In an interview with CBS, the BBC’s US partner, attorney Joseph Giuffra argued that his 20-year-old client was unable to provide consent due to intoxication when she arrived at the fraternity house.
Giuffra stated that his client had been pressured into taking the drug ketamine prior to the alleged assault.
His remarks coincided with New York Governor Kathy Hochul’s announcement appointing the state’s top prosecutor, Attorney General Letitia James, to take over the investigation.
During a Friday press conference, Governor Hochul expressed that she had “lost faith” in the local prosecutor’s ability to properly oversee the case.
“This young woman had already endured something that is utterly unspeakable, and then at every turn she was failed by people and institutions with an obligation to protect her,” Hochul said.
Hochul also pledged to close a “loophole” in state law that makes it difficult to prosecute rape charges when an alleged victim voluntarily consumes alcohol or drugs.
