Topics: US News
Joe Harker
Featured Image Credit: @MSlavitKRCG13/Twitter/CBS
Topics: US News
Two students have been charged after a hazing incident caused a freshman to become paralysed and unable to speak.
On Friday (17 June) a grand jury indicted Ryan Delanty and Thomas Shultz on felony charges of endangering life and supplying liquor to a minor or intoxicated person, CBS News has reported.
Shultz faces an additional charge of tampering with evidence after allegedly withholding text messages from prosecutors.
The pair have been charged in connection to an incident where a 19-year-old was forced to drink a whole bottle of vodka as part of a fraternity pledge.
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Danny Santulli was left paralysed and unable to speak as part of the hazing and has suffered permanent brain damage due to the incident, which occurred in October 2021.
The hazing occurred during Phi Gamma Delta fraternity's 'Pledge Dad Reveal Night' and Santulli has been unable to see or speak since then.
According to a suit filed by David Bianchi, lawyer for the Santulli family, Danny was blindfolded and forced to drink a full bottle of vodka by Delanty, his 'pledge father'.
Footage from inside the fraternity house appears to show Santulli being led around the building while being fed vodka through a tube.
He was later taken to hospital, where staff had to restart his heart after the 19-year-old suffered a cardiac arrest and discovered that his blood alcohol level was several times higher than the legal limit.
Danny has now been returned to his family home in Minnesota where he will have to receive round-the-clock care for the rest of his life as he cannot move, see or speak, though his mother says he is able to hear them.
A spokesperson for the University of Missouri confirmed to KOMU 8 that Shultz is enrolled to return to the university next semester, but Delanty is not currently a student.
The university no longer recognises Phi Gamma Delta as a fraternity on campus since shortly after the incident.
Danny's family are suing two other individuals, Samuel Gandhi and Alec Wetzler, for their alleged part in their son's hazing.
The family's lawsuit claims Gandhi saw the state their son was in and did nothing to help until it was too late, he has not been charged and remains a student at the university.
Wetzler is facing charges of providing alcohol to a minor and is no longer an enrolled student.
Hazing is the act of humiliating, abusing or endangering a person and is usually associated with an initiation ritual. It is considered a misdemeanour charge punishable by a fine of up to $1,200 (£975) for individuals and $20,000 (£16,238) for organisations.
If you want to discuss any issues relating to alcohol in confidence, contact Drinkline on 0300 123 1110, 9am–8pm weekdays and 11am–4pm weekends for advice and support