Cornell accuser told police in 2024 she was 100 percent confident she was raped, newly released transcripts show

A Cornell University alumna had told investigators she was '100 percent' confident she was gang raped by seven fraternity members in the weeks following the alleged crime.

The woman, only identified in court documents as Jane Doe, spoke with campus police on November 14 – more than three weeks after the alleged October 2024 attack at Cornell's Chi Phi fraternity house.

She described in the interview with a campus police investigator how she had been drinking and using drugs the night of the alleged attack and had gaps in her memory, according to a transcript obtained by CBS New York.

Still, she was able to distinguish the initial sexual activity from what she said happened later in the night.

When she was asked whether she was OK with the initial encounter, for example, Jane Doe replied: 'Yeah, as much as I can be, because again, I was super drunk when I got there... But I was pretty OK with all of this.

'And then, of course, I was being hit at the same time,' she added.

The alleged victim then went on to say she did not remember the end of the night 'where I was raped' and did not know exactly how many people had sex with her.

But when she described what happened to her that night, Jane Doe said: 'I can say with 100 percent confidence I was raped.' 

A Cornell University alumnae told campus police she was '100 percent' confident she was gang raped by seven fraternity members in the weeks following the allegedly horrific crime

The woman, only identified in court documents as Jane Doe, spoke with campus police on November 14. Students are pictured walking past Cornell Police headquarters on Wednesday

The transcript also shows that throughout the interview, the campus police investigator asked the alleged victim questions as she prepared a written statement.

When he then started to ask Jane Doe what she said when the men asked her for sex, the transcript shows the investigator warned her that his questions may sound accusatory but that he needed specific answers to determine which charges to file.

Jane Doe then went on to tell the investigator how she swatted one man's hand away and told him she was uncomfortable, and told another man 'no' a few times or that she was too tired for sexual intercourse.

'Was it "no" or was it "eh, I'm tired?"' the investigator then asked.

'I think it's "I'm tired,"' the alleged victim replied.

Later on in the interview, the police officer asked Jane Doe whether she became tired of answering the men's questions and ultimately gave in to them.

'Yes. It was coercion, yes,' she replied, according to the transcript, adding that she was 'completely and totally incapacitated.'

The transcript also shows that the investigator documented her account, read it back to the accuser and asked her to clarify or correct it, according to CBS News.

Then, on the second day of the interview, Jane Doe reviewed the revised six-page statement.

When she then went to sign it, the transcript shows, the alleged victim said: 'I'm very confident about this.' 

Tompkins County District Attorney Matthew Van Houten previously said his decision not to bring charges against the seven alleged perpetrators was based on the contents of Jane Doe's signed 2024 statement

Tompkins County District Attorney Matthew Van Houten has said his decision not to bring charges against the seven alleged perpetrators was based on the contents of the signed 2024 statement. 

'She never says that she was drugged without her knowledge,' he previously told ABC News. 'She admits to taking drugs and alcohol voluntarily and with knowledge.'

'She does not allege that she was forced to engage in any acts. She does not say that she was physically helpless or unconscious or incapacitated at any point during the time at the fraternity house.'

But he told CBS News on Tuesday he had never before seen the transcript showing what Jane Doe told campus police.

'I'm going to follow up on this because this is news to me,' he said. 

When he was then told that Jane Doe said she was confident she was raped, Van Houten replied: 'That wasn't information that I had, first of all. Second of all, that is a legal conclusion.

'If she had said those words, we certainly would want to have explored that more,' he noted. 'Like I said, that wasn't provided to me.'

The District Attorney said he will now seek a copy of the transcript and follow up with Cornell police.

'Nobody knows this information about the transcript and that gives me something to really dig into because that changes the landscape for me.'

Cornell officials have since said its police department provided the results of the school's investigation to the District Attorney's Office as prosecutors reconsider whether to bring charges against the alleged rapists.

Doe alleged the attack took place at at the Chi Phi house, above, late on October 19, 2024. The fraternity has remained suspended from Cornell's campus

The District Attorney's decision to reopen the case came after Jane Doe filed a civil suit on September 16.

It alleges that Doe, then 20, arrived at the fraternity house on October 19, 2024, already heavily intoxicated following a night of drinking in Ithaca.

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.' She says the ordeal continued until around 5.45am, when she lost consciousness.

It also claims that during the assault, one fraternity member posted to a 'Chi Phi Actives' Snapchat group that there was 'free p***y' upstairs, referring to Doe. 

'Like you can walk in and whip it out,' another member allegedly responded, according to a screenshot described in the filing. 

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

Doe reported the allegations to Cornell University Police on November 8 after friends encouraged her to come forward, according to the lawsuit.

Cornell temporarily suspended the fraternity and seven students that day.

The university has since agreed to undertake an independent investigation into its handling of the matter, Governor Kathy Hochul announced on Wednesday.

She said in a post on social media that University President Michael Kotlikoff agreed to hire outside counsel to conduct the probe.

'I want answers,' the governor said. 'I want to know what happened.'

University officials have previously said federal privacy laws prevent Cornell from revealing individual disciplinary outcomes.

But it noted that the Xi chapter of Chi Phi remains barred from campus.

Doe ultimately left Cornell and says she continues to struggle with anxiety, depression and sleepless nights nearly two years after the alleged attack

The defendants have not all publicly responded to the allegations, but at least two have denied wrongdoing.

Jeremy Saland, an attorney for defendant Scott Kretzschmar, said the alleged incident 'did not happen.'

'At bottom, Scott never sexually assaulted or even touched the plaintiff in any way. Period,' Saland said.

'We look forward to confronting the plaintiff in a court of law for her selfishly false claims with both the evidence and her own words.'

Defendant Scott Norris separately denied participating in sexual activity or drug use, while acknowledging sending one message cited in the complaint.

'I did not participate in any sexual activity or drug use,' Norris said. 'I thoughtlessly engaged in Snapchat and briefly stopped in the room where misconduct happened but not when it happened.'

For Doe, her attorney says the consequences have stretched far beyond the night at the center of the lawsuit.

He has claimed his client continues to suffer from anxiety, depression and sleepless nights and stopped attending Cornell following the alleged attack.

'She is basically stalled, and her life is devoted to dealing with the trauma,' Giuffra previously told the Daily Mail. 'It's like a constant, constant reminder.'

'You could give her all the money in the world; nobody wants to have this as their story. Nobody wants to have this in their lives.'