MINNEAPOLIS — Ryan Delanty, the man who gave Danny Santulli alcohol at a University of Missouri fraternity event in 2021 that left Danny with severe brain damage, will spend six months in jail and six months under house arrest after pleading guilty to reduced charges last week.
That time stems from two misdemeanor counts, including hazing and providing alcohol to a minor.
That event was what Santulli family attorney David Bianchi called a "pledge dad reveal" event at the Phi Gamma Delta house, where fraternity pledges find out who their "families" within the fraternity is. Delanty was Danny's, and gave him a bottle o vodka to drink.
"Once a year, they gather all the fraternity pledges, and they bring them over to the fraternity house," Bianchi said. "Standing right in front of each pledge is the pledge dad for that particular pledge, and Danny Santulli, his pledge dad was Ryan Delanty, and pursuant to the tradition, the pledge dad then hands down the family bottle of alcohol to his pledge."
Danny's blood alcohol level was nearly six times the legal limit at .486 when he was found suffering from cardiac arrest inside a car at University Hospital in Columbia hours after he was given the bottle.
"This would be the longest prison term for anybody associated with the hazing event that led to these injuries to Danny," Bianchi said.
According to Bianchi, this is also some of the stiffest penalties anyone has gotten in connection to hazing. Still, he says it doesn't match what happened to Danny.
"Not to me it doesn't, not even close," Bianchi said. "He'll never walk again. He'll never talk again. He requires 24 hour care for the rest of his life. So, if you're asking me, does it seem like enough? Absolutely not."
Delanty will be sentenced May 24. The entire Santulli family, including Danny, will be there for that sentencing.
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