Missouri student is ‘alive for a good reason’ after serious injury during hazing: parents

On October 19, 2021, Daniel “Danny” Santulli was blindfolded and shirtless and forced to drink a bottle of vodka strapped to his hand at a fraternity initiation event. After the incident, the University of Missouri freshman was unable to see, walk, or speak.

The case of the then 19-year-old, who suffered brain damage as a result of severe alcohol poisoning, is being examined in A&E's new true crime documentary series “Houses of Horror: Secrets of College Greek Life.”

The program describes in detail how Greek organizations “can have far-reaching consequences that can become dangerous, even deadly.” It includes interviews with former fraternity members, family members, police officers and other experts.

After the drum major’s harassment, an inconsolable mother wonders what really happened: “He was beaten to death”

The Santulli family has come forward to raise awareness of their son's plight and the peer pressure they say he faced before suffering his life-changing injuries.

“Before the incident, he was suffering from severe sleep deprivation,” Santulli's mother, Mary Pat Santulli, told Fox News Digital.[The fraternity was] emptied his account… He was completely exhausted… At that point I talked to him and said, 'Danny, you don't have to go through this. You can stop. You have to do what's best for you.'”

“He was… quiet about it,” the matriarch recalled. “And then, two days later, this happened… I just couldn't believe what happened that night.”

Mary Pat Santulli is seen here with her son Danny Santulli before his night of terror. (The Santulli family)

According to the episode, Santulli broke down in front of his older sister Meredith. He was having trouble with recruitment for the Phi Gamma Delta fraternity. His grades were slipping.

He had previously been hospitalized after an older member instructed him to climb into a trash can filled with broken glass.

At the time of the incident that would shock his family, Santulli was participating in a ritual called “Pledge Dad Reveal Night.” According to the series, Santulli was forced to drink liquor and then beer.

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A lawsuit alleged that Danny Santulli and the rest of his loyalty class at Phi Gamma Delta were forced to drink a bottle of liquor each given to them by their “trustees.” (The Santulli family)

Shortly before 11 p.m., surveillance camera footage showed a heavily intoxicated Santulli losing his balance and eventually falling backwards. Members of the fraternity then carried him to a nearby sofa. At some point, his head hit the tiled floor.

Santulli's limp body fell off the couch at 12:30 a.m. and was not put back until 15 minutes later when he was taken outside. As they carried Santulli to the door, video footage showed fraternity members dropping him. He was then taken to the hospital in a car driven by fraternity members.

Santulli was found in the vehicle with a cardiac arrest and not breathing. Authorities said his blood alcohol content was 0.486 percent, six times the legal limit.

On the one-year anniversary of his hospitalization, students will gather at Peace Park on the University of Missouri campus to honor Danny Santulli on Wednesday, October 19, 2022. (Picture)

Santulli's father, Tom Santulli, told Fox News Digital that it was important for him to see the painful footage for himself.

“People say, 'Are you sure you want to see it?' Yes, I want to see what happened to my son,” Tom explained. “I want to see the abuse. I want to see exactly what happened. And yes, I was overwhelmed. But then again, I said, 'I'm glad [I saw it].'”

“Now we are focused – now we have a mission and we will hold people accountable for what happened that evening,” the patriarch added.

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Daniel Santulli in an undated family photo before the hazing incident. (Photo courtesy of Tom Santulli)

Santulli spent six weeks in intensive care at the University of Missouri Hospital before being transferred to a rehabilitation hospital in Colorado. Doctors say the incident will leave him requiring lifelong care. He was described as the victim of the “worst hazing violation of a fraternity in the United States,” his family's attorney said.

“I believe Danny is alive… because other kids weren't so lucky when it came to bullying incidents,” Tom said. “… He's alive for a reason.”

“This is real, [this] happened [to other students]” Mary Pat chimed in. “This is going to continue if fraternities continue to exist. People need to be educated and we need to talk to our kids. We need to let them know what's going on. [Parents] need to investigate and find out if any of these sororities or fraternities have a history of violations and what the history is.”

Daniel Santulli suffered “massive brain damage” following a hazing incident in October 2021. (Photo courtesy of Tom Santulli)

Attorney David Bianchi, who represents the Santulli family and specializes in litigating bullying incidents, said the student's injury was not an isolated incident.

“They are part of a pattern of unsafe and dangerous behavior that represents the traditions of the brotherhood,” he said.

Since 2017, Phi Gamma Delta, also known as Fiji, has had six documented alcohol distribution policy violations and two hazing violations in Missouri, according to university records. The Missouri chapter was shut down after Santulli's hospitalization.

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Today, the man, who lives in Minnesota, is making “great progress,” but the pain for his family has not diminished.

“Danny needs 24/7 care,” Tom explained. “We are the primary caregivers, my wife and I. We also have nurses and caregivers. We have different people who focus on speech, occupational and physical therapy. We also have appointments for Danny.”

“But since the accident in 2021, he has improved,” Tom said. “I'm not saying it's significant, but he's making progress.”

Santulli's story is far from over. Family members filed a civil lawsuit against the fraternity and 23 members. It was settled in 2022 for an undisclosed amount.

In May of this year, Ryan P. Delanty of Manchester, Missouri, pleaded guilty to providing alcohol to a minor and hazing, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported. Santulli's “Pledge Dad” was sentenced to six months in prison, KRCGTV reported. He will also spend six months under house arrest, according to the station.

Another fraternity member, Thomas Shultz of Chesterfield, Missouri, had previously pleaded guilty to providing alcohol to a minor. He was sentenced to 30 days in jail, two years of probation, community service, and was ordered to attend a drug and alcohol education program.

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The University of Missouri in Columbia, Missouri. (Wesley Hitt/Getty Images)

Alec Wetzler pleaded guilty to furnishing alcohol to a minor or intoxicated person and purchasing/attempting to purchase or possessing alcohol by a minor, according to KRCG. According to court records, Wetzler was sentenced to 180 days in jail and two years of unsupervised probation. He was also fined $500.

The university has disciplined 13 former fraternity members, the Columbia Daily Tribune reported. A spokesperson did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital's request for comment.

“Our thoughts and prayers continue to be with Danny and the Santulli family,” Phi Gamma Delta Executive Director Rob Caudill said previously.

Danny Santulli today. (The Santulli family)

“Danny should not have been put in that situation,” Caudill said. “The International Brotherhood prohibits hazing and the distribution of alcohol to minors and expects all members to follow the law and our policies.”

“We support the idea that everyone is held accountable for their behavior and the consequences that may result from it. The International Brotherhood acted immediately and stopped all activities of the now closed chapter.”

With the school year about to begin, Santulli's family is determined to warn other parents. Mary Pat even suggested that students considering Greek life should wait at least one semester and talk to other members first to educate themselves and their loved ones.

“It's very hard to relive it all and talk about it,” she said. “But I think … it's important to make people aware of what's happening in Greek life. Harassment is real. And we just want to make people aware so that this tragedy doesn't happen to another family.”