The parents of a University of Missouri student, Daniel Santulli, 19, are seeking criminal charges against the University of Missouri’s Phi Gamma Delta Fraternity and two fraternity brothers, for what their attorneys say is the worst hazing case the US has ever seen.
Santulli was hazed at an October party, and left in front of a hospital in cardiac arrest.
The young man has suffered massive brain damage, is blind and cannot walk or talk due to his injuries from the hazing.
The parents settled a suit with the fraternity and 23 people, but are now going further in their pursuit of justice. The fraternity has been banned from the campus.
Surveillance video from the night of the party led the family to press charges against two of the fraternity boys involved – Samuel Gandhi and Alec Wetzler.
The video and police report show that Santulli was forced to drink a full bottle of vodka and force-fed beer through a tube to the point of extreme intoxication.
Prior to the party night, he had been repeatedly forced to do tasks for the fraternity brothers, suffering physical and mental exhaustion.
The lawsuit reads, “He was sleep deprived, was having to buy things for the fraternity brothers with his own money and was repeatedly ordered to clean the brothers’ rooms and bring food, alcohol and marijuana to them at all hours of the night… Danny had been ordered to climb inside of a trash can that had broken glass in it.”
Danny complained to his sister two days before the incident that he had “had enough,” but he said he didn’t want to quit the fraternity.
The charges against Wetzler state that he allegedly forced the tube into Santulli’s mouth and poured beer down his throat. Gandhi, who was also present, left him in the room, although it was clear that Santulli was in bad shape. Gandhi came back at 12:17 AM and discovered Santulli unresponsive.
A video shows Santulli being carried to a couch, slipping onto the floor, apparently unconscious, while another student sat by.
The petition states: “His skin was pale and his lips were blue, yet no one called 911.”
He was driven to the hospital and dropped off there.
Santulli’s blood-alcohol content was found to be 0.486 percent, which is six times the legal limit for driving.
A blood alcohol level above .40 is considered “lethal” and can lead to coma or sudden death, according to the American Addiction Centers.
After release from the hospital, Santulli spent several months in a rehab center near Denver, but has suffered irreversible brain damage and will need lifetime care.
Wetzler reportedly is charged with misdemeanors – supplying alcohol to a minor and possession of alcohol by a minor.