Updated October 2, 2026 at 8:45 AM PDT
New York Gov. Kathy Hochul has appointed state Attorney General Letitia James as special prosecutor to lead an investigation into allegations about a gang rape at Cornell University.
The former student at the center of this case offered lengthy, detailed and graphic descriptions of the alleged assault during the initial investigation in 2024. "I can say with 100 percent confidence that I was raped," she told campus police at the time.
In a Friday morning news conference, Hochul sharply criticized campus police and the local prosecutor, Matthew Van Houten, for failing to conduct a thorough investigation.
"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 asked. The woman alleged seven men were involved. It's unclear why Hochul mentioned five.
Hochul called out Van Houten for not interviewing the woman or requesting a full transcript of her statements to police at the time.
James on Friday said that her office is treating this inquiry as a criminal investigation.
"We will review the facts, gather evidence, interview witnesses, and if warranted, pursue prosecutions," James said.
In her rebuke, Hochul said details that have emerged about the woman's allegations have raised serious questions about the school's and local officials' handling of the investigation.
"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," Hochul wrote in a statement Thursday evening when she announced she was appointing James to take over the case.
The woman who alleges she was raped by fellow students at a fraternity house in 2024 told police clearly at the time that she was sexually assaulted.
That's according to her attorney, Thomas Giuffra, citing transcripts from Jane Doe's sworn statement in 2024.
This is in contrast to statements from the local prosecutor, who claimed on Monday that Doe never stated she was raped. Van Houten told NPR local station WSKG on Wednesday that he had not read the full account of her detailed statements to investigators where she repeatedly described being assaulted.
NPR asked Cornell whether campus police provided the DA with all of the information from their investigation, including her repeated statements about being assaulted. The university did not respond to the request for comment.
CBS News New York reported Wednesday on a transcript of an interview between the Cornell University Police Department investigator and the alleged victim. NPR has not been able to obtain a copy of these transcripts.
Van Houten said on Monday that in the 2024 statement taken by Cornell University police, Doe "did not allege that she was drugged against her will or gang raped. On the contrary, Jane Doe's statement described her participation in drug use and sexual conduct as voluntary, conscious, and consensual."
No criminal charges were ever filed against the seven men Doe alleges drugged and assaulted her for several hours in October 2024.
Van Houten told NPR member station WSKG on Wednesday evening that he was in the process of getting the interview transcript from Cornell. He told the station over email that he doesn't know when he will get the transcript from the university "or if Cornell will resist turning it over."
"If it's factual, we absolutely should have been informed about what Jane Doe said to police that was not in her six-page statement," he told WSKG.
Van Houten said earlier this week that his office is reexamining the case.
He added that particular transcript is part of the confidential Title IX investigation Cornell launched into the alleged assault.
It's the discrepancies between Van Houten's statements and what Doe alleges that have pushed Hochul to take the extraordinary step of appointing James to look into the case, she explained Friday.
What has been coming out, "is very contradictory and conflicting," Hochul said. "And I want the truth. I think every parent, every New Yorker wants the truth in this case."
In mid-September, Doe filed her lawsuit against the seven men who she alleges assaulted her two years ago. Cornell was also named in the lawsuit.
Following the onslaught of public backlash against Cornell and the local prosecutor, the school said Wednesday night that it would bring in an outside counsel to conduct an independent probe into the handling of the case.
Discrepancies mount
Since Tuesday, Cornell has directed the public to an FAQ page on the rape allegations.
The university has maintained that Cornell University Police investigated the case thoroughly and that the school held its own Title IX investigation, which resulted in suspensions and expulsions. Cornell has not specified how many students faced punishments, or of what nature. It noted in the FAQ: "Federal privacy law prohibits Cornell from disclosing specific information regarding individual students, and the university is therefore unable to make a public statement regarding any other disciplinary response."
WSKG found that as of Wednesday, the university has changed its FAQ. And it has quietly removed a sentence stating that the Cornell police "shared all investigatory information with the Tompkins County District Attorney's Office."
Previously, the FAQ read: "The Cornell University Police Department investigated the matter in 2024 and shared all investigatory information with the Tompkins County District Attorney's Office, which is the established protocol if the department believes it is possible a crime has occurred."
But by Wednesday afternoon, WSKG found that statement had been edited, and any mention of Cornell police sharing "all investigatory information" with the district attorney had disappeared from the page.
"The Cornell University Police Department is a unit of the university, and its officers are sworn Tompkins County deputy sheriffs whose duties include the enforcement of law and order on Cornell property," the new statement reads. "This incident occurred in Cornell's jurisdiction."
WSKG reported that Cornell University did not respond to its questions about these changes.
Students at the university have expressed outrage and deep disappointment toward school officials for their handling of this case. The Cornell University Student Assembly held a public hearing on Thursday afternoon demanding "institutional accountability" from their school.
"We stand unequivocally with survivors of sexual violence, and we remain committed to ensuring that their voices are not only heard, but met with action," the organization said in a statement on Instagram.
Probes into Cornell's handling of the case to begin
Late Wednesday, the school confirmed to NPR that it is bringing in an outside counsel to hold an independent examination of the alleged gang rape.
University officials told NPR they have no further details about how the investigation will play out. Previously, Cornell strongly defended how it handled the case when Doe first reported the incident to school officials two years ago.
In addition to appointing James to investigate the case, Hochul said in a video posted on X that she's considering new legislation to tighten sexual assault laws across the state.
"While we have some of the toughest laws on sexual assault on college campuses right here in New York, I think we can do better," she said. "This culture has to stop. And it will stop here in the state of New York."
Kate Bartlett and WSKG's Aurora Berry contributed reporting.
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