ITHACA, N.Y. — New York Governor Kathy Hochul signed an executive order on Thursday appointing state Attorney General Letitia James as special prosecutor in the case of the alleged 2024 gang rape of a Cornell University student, saying she had lost faith in the local prosecutor’s handling of the matter.
The student, identified in court papers as Jane Doe, filed a civil lawsuit last month saying several members of a campus fraternity drugged and assaulted her at the Chi Phi fraternity house in October 2024. The lawsuit names seven fraternity members, the Chi Phi fraternity, Cornell, a bar and her own sorority as defendants, according to Reuters.
“Newly released information continues to raise serious questions about the investigation conducted by the Cornell Police Department and the decision by the Tompkins County District Attorney not to prosecute an alleged sexual assault on Cornell University’s campus in October 2024,” Hochul said in a statement. “I’ve lost faith in the Tompkins County DA’s ability to fairly oversee it.”
CBS New York obtained a transcript of the alleged victim’s interview with police that included far more detail than the sworn statement police eventually provided to prosecutors, Reuters reported. The New York Times obtained more than 1,000 pages of material from Cornell’s internal investigation, which the newspaper reported showed it took some time for the woman to determine that she had been gang-raped.
“The Governor has entrusted my office with this investigation, and we do not take that responsibility lightly,” James said in a statement. “The young woman at the center of this case deserves to know that every fact will be examined and justice pursued.”
Tompkins County District Attorney Matthew Van Houten has acknowledged the public outcry over how authorities handled the case. His office reopened the case earlier in the week and will present evidence, including testimony from the woman, to a grand jury for possible indictment.
“I support the appointment of Attorney General James and I trust that she will examine the facts and apply the law,” Van Houten said in a statement on Friday. “It has become clear that we were not provided the full picture by the university.”
Cornell initially said campus police had shared “all investigatory information” with the district attorney’s office, but the school later said police had shared the victim’s sworn statement and a Snapchat screenshot, according to CNN. The school told CNN on Thursday that it supports the governor’s decision.
