New texts show alleged victim was texting during claimed campus gang assault

During the night of Oct. 20, 2024, Jane Doe sent a brief “idk” reply to a roommate’s 3:05 a.m. text asking if she would come home. The timing places the exchange between thirty and sixty minutes after Doe alleges multiple men were snorting ketamine from her body at the Chi Phi fraternity house on Cornell’s Ithaca campus. One of the accused fraternity brothers’ attorneys contends the messages prove Doe could read, process, and answer texts, suggesting she was not too intoxicated to consent.

The texts were submitted as evidence in Cornell’s internal disciplinary proceeding. Doe’s roommate later posted a photo of their dorm room the next morning with a caption about the night’s events. The case continues to unfold amid the university’s investigation.