Cornell gang rape case: New York AG takes over as seven frat members face scrutiny
New York Attorney General Letitia James has been appointed special prosecutor in the Cornell University gang rape case after Governor Hochul lost faith in the local DA.
New York AG appointed special prosecutor in Cornell Chi Phi fraternity rape case
New York State Attorney General Letitia James will take over as special prosecutor in the Cornell University sexual assault case, Governor Kathy Hochul announced Thursday, saying she had "lost faith" in the district attorney's ability to handle it fairly.
The decision follows a week of new disclosures about the alleged gang rape of a then-student, identified only as Jane Doe, at the Chi Phi fraternity house in October 2024 — including the emergence of Snapchat messages exchanged during the alleged assault and fresh details from a Title IX investigation conducted by the university.
"New information has raised serious questions about how this case was handled, and I've lost faith in the Tompkins County DA's ability to fairly oversee it," Hochul said in a statement. "The young woman at the centre of this case deserves to know that every fact will be examined and justice pursued."
James now has the authority to investigate the incident, bring any offences to a grand jury and, if the evidence warrants it, prosecute those involved. Cornell University told CNN on Thursday that it supports the governor's decision.
Snapchat group chat titled 'Chi Phi Actives'
According to cnn.com, Snapchat messages exchanged in a group chat called "Chi Phi Actives" during the night of the alleged assault include a photo of Jane Doe taken inside a room at the fraternity house. The messages were obtained by CNN.
CNN has previously reported that the chat contained messages referring to "free p*ssy" upstairs and asking, "Shop still open?" Additional images of the conversation include a reference to one member "laying rn," with others asking, "are you guys at least naked?" and stating, "Like you can walk in and whip it out rn."
A source close to the case told CNN the presence of the fast-erasing messaging app suggests that further photos or videos might have been recovered had investigators conducted a more thorough criminal inquiry at the time.
DA says he never received full investigative record
Tompkins County District Attorney Matthew Van Houten has repeatedly stated to CNN that his office received only the Snapchat messages and a six-page investigative report before deciding not to bring charges. He told CNN his office never received the transcript of a more explicit November 2024 interview Doe gave to campus police, in which she directly accused the men of rape.
Cornell has maintained that police followed protocol and shared "all investigatory information" with the DA. Significant questions nonetheless remain about what Van Houten's office actually reviewed before declining to prosecute.
Doe's account evolved in the weeks after the alleged assault
In the three weeks between the alleged assault and Doe's formal statement to campus police, her understanding of what had occurred to her underwent a significant shift, according to records obtained by the New York Times and corroborated by Doe's attorney.
The Times, citing documents from Cornell's Title IX investigation published Thursday, reported that Doe initially recounted the night to her two roommates without describing herself as a rape victim. She told them she had consumed ketamine and had sex with multiple men. One roommate told investigators that Doe did not use the word "rape" or "assault" at that stage. Another said she could not recall Doe consenting to anything that occurred, while a third said Doe appeared to be "in shock, not really understanding the gravity of what she was saying."
The following day, Doe spoke with her sorority big sister, who later told investigators that Doe "had not yet processed what had happened."
Doe also communicated with at least two of the men she would later accuse. One sent her a text message reading: "I just wanted to apologize for how things went down the other night." The sender wrote that he and another man allegedly involved felt terrible and said they had been too intoxicated on drugs and alcohol to "shut it down and kick people out before it got way out of hand." Doe replied reassuringly, stating "non of the sexual stuff was illegal."
Her attorney, Thomas P. Giuffra, told CNN on Thursday: "Ms Doe's internal processing went from denial, to shame and ultimately acceptance that she had been raped by people that she thought were her friends. Her reactions were a textbook reaction to trauma."
Doe visited a health professional several days after the incident, once she had come to terms with what she believed had taken place, Giuffra said.
Hundreds of pages of evidence gathered by Cornell
Cornell's internal Title IX investigation produced hundreds of pages of emails, text messages, photographs and interview transcripts involving Doe, her friends and six of the seven men she accused, according to the Times. The files also included an extensive transcript of the original police interview.
A heavily redacted, 99-page document obtained by CNN summarises key evidence from a Cornell disciplinary panel's findings. In it, Doe described the night in stark terms during a hearing held months after the alleged assault.
"I felt like bait. I felt like lions around me. It was just a totally debilitating place to be in," she told Cornell investigators, according to the panel's document.
CNN has not independently reviewed the Title IX filings, which are generally confidential and restricted to the parties involved.
The appointment of James as special prosecutor marks a significant escalation in a case that has drawn national attention to both the conduct of the men involved and the adequacy of the initial investigation by university and county authorities.
Source: The Sun