Boy left permanently blind and unable to speak or walk after being forced deadly amount of alcohol in hazing horror
A former University student has been left severely handicapped following a horror hazing incident at his fraternity.
The former frat boy was part of a Phi Gamma Delta fraternity at the University of Missouri, and drank an obscene amount of alcohol, leaving him permanently blind and unable to speak or walk.
One of the students that led the hazing, Ryan P. Delanty, has pleaded guilty over the incident, which occurred in October 2021, and is facing six months of jail time for the crime.
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Danny Santulli was left with permanent brain damage following the incident, as Delanty pleaded guilty on Friday to supplying liquor to a minor and misdemeanour hazing.
The American student was told to drink a 1.75 litre bottle of Tito's vodka and was forced to drink beer through a tube, according to the lawsuit.
Prosecutors are set to recommend a six-month jail sentence followed by six months of house arrest, as part of a plea agreement.
Sentencing will take place on Friday 24 May.
Following the hazing, footage revealed that the freshman passed out as a result of the excessive drinking, half-hanging off a sofa and turning blue, with nobody calling an ambulance until much later.
When Frat members realised that he was in a more serious state than it seemed, they put him in a car to get him to hospital.
Unfortunately, by the time he got there, he stopped breathing long enough to cause severe, long-lasting brain damage.
According to authorities, his blood alcohol content stood at a whopping 0.486, which is six times the legal limit.
Now living at home with his parents, Santulli requires 24/7 care, with medical bills estimated to be upwards of $2 million (ÂŁ1.58 million) by his family.
Stephanie Fortus, Delanty's lawyer said: "Ryan understands the gravity of the situation, and he´s pleased to reach a resolution that avoided a trial."
Santulli's family filed a civil lawsuit against the fraternity and its 23 members, though it was settled out of court in 2022 and the fraternity subsequently closed.
The lawsuit reveals that they wanted to make an unforgettable night for the pledges, and so supplied the house with 'cocaine, marijuana and alcohol', with pledges being called 'p*****s' if they didn't keep drinking the bottles of vodka strapped to their hands, according to documents.
On top of the drinking, it was revealed that he was sleep deprived, and forced to buy things for the fraternity members with his own money, while also cleaning their rooms.
The lawsuit further read "Making matters worse, during the pledging process, Danny had been ordered to climb inside of a trash can that had broken glass in it."
It is also claimed that he called his sister two nights previously, crying and saying that he had enough, despite previously rebuffing his family's pleas for him to quit, as he said that he 'wasn't a quitter'.
To add insult to injury, the boys involved in planning the hazing were already under caution following a previous hazing incident.
Thomas Shultz, another member of the fraternity, pleaded guilty back in April for supplying liquor to a minor.
Shultz was sentenced to 30 days in jail, two years of probation, was ordered to perform community service and also to complete a drug and alcohol education program.
Other fraternity brothers, Samuel Gandhi and Alec Wetzler, also pleaded guilty in 2023 after they were named in the lawsuit too.
Joshua Nair