In late November 2024, a student identified only as Jane Doe reported that she had been assaulted by a group of men inside the Chi Phi fraternity house on the Cornell University campus in Ithaca, New York. The alleged attack involved between eight and ten participants, according to the initial statement recorded by the Cornell University Police Department (CUPD).
Following the report, CUPD investigators compiled a six-page summary of Doe’s account and forwarded it to the Tompkins County district attorney’s office. The district attorney, Matthew Van Houten, later confirmed that the office reviewed only that condensed document, refusing to examine the full interview transcripts or additional evidence gathered by campus police.
District attorney’s decision and the limited review
On November 25, 2024, CUPD investigator Jeffrey Northrup called the DA’s office to convey that his department had completed a series of interviews, stating, “interviews that had been conducted by this department after I interviewed [Jane Doe].” Northrup’s notes record that the DA’s staff read Doe’s statement and collectively agreed that “criminal charges would not be pursued.” The prosecutor’s rationale, as outlined in a public statement, was that the allegations, even if taken at face value, did not satisfy the New York State Penal Law definition of non-consensual sexual activity.
Van Houten emphasized that the office could not advise police to alter facts or coerce witnesses, describing such conduct as “blatantly improper and unethical.” He also noted that the DA’s office had issued “persona non grata” notices to several fraternity members, barring them from certain campus areas.
Governor Hochul and the appointment of a special prosecutor
Governor Kathy Hochul publicly rebuked the district attorney on October 2, 2026, accusing him of failing to perform even the “bare minimum” in handling the case. She subsequently removed Van Houten from the investigation and called on New York Attorney General Letitia James to assume responsibility as a special prosecutor.
In a press conference, Hochul said the university had provided only a partial narrative, stating, “They were the first ones to be able to interview and have their questions answered and let this young woman tell her story. Them sending a partial record over is in my judgment, a failure.” The governor’s action aligns with a broader statewide push to reform rape statutes and ensure external oversight of campus investigations.
Newly disclosed texts, group chats, and ongoing legal actions
After the initial police report, additional evidence emerged. One fraternity brother sent Doe a text apologizing for the night, to which she replied that “non [sic] of the sexual stuff was illegal” and expressed a contradictory affection for him. Two weeks later, Doe clarified that “90% of what happened that night was not consensual” and recalled being given ketamine, describing the experience as feeling “like a sex doll/worker.”
Investigators also obtained a Snapchat group chat involving more than 50 fraternity members. The chat included a photo of Doe in the fraternity bedroom and messages such as “Are you guys at least naked??” followed by “Boys come whip it out.” The bedroom, later photographed by investigators, was littered with food waste, discarded furniture, a composite sorority photo, a fentanyl test kit, and numerous alcoholic containers.
Doe recorded phone conversations with at least three fraternity participants. In one call, she asked a friend if he remembered how the men entered the house. He described an unlocked door and a crowded party, but made no reference to a planned invitation. Doe warned that the conduct described would constitute “gang rape” under the law.
Legal actions have multiplied. Doe has filed a civil lawsuit against Cornell, the Chi Phi fraternity, seven current and former students, sorority organizations, the former chapter president, a nearby bar, and several unnamed individuals. On the same day Governor Hochul announced the special prosecutor, the Tompkins County district attorney’s office reopened the criminal investigation, signaling that the case remains active.
Attorney General James, who has served since 2019 and is the first woman of color to hold a statewide office in New York, issued a statement on Monday describing the alleged assault as “horrific and unacceptable” and affirming her personal support for the victim. U.S. Senator Chuck Schumer also called for a “truly independent and exhaustive investigation,” pledging to leave “no stone unturned.”
