New York (AFP) – New York Attorney General Letitia James has been appointed special prosecutor to investigate an alleged gang rape at Cornell University, the state’s governor announced, following an outcry over prosecutors’ decision not to file charges two years ago. The investigation was reopened on Monday after the alleged victim filed a civil lawsuit, fueling allegations that the elite college failed to properly hold the men accountable.
The alleged victim said in her lawsuit that in 2024 she was drugged with ketamine, assaulted, and raped by seven members of the Chi Phi fraternity, a social club for male students. New York Governor Kathy Hochul said late Thursday that the decision by the Tompkins County district attorney not to prosecute the suspects “undercut my faith, and the public’s faith” in the office’s ability to handle the case. The governor tasked James to investigate and, “if warranted, prosecute any offenses arising from that investigation and present evidence to a grand jury.”
“The young woman at the center of this case deserves to know that every fact will be examined and justice pursued,” Hochul added in a post on X. James, a Democrat who has clashed repeatedly with US President Donald Trump, said on X that she was “ready to lead a process guided by the facts and the law.”
Tompkins County District Attorney Matthew Van Houten said this week that he planned to file criminal charges against the seven men. He said his office declined to prosecute in 2024 because the victim’s testimony did not establish a lack of consent. Following the allegations, Cornell closed the fraternity and temporarily suspended the students alleged to be involved, several of whom were later expelled.
© 2024 AFP
