New Details Emerge in Cornell Assault Case as Accused Men Offer Conflicting Accounts
Newly surfaced records are widening the gap between what the woman at the center of the Cornell University assault case says happened and what some
Newly surfaced records are widening the gap between what the woman at the center of the Cornell University assault case says happened and what some of the accused men now claim they saw. The fallout reached the state capital on Thursday, when New York Gov. Kathy Hochul said she had “lost faith” in the Tompkins County district attorney’s handling of the matter and moved to bring in state Attorney General Letitia James as special prosecutor.
The case stems from allegations that a then-20-year-old Cornell undergraduate, identified in court papers as Jane Doe, was drugged and raped for hours at the Chi Phi fraternity house in Ithaca in October 2024. She has said in a civil lawsuit filed this month that seven men from the fraternity assaulted her after she left sorority friends and went to the house to see a male friend. Cornell has said it supported sending the case to a grand jury and rejected claims that it failed to punish those involved.
State takeover after doubts over the inquiry
Hochul said new information had raised serious questions about how the case was handled. James will now have the power to investigate the incident and, if warranted, prosecute offenses and present evidence to a grand jury. Cornell said Thursday it supports the governor’s decision.
The Tompkins County district attorney, Matthew Van Houten, has told CNN his office never received more than Snapchat messages and a six-page investigative report before deciding not to bring charges. CBS News New York reported that he has reopened the criminal case, saying the victim’s original statement does not line up with the lawsuit’s allegations.
That dispute matters well beyond Ithaca. Cases involving campus sexual assault often turn on fragmented records, shifting witness accounts and what prosecutors decide is enough to charge. Here, the paper trail is now part of the fight.
What the records say
One of the accused men, Scott Kretzschmar, said in court papers that he entered a room already crowded with fraternity brothers after seeing a Snapchat post advertising “free p----y” upstairs. He said he did not see the woman naked, did not touch her and did not use ketamine. In a separate account reported by NBC News, he said he did not see her in distress during the brief time he was in the room.
But documents and messages tied to the night point in another direction. CBS News New York said it obtained video of a fraternity group Snapchat conversation in which, at 1:42 a.m., a message suggested a woman was available for sex. A later message asked, “Shop still open?”
Jane Doe’s lawsuit says she was intoxicated and could not consent. It accuses the university of failing to protect her and failing to punish the men involved. The complaint also includes claims of negligence, breach of contract and violations of New York law.
What happens next
James now takes over a case that has already moved through campus discipline, local law enforcement and a civil lawsuit. Her office can investigate the alleged assault and, if it finds grounds, bring criminal charges before a grand jury.
For Cornell, the renewed scrutiny keeps the university in the middle of a painful case that is still unfolding in public. And for Jane Doe, the next step may be the one she has sought all along: a closer look at every fact.
“The young woman at the center of this case deserves to know that every fact will be examined and justice pursued,” Hochul said.
Source: nytimes.com
