Nation in Brief

Manslaughter trial begins in Penn State student’s death

BELLEFONTE, Pa. – Two bar-room employees acted recklessly when they threw a drunken college student to the ground and restrained him during a fight, causing his death, a prosecutor said in opening statements in their trial Wednesday.

Prosecutor Ray Gricar said that, although the state is not alleging the brothers intended to kill Penn State University student Salvador Peter Serrano, “they did something recklessly and, as a result, Peter Serrano is dead.”

But attorneys for the defendants contended that Serrano’s excessive drinking was to blame for his death.

Christopher Rosengrant, 31, of Boalsburg, and Jason Rosengrant, 28, of State College, are on trial for involuntary manslaughter in the death of Serrano, 21, which occurred outside the All American Rathskeller on Oct. 26, 2003.

Serrano choked on vomit after being thrown to the ground and restrained during a fight in the parking lot behind the tavern. Prosecutors said the force with which the brothers restrained Serrano caused his death.

Gricar noted that Serrano was the only one of legal drinking age among a group of people he was with at the bar, all of whom had been drinking before the incident.

“You’re going to hear, and there’s no disputing, they exercised a lot of bad judgment,” Gricar.

Christopher Rosengrant’s attorney, Robert J. Munley, called the case “a story about students and alcohol and alcohol abuse.” Christopher Rosengrant no longer works at the tavern.

Tests showed Serrano had a blood-alcohol level of 0.244 percent, more than three times the legal limit for drivers.

“Alcohol started that night for Peter Serrano, and alcohol took his life,” said Karen Muir, an attorney for Jason Rosengrant.

Jurors also heard testimony from witnesses including Dr. Brian David Newcomb, an emergency-room physician at Centre Community Hospital. Newcomb described various attempts that were made to revive Serrano, including multiple drug injections.

“We did everything, because of his age, and then some . . . unfortunately, none of these maneuvers changed anything and he was pronounced dead.”

Serrano, who immigrated to the United States from the Philippines when he was 14, was initially enrolled at Penn State’s Mount Alto campus and later transferred to the main campus in State College. He was a graduate of Central Dauphin High School in suburban Harrisburg.

The oldest of three brothers, Serrano was majoring in communications and hoped to attend law school after graduation, said his mother, who was attending the trial.

Serrano’s mother and his fiancee filed a federal lawsuit over his death.

UMass senior found dead in his Amherst apartment

AMHERST, Mass. – A 22-year-old senior at the University of Massachusetts was found shot to death in his Meadow Street apartment.

UMass spokesman Ed Blaguszewski told The Associated Press that David C. Sullivan was a full-time student majoring in building materials and wood technology. He was from the Berkshire County town of Washington and was expected to graduate in the fall.

“We are deeply saddened by the death of a student and our hearts go out to the friends and family of David Sullivan,” Blaguszewski said.

Northwestern First Assistant District Attorney Renee Steese told the Daily Hampshire Gazette of Northampton that Sullivan was killed with a firearm. Police have ruled the case a homicide.

Police were called to Sullivan’s apartment around 12:30 Tuesday morning, investigators said. No arrests have been made.

The three-family house Sullivan lived in is near two off-campus housing complexes where many UMass students live.

Blaguszewski said the university was not involved with the homicide investigation.

“Because the incident occurred off campus, we don’t have any jurisdiction or security connection or responsibility to that,” he said.

Georgia Tech will no longer accept credit cards for tuition

ATLANTA – Georgia Tech will no longer allow students to pay their tuition by credit card, a change the school says will save it $1 million a year.

As of Dec. 20, students will have to pay for their tuition, housing or meal plans with cash or a check. One-third to 40 percent of the university’s 16,500 students used a credit card to pay for at least some of their expenses this year, said Joel Hercik, associate vice president for financial services.

The school paid more than $1 million last year in credit card service charges, money that could be used for academic programs, Hercik said. This comes as the institute has been forced to limit courses and lay off employees due to state budget cuts.