COLUMBIA, Mo. Nearly three years have passed since a Mizzou freshman was in the ICU after being hazed at a fraternity event. This week, the victim’s “pledge dad” received a six-month jail sentence.
Ryan Delanty, the “pledge dad” of Danny Santulli in the University of Missouri’s Phi Gamma Delta fraternity, known as FIJI, was involved in an incident on Oct. 19, 2021. Santulli was forced to consume a liter of vodka during a “Pledge Dad Reveal Night.”
Santulli’s blood alcohol level reached .486%, almost six times Missouri’s legal limit. He was later found distressed on a couch, and no one called 911, leaving him unable to walk, talk, or see.
Delanty was sentenced on Wednesday to six months in jail followed by six months under house arrest after pleading guilty earlier this month to hazing and providing alcohol to a minor.
Danny’s mother, Mary Pat, expressed her emotional distress in court, sharing how she had to quit her job to become Danny’s full-time caregiver.
“However, the most rewarding job I’ve ever had, not one I ever imagined I would be doing,” she said. “It’s a job that requires countless doctor appointments, communicating with doctors, (and) monitoring medications.”
Members of Danny’s family took turns reading statements, explaining how their lives had been irreversibly changed.
“Do I think Ryan Delanty wanted Danny handicapped for the rest of his life? No, I don’t. Do I think Ryan intended to cause serious bodily injury towards Danny? Yes, I do. And he did so by making him drink, so much he passed out,” Danny’s father, Tom, stated.
Delanty’s attorney, Stephanie Howlett, expressed his remorse and acceptance of responsibility for the tragedy.
“Know that Mr. Delanty will live with this for the rest of his life and there will not be a wedding, or an event, or a joyous occasion that goes by that won’t be tainted by this night in October,” she said.
Delanty will first serve six months in Boone County Jail, followed by six months under house arrest.
Five other fraternity members have pleaded guilty in the case, with four others still awaiting trial. The Santulli family remains focused on Delanty as he was directly responsible for Danny that night in 2021.
