Hochul names Letitia James special prosecutor in Cornell sexual assault case
publishers 50articles 55first reported 2 Oct, 01:08 UTCdeveloping since 2 Oct · 12 editions
New York Gov. Kathy Hochul has appointed state Attorney General Letitia James as special prosecutor to investigate allegations that a Cornell University student was sexually assaulted by several men at a fraternity house in October 2024.
The executive order transfers control of the criminal investigation from Tompkins County District Attorney Matthew Van Houten to James. Her office may present evidence to a grand jury and prosecute any offenses supported by the investigation.
Hochul said newly released information raised serious questions about the handling of the case by Cornell University Police and Van Houten’s office. According to NPR, the woman gave campus police a detailed account in which she said she was “100% confident” she had been raped, but prosecutors received a condensed six-page statement that omitted key details. Hochul also criticized the district attorney for closing the initial investigation without interviewing the woman or requesting her full interview transcripts.
Van Houten has said the statement his office reviewed described the sexual activity as voluntary and did not establish a crime under New York law. His office reopened the case after the woman filed a civil lawsuit accusing seven members of the Chi Phi fraternity and naming Cornell as a defendant, but James’ appointment supersedes his authority in the criminal investigation.
Cornell has said its police department provided prosecutors with the evidence it collected. The university also conducted a disciplinary investigation that resulted in sanctions including expulsions and suspensions. James said her office would conduct an investigation guided by the facts and the law.
HOW THIS STORY WAS MADE
Written from 8 articles, 4 with the publisher's own text; 8 independent newsrooms once syndicated copies count as one; this version written 38 h after the record first saw the story; the editor kept it as written.
- Publishers
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- Source articles
- 55
- Given to the writer
- 8, 4 with the article's own text
- Independent newsrooms
- 8
- This version written
- 38 h after the record first saw the story
- Second model (editor)
- kept as written
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- Human review
- none
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