Cornell fraternity brothers allegedly tried to contain the allegations with a ‘damage control’ effort

The Cornell 7 case that has been receiving mainstream media attention has had some new developments as ABC News reviewed some of the records. It included phone calls, text messages, and other records that were gathered following the sexual assault incident. Details also showed that the university was aware of drug activity at the Chi Phi fraternity house leading up to that night.

Students who later spoke to the campus described that efforts were made by some people in the Chi Phi fraternity as ‘damage control’ to ensure that Jane Doe ‘was not upset by the situation.’ These came as Jane Doe’s perception of the night of the incident changed from being mainly consensual to that of a ‘gang rape.’

She also remained in touch with some of the men that were accused of assaulting her, sharing concerns about her physical health and reputation. Within two days after reporting the incident, she also contacted other men who were present in the room that night to get their assessment of the events.

Jane Doe tried to remember the night

With new evidence coming to light, people questioned the way the case was handled as the seven were not charged in 2024, despite Jane Doe’s complaint. Some of the evidence included the phone calls and group text messages, in a post made on X.

She made a phone call to Matthew Ingalls, one of the alleged attackers, the night before reporting the incident to the police department, since she was not sure what happened that night. She said, “The only way for me to heal is to know what happened.” She added, “That’s why I’m trying to just piece it together, you know, like I’m just like confused.”

“If I just know what happened, then I can feel a little bit better and move on and maybe be able to stay at this school,” Doe told Ingalls, according to a recording. She also asked how this many people were able to enter the room, to which he replied, “The door was just unlocked…the party was sort of like crowded…there was nowhere else to go.” Ingalls also said that, according to her, she was sober at the time in one of the dialogues.

After the fraternity was notified of the temporary suspension, he texted in a boys group chat, “What’s the plan of action? Should I call [Jane Doe]? I don’t think she would have reported this.” “Wait, that was the night with [Jane Doe],” one brother wrote as they tried to remember the date of the incident.

One of Jane Doe’s friends also later told the investigators that Ingalls sent out messages to her aimed at making her believe that his account of the night was true. He said, “You know that she’s lying. And you know that we would never do this,” the witness mentioned.