// BBC WORLD NEWS — MONDO
NY's governor appoints special prosecutor in Cornell frat rape investigation
Cornell students voice frustration at public hearing over rape case
New York Governor Kathy Hochul has appointed the state's attorney general as a special prosecutor in investigating the alleged gang rape of a woman at Cornell University.
The woman has alleged she was drugged and raped by several men at a fraternity house. The case, which stems back to 2024, was reopened after the woman filed a civil lawsuit last month that thrust the allegations into the national spotlight.
"New information has raised serious questions about how this case was handled, and I've lost faith in the Tompkins County DA's ability to fairly oversee it," Hochul said.
Hochul's announcement removes Tompkins County District Attorney Matthew Van Houten from overseeing the case.
He has defended his office's previous decision not to file charges in the case, arguing they were not given enough evidence to meet the legal threshold.
Van Houten reopened the case after the civil lawsuit and said much of the information released in recent weeks about the case was not passed to his office.
"The young woman at the center of this case deserves to know that every fact will be examined and justice pursued," Hochul said in a statement.
The attorney general will, if warranted, prosecute any offences found by her investigation and present evidence to a grand jury, the governor said.
James, the state's chief legal officer, said on X that she stood ready "to lead a process guided by the facts and the law".