Penn State frat death preliminary hearing begins 6th day

BELLEFONTE, Pa. (AP) - The sixth day of a preliminary hearing for former members of a Penn State fraternity charged after the death of a pledge is underway with arguments over whether an adviser who lived in the chapter house should be called to the stand.

An attorney for the head trainer for Penn State's football team argued Wednesday that he should not testify, saying Tim Bream has no evidence that could help exonerate the former members of Beta Theta Pi.

Bream was in the house the night in February that 19-year-old pledge Tim Piazza consumed a dangerous amount of alcohol and fell repeatedly.

Eighteen fraternity members and the fraternity itself face a range of charges. Two defendants waived the hearing.

Piazza, a sophomore from Lebanon, New Jersey, suffered severe head and abdominal injuries.