ITHACA, N.Y. — Governor Kathy Hochul has issued an executive order Thursday night to pull the Tompkins County District Attorney as the prosecutor in the Cornell University rape investigation.
Gov. Hochul said recent revelations in the case have undercut her faith in District Attorney Matthew Van Houten to investigate and prosecute the case.
“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 an alleged sexual assault on Cornell University’s campus in October 2024. 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,” her statement read.
New York State Attorney General Letitia James has been appointed as the special prosecutor in this case.
As special prosecutor, the Attorney General will investigate this incident and, if warranted, prosecute any offenses arising from that investigation and present evidence to a grand jury,” Gov. Hochul said.
AG James said in a written statement that she stands ready to lead a process guiding through trust.
“Every New Yorker deserves to know that when they report a crime, it will be investigated fully and fairly. The Governor has entrusted my office with this investigation, and we do not take that responsibility lightly. As our state’s Chief Law Enforcement Officer, I stand ready to lead a process New Yorkers can trust, guided by the facts and the law,” AG James said.
The change comes after it was revealed that District Attorney Van Houten said he did not have a 120-page transcript from 2024 in the case of a Cornell student alleging that she was gang raped at the Chi Phi fraternity at Cornell University.
District Attorney Van Houten has continuously said that his office did not originally prosecute the case in 2024 because he previously only had a six-page statement from Jane Doe. He said that statement described her participating in drug use and sexual conduct as voluntary, conscious and consensual.
This new transcript from a 2024 interview between Jane Doe and Cornell Police reveal different details than what Van Houten claimed to have.
Van Houten decided to reopen the case when Jane Doe filed a civil lawsuit regarding the alleged rape in September.
Seven Cornell students were named as defendants in the filing. No charges have been filed as of Thursday.
Watch the latest developments on the Cornell rape investigation on the CNY Central YouTube channel.