October 03, 2026
Hochul: Cornell rape investigation 'deeply flawed' as AG takes over the case
Headline card by The Night Desk
Hochul: Cornell rape investigation "deeply flawed" as AG takes over the case
New York Gov. Kathy Hochul on Friday publicly dismantled the original police investigation into the alleged October 2024 gang rape of a Cornell University student at the Chi Phi fraternity house — calling it "deeply flawed" and saying she is "deeply disturbed" by how the case was handled.
Speaking at a press conference alongside state Attorney General Letitia James, the governor revealed troubling new details about what investigators knew and when.
What the governor said
"In what world would the police learn from a victim that she'd been literally gang raped while intoxicated by five men in a fraternity house and not elevate those allegations to the district attorney?"
Hochul said Friday: "What we learned yesterday raised even more troubling questions about what was done and not done after this young woman came forward. According to new reports, she could not have been clearer that she was 100% confident that she had been raped."
The key new revelation: Jane Doe told Cornell campus police in a November 2024 interview that she was "100% confident" she had been raped — but prosecutors say they never received that interview transcript. They were furnished only her much briefer written statement. Tompkins County District Attorney Matthew Van Houten has said charges were not filed in 2024 because that written statement did not allege drugging or assault at a criminal level.
AG takes over
Hochul announced Thursday night that she had signed an executive order appointing Attorney General Letitia James as special prosecutor to oversee the case, replacing the Tompkins County DA's office. James said Friday morning her office has opened a criminal investigation and will provide updates "as they become available."
"Newly released information continues to raise serious questions about the investigation conducted by the Cornell Police Department and the decision by the Tompkins County District Attorney not to prosecute [the] alleged sexual assault. This has, in turn, undercut my faith, and the public's faith, in the District Attorney's ability to effectively investigate and prosecute the case at this time." — Gov. Kathy Hochul
Van Houten, who has been DA since 2017, said after the press conference that he supports James' appointment and will cooperate with her investigation. Cornell also said it supports the governor's decision.
Fallout at Cornell
The case has drawn fresh scrutiny after Jane Doe filed a civil lawsuit on September 16, 2026, against Cornell and seven men, alleging she was raped for hours, pressured into taking drugs that left her incapacitated, and struck — which she claims left bruises on her body.
- Cornell canceled all social fraternity events this weekend, according to internal communications obtained by The Cornell Daily Sun.
- The Cornell chapter of the American Association of University Professors condemned the school's response and communications, calling them failures.
- The national president of Doe's sorority called the alleged assault "abhorrent and inexcusable."
- Student groups including Students for a Democratic Cornell plan a campus protest Monday to "hold our university responsible."
The law-change push
Hochul also vowed to close what she called a loophole in New York law that excludes victims who willfully became intoxicated — a provision that makes sexual assault cases harder to prosecute when the victim consumed alcohol or drugs.
"Voluntary intoxication is not a license for sexual assault or gang rape. Period." — Gov. Kathy Hochul
As of Friday, no suspects had been criminally charged. Van Houten announced September 28 that his office would present the case against roughly a half-dozen suspects to a grand jury for a possible indictment.
The Night Desk's earlier coverage
The Night Desk previously reported on this case when Hochul first stripped the Tompkins County DA of the case and handed it to AG James. Friday's press conference is the latest — and most explosive — development so far. We'll keep following it.
Source: CNN — read the original report
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