Cornell 7 Accused Speak: Newly Revealed Accounts
Trigger warning: this article discusses sexual assault allegations.
The so-called “Cornell 7” case has taken another dramatic turn. Confidential investigative files containing the seven accused men’s own accounts of the night of October 19, 2024 have now surfaced — and their version of events stands in stark contrast to the alleged victim’s 101-page civil lawsuit. The statements, gathered by Cornell University’s Title IX office in winter 2024 and obtained by the New York Times roughly two years later, reveal how each of the accused men describes the night inside the Chi Phi fraternity house.
Two Stories, One Night
Jane Doe, a former Cornell student, says she was sexually assaulted by seven fraternity members while intoxicated and unable to consent. In her 2024 account, she described being given drinks and illicit substances, becoming “super drunk,” and unable to reach her phone while men she barely knew acted without her consent.
The men paint a very different picture. Four of the seven acknowledged some form of intimate contact with Doe but insisted it was consensual. The others denied any sexual involvement at all. According to their statements, the evening began when Matthew Ingalls asked Doe if she wanted a threesome with him and Jonathan Newell. Newell said he assumed Ingalls had asked on his behalf; he admitted both men consumed alcohol, marijuana, and ketamine that night.
The Snapchat Text and a Striking Reversal
Doe’s lawsuit alleges that Newell blasted a Snapchat message to fraternity members reading “free p**sy” in the bedroom. That detail drew other accused men to the room — but they say their motives were innocent. Scott Kretzschmar said he was “befuddled” by the text and entered with Scott Norris just to check what was going on. Norris dismissed the message as “crude humor,” described Doe as “conversational,” and said he was inside for under five minutes. Doe, for her part, described the pair as acting “more like voyeurs.”
Gillio Lopes claimed Doe initiated contact with him without his consent and said he left around 2 a.m. for McDonald’s because he felt “uncomfortable.” Winston Lee said he stepped back when Doe tried to initiate — yet also claimed he later asked for consent and quoted Doe saying, “We’re all consenting adults here.” Diego Sarabia, who entered after 2:30 a.m., said he was “immensely concerned.” Doe accused Sarabia of insulting her, grabbing, and kissing her.
In a striking reversal, one accused man claims he was the victim — telling investigators Doe performed an intimate act on him while he was too intoxicated to consent. And Lee’s statement suggests Doe didn’t appear heavily impaired: he told investigators people “weren’t slurring their speech” and seemed “perfectly normal,” a direct challenge to Doe’s account of being too drunk to function.
Where the Case Stands Now
None of the seven men — Matthew Ingalls, Johnathan Newell, Winston Lee, Gillio Lopes, Diego Sarabia, Scott Norris, and Scott Kretzschmar — has faced criminal charges. The Chi Phi chapter was barred from campus following the incident. But the legal story is not over. After Doe’s lawsuit was filed, Tompkins County District Attorney Matthew Van Houten reopened the investigation, saying the men weren’t charged back in 2024 partly because Doe’s earlier statements to Cornell police were “dramatically different” from her lawsuit’s allegations. The reopened case could still go before a grand jury.
Separately, former South Park writer Toby Morton launched TheCornell7.org, publicly naming all seven accused men and threatening billboard exposure.
With hundreds of pages of confidential files now public and a grand jury possible, this case is far from settled. Both sides have told their stories; it may fall to a courtroom to decide which one holds up.
