A new criminal probe has been launched into horrific allegations that a Cornell University student was drugged and gang raped by seven fraternity members - days after she revealed she's so traumatized she struggles to sleep.
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she → launch → members
Tompkins County District Attorney Matthew Van Houten said prosecutors intend to put the case before a grand jury as they reexamine the alleged October 2024 attack at Cornell's Chi Phi fraternity house.
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they → say → house
The dramatic development comes after the former student, identified only as Jane Doe, filed a civil lawsuit this month accusing seven then-Cornell students of taking part in an hours-long sexual assault.
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student → come → assault
It also follows the Daily Mail's exclusive interview with Doe's attorney, Thomas P. Giuffra, who said his client remains consumed by the ordeal nearly two years later.
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client → follow → ordeal
'She is basically stalled, and her life is devoted to dealing with the trauma,' Giuffra told the Daily Mail.
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Giuffra → stall → Mail
Doe said in a sworn statement that she suffers from anxiety, depression and sleepless nights and stopped attending Cornell following the alleged attack.
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she → say → attack
Now prosecutors are taking another look at whether criminal charges should be brought.
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charges → take → look
It's our intention to present the case to the Tompkins County grand jury with Jane Doe's cooperation,' Van Houten told ABC News.
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Houten → present → News
Tompkins County District Attorney Matthew Van Houten has reopened the investigation and says prosecutors intend to present the case to a grand jury
The renewed probe centers on allegations that a Cornell University student was drugged and gang raped by seven fraternity members in October 2024.
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student → reopen → October
'We want to reexamine whether there's additional evidence that we were not aware of in November of 2024, that exists now that would change our assessment of the case and would result in the grand jury finding that there was criminal conduct.
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jury → want → case
But the DA stressed that the allegations contained in Doe's new civil complaint are 'dramatically different' from the account authorities say she initially gave police.
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she → stress → police
Van Houten said prosecutors declined to charge anyone in 2024 because Doe's original statement did not allege that she had unknowingly been drugged or had engaged in sexual activity without consent.
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she → say → consent
'She never says that she was drugged without her knowledge,' he said.
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he → say → knowledge
'She admits to taking drugs and alcohol voluntarily and with knowledge.'
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She → admit → knowledge
'She does not allege that she was forced to engage in any acts.
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she → allege → acts
She does not say that she was physically helpless or unconscious or incapacitated at any point during the time at the fraternity house.
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she → say → house
Giuffra fiercely disputes that characterization and has questioned the thoroughness of the original investigation.
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Giuffra → dispute → investigation
'In my experience, speaking with an abuse survivor requires delicacy, understanding and specialized training,' he told ABC News.
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he → speak → News
An average University Police officer would not have these skills.
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officer → have → skills
It would be the role of a specially trained detective or district attorney.
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It → train → detective
However, Ms. Doe was never contacted by anybody with those skills.'
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Doe → contact → skills
Doe alleged the attack took place at at the Chi Phi house, above, late on October 19, 2024.
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attack → allege → October
The fraternity has remained suspended from Cornell's campus
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fraternity → suspend → campus
One of the men allegedly posted to the fraternity's active-members Snapchat group saying that there was 'free p***y' upstairs, referring to Doe, according to the filing, which included an image of the purported chat
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which → post → chat
Houten acknowledged his office relied upon Cornell University Police's investigation and did not 'independently investigate' the allegations, which he said was consistent with practices in many upstate New York counties.
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he → acknowledge → counties
Another potentially crucial point of contention is a Snapchat group conversation described in Doe's lawsuit.
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point → describe → lawsuit
The complaint alleges that during the purported assault, one fraternity member posted to a 'Chi Phi Actives' group that there was 'free p***y' upstairs, referring to Doe.
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member → allege → Doe
'Like you can walk in and whip it out,' another member allegedly responded, according to a screenshot described in the filing.
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member → walk → filing
Van Houten told ABC News that the group chat was never provided to his office although Giuffra insists authorities had access to it.
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authorities → tell → it
'They were given the group chat inviting the members of the fraternity to rape my client,' he said, describing it as 'a critical piece of evidence supporting that a crime had occurred.'
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crime → give → evidence
The lawsuit alleges Doe, then 20, arrived at the fraternity house on October 19, 2024, already heavily intoxicated following a night of drinking in Ithaca.
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Doe → allege → Ithaca
The seven men were not criminally charged following the original investigation, but prosecutors are now reexamining the case to determine whether new evidence warrants charges
She alleges she was pressured to take ketamine and given marijuana and high-proof alcohol before being repeatedly sexually assaulted as additional fraternity members entered the room.
The complaint alleges seven men eventually participated and that Doe became 'completely incapacitated.'
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Doe → charge → room
She says the ordeal continued until around 5:45am, when she lost consciousness.
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she → say → consciousness
Doe reported the allegations to Cornell University Police on November 8 after friends encouraged her to come forward, according to the lawsuit.
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friends → report → lawsuit
Cornell temporarily suspended the fraternity and seven students that day.
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Cornell → suspend → fraternity
The university said this month that it takes allegations of sexual violence 'extremely seriously' and that its civil rights and student conduct offices 'investigated and adjudicated the allegations consistent with university policies.
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offices → say → policies
Federal privacy laws prevent Cornell from revealing individual disciplinary outcomes, it said, while the Xi chapter of Chi Phi remains barred from campus.
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chapter → prevent → campus
The defendants have not all publicly responded to the allegations, but at least two have denied wrongdoing.
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two → respond → wrongdoing
Jeremy Saland, an attorney for defendant Scott Kretzschmar, said the alleged incident 'did not happen.'
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incident → say → Kretzschmar
'At bottom, Scott never sexually assaulted or even touched the plaintiff in any way.
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Scott → assault → way
…and 11 more, not listed.
The Aporia
