New York Gov.Kathy Hochul and New York Attorney General Letitia James are set to speak publicly about the Cornell University sexual assault investigation on Friday, a day after the governor appointed the attorney general as special prosecutor.Hochul tapped James to take over the case on Thursday as questions swirl nationwide over how university police and the local district attorney’s office handled the case two years ago.A former Cornell University student alleged in a civil lawsuit last month that she was raped, sexually assaulted and plied with drugs by members of Chi Phi fraternity in 2024.
The woman, identified as Jane Doe, reported the incident to Cornell police about three weeks after it happened, according to her lawsuit.The matter was investigated by Tompkins County District Attorney Matthew Van Houten, who said he found “insufficient evidence to support criminal charges” at the time, according to the suit.
The Chi Phi fraternity house near the Cornell University campus in Ithaca, N.Y.Heather Ainsworth / APVan Houten said on Monday he was reopening the investigation and defended his office’s initial decision not to pursue it.He said Jane Doe’s statement to police in 2024 “described her participation in drug use and sexual conduct as voluntary, conscious, and consensual.”Van Houten has not yet publicly commented on the appointment of a special prosecutor on the case and has not returned NBC News’ requests for comment.For SubscribersFOR SUBSCRIBERSIt’s rarely been harder for people to find new jobsFOR SUBSCRIBERS‘Some of the medication has worn off’: Witness recalls failed Tennessee execution of Christa PikeFOR SUBSCRIBERS‘Couldn’t let all of them die’: Hero Indian pilot attacked midair speaks for first time FOR SUBSCRIBERSHow Trump’s homelessness crackdown became a sweeping retreat from disability rightsFOR SUBSCRIBERSCornell rape allegation pushes embattled New York prosecutor into national spotlightFOR SUBSCRIBERSJudge gut...