Published : 03 Oct 2026, 05:25 PM
Updated : 03 Oct 2026, 05:26 PM
New York Governor Kathy Hochul is demanding answers over how Cornell University police handled an alleged gang rape at a fraternity house, as public anger over the case spreads across the United States.
Hochul said Friday she is "deeply disturbed" that officers who heard the allegations in 2024 did not pass them on to prosecutors. She pledged not to let the case be buried, according to CNN.
Attorney General Letitia James has opened a criminal investigation and taken over from Tompkins County District Attorney Matthew Van Houten. Both Van Houten and Cornell support the move.
The woman, identified only as Jane Doe, alleges five men assaulted her at the Chi Phi house while she was intoxicated.
Her lawyer, Thomas Giuffra, says she did not consent and was at first "in denial" about what happened.
US media reports point to a gap in what prosecutors saw. In a November 2024 police interview, Doe said she was certain she had been raped, but the transcript did not reach the district attorney's office.
Prosecutors received only her six-page written statement, reports CNN.
Van Houten says other material gathered by campus police was "not pertinent" because he already had her full account. Cornell has also revised its public statement on what police shared with his office.
Hochul also wants to close a gap in state law that excludes victims who chose to become intoxicated.
"Voluntary intoxication is not a license for sexual assault," she said.
Cornell has cancelled all social fraternity events this weekend.
The university's chapter of the American Association of University Professors has condemned its response, and student groups plan a campus protest Monday.
An earlier university process on the incident led to suspensions and expulsions, and the chapter was barred from campus, states CNN.
Four fraternity members acknowledged sexual contact with Doe but said it was consensual, while the others denied taking part, according to The New York Times.
