A string of messages from a Cornell University fraternity group chat has brought disturbing details back into the spotlight nearly two years after a former student was allegedly violated at the fraternity house.
The woman, identified in court documents as Jane Doe, was 20 when she alleged that she was a**aulted by seven members of the Chi Phi fraternity in October 2024 after being given an illicit substance.
Highlights
- Newly uncovered messages from a Cornell fraternity group chat have brought fresh scrutiny to a 2024 incident involving a 20-year-old female student.
- A series of crude messages allegedly exchanged that night has raised questions about what was happening inside the fraternity house.
- Prosecutors have now reopened the investigation after previously declining to bring charges in the case.
Now, newly revealed Snapchat messages and private texts have added another troubling turn to the case as prosecutors reopen their criminal investigation.
One netizen fumed, “To me this text indicates similar texts or ‘opportunities’ have been shared in the past among these men.”
Newly uncovered Snapchat messages allegedly show Cornell University students crudely discussing a 20-year-old female student
Trigger Warning: This article contains sensitive content that may be distressing for some readers.
Jane Doe filed a civil lawsuit earlier this month against Cornell University, the Chi Phi fraternity, and seven fraternity members, alleging that she was dru**ed and s**ually a**aulted by multiple men over several hours.
The New York Post has identified the seven men named in the lawsuit as Matthew Ingalls, Jonathan Newell, Winston Lee, Gillio Lopes, Diego Sarabia, Scott Norris and Scott Kretzschmar.
The media has referred to them collectively as the “Cornell 7.”
According to CBS News New York, a message appeared in the fraternity’s Snapchat group chat at about 1:42 a.m. on the night of the alleged attack, using crude language to indicate that a woman was upstairs and available for intimate relations.
The message reportedly read, “free p***y upstairs,” with another member appearing to suggest that others could “walk in and whip it out.”
One of the defendants allegedly replied, “This is crazy work.”
A private apology sent by one of the defendants two days later adds another disturbing turn to the allegations
Later, while Jane Doe was allegedly still inside the fraternity house, another member asked in the group chat, “Shop still open?” Two others reportedly responded, “Yea.”
The group reportedly included dozens of fraternity members.
The lawsuit alleges that Jane Doe was already heavily intoxicated before she went to the Chi Phi house and was later pressured to use ke***ine and ma***uana.
She alleges that the combination left her unable to consent as the alleged a**ault unfolded.
The newly surfaced messages have drawn renewed scrutiny because they appear to show that other fraternity members were being alerted to Jane Doe’s presence while the alleged incident was still taking place.
Separate screenshots obtained by CBS News New York reportedly show a text exchange between Jane Doe and one of the defendants two days after the alleged a**ault.
In the exchange, the man apologized for “how things went down” and said his memory of the night was “kinda fuzzy.”
The district attorney’s office has reopened the 2024 Cornell case and plans to present the matter to a grand jury
He also acknowledged that he and another man should have intervened and “shut it down and kick[ed] people out before it got way out of hand.”
Jane Doe responded that her own memory was “super clouded too” and referred to the group having been heavily intoxicated.
She also wrote that “none of the s**ual stuff was illegal” and later suggested that they could smoke together again.
Her attorney, Thomas Giuffra, said she was severely traumatized and in a state of denial at the time, and that she was trying to understand what had happened while maintaining a non-confrontational tone so she could potentially obtain information from the man.
The newly surfaced texts have become particularly significant amid renewed questions about how authorities handled the allegations in 2024.
Giuffra has said that none of the seven men was arrested after the original investigation.
The newly surfaced material comes as Tompkins County District Attorney Matthew Van Houten reopens the criminal investigation into the allegations.
Van Houten said his office is revisiting whether to pursue criminal charges against the seven fraternity members and plans to present the matter to a grand jury.
He has also acknowledged that the newly surfaced evidence can be considered as part of that process.
The DA has defended the office’s original 2024 decision not to pursue criminal charges, saying Jane Doe’s statement at the time did not contain the allegations of being dru**ed against her will or r**ed that were later made in the civil lawsuit.
Van Houten has also said that the Snapchat messages were “disgusting” and “vulgar,” while noting that the criminal question for prosecutors will center on issues such as consent.
Lawyers for the seven accused men dispute the allegations as the case enters a new phase
Giuffra, meanwhile, has criticized the original investigation and argued that his client was not adequately interviewed after reporting what she says happened.
The defendants have not been criminally charged in connection with the allegations, and their attorneys have pushed back against the claims made in the civil lawsuit.
Andrew Miltenberg, an attorney representing defendant Gillio Lopes, told CBS News New York that Lopes “unequivocally denies the allegations against him.”
He argued that the allegations now being made publicly differ from those investigated by Cornell and said the claims should be evaluated through the legal process rather than treated as established facts.
Cornell, meanwhile, has said its internal Title IX process resulted in a range of sanctions, including expulsions and suspensions, after a panel reviewed the allegations.
The university also said in a public statement that “the Xi chapter of Chi Phi fraternity remains barred from our campus.”
The case now has both civil and criminal dimensions, and the reopened investigation is expected to be presented to a grand jury soon.
“Most upsetting thing is that this is not an isolated incident. You cannot tell me that there haven't been similar a**aults or worse,” one netizen wrote
