Cornell Sexual Assault Case: Fraternity Brother 'Popped the Question' of a Threesome After 3 Minutes of Dancing

A recording obtained by ABC News has revealed new details about the early moments of the alleged Cornell sexual assault involving Jane Doe, including a fraternity brother's recollection that he 'popped the question' of a threesome after just three to five minutes of dancing.

Matthew Ingalls, a member of Cornell University's Chi Phi fraternity, recalled the encounter during a phone call recorded by Doe one day before she reported the incident to Cornell police in November 2024. He said they had been dancing for 'three to five minutes' before he asked about a threesome involving another man.

The recording has emerged as New York Attorney General Letitia James' office takes over the criminal investigation after Governor Kathy Hochul appointed James as special prosecutor following renewed scrutiny of the case.

Fraternity Brother Recalls Threesome Question

During the call, Doe challenged Ingalls over what she said had happened at the fraternity house. She told him, 'What y'all did would be classified as gang rape.'

Ingalls gave a different account of her condition, saying Doe had told him she was sober. When he said, 'You did tell me you were sober, by the way,' Doe replied, 'That is not true. I never would have said that.'

Ingalls also said the bedroom door had been unlocked and the party was crowded, offering an explanation for how other people entered the room.

The recording does not establish what happened after the initial conversation or whether any subsequent sexual activity was consensual.

Messages Raise Further Questions

Records reviewed in the investigation show members of the Chi Phi Snapchat group discussing how to respond after Doe reported the alleged assault. The group had nearly 60 members, and messages included invitations for people to go upstairs and one post telling men to 'come whip it out'.

Students later described some of the fraternity's response as 'damage control'.

Investigators also examined messages in which Ingalls appeared to ask a woman who knew Doe to provide evidence that could clear him. The woman later told investigators that Ingalls had tried to persuade her that Doe was lying.

Doe later filed a civil lawsuit against seven Chi Phi members, the fraternity chapter and Cornell. None of the seven men has been criminally charged. Ingalls has previously denied wrongdoing and did not respond to requests for comment.

New York Takes Over Investigation

The case has since moved back into the spotlight. Hochul appointed James' office as special prosecutor on October 1 to investigate the alleged sexual assault at Cornell.

The decision followed Cornell District Attorney Christopher Van Houten's reopening of the investigation days earlier. Cornell has also agreed to an independent review of its handling of the case.

The university's internal investigation previously involved 50 interviews with 32 witnesses and resulted in disciplinary action against students. Chi Phi was barred from campus.

The investigation has also faced scrutiny over the evidence examined by prosecutors. Records indicate they did not seek additional material beyond Doe's six-page statement to Cornell police and did not review the wider body of material gathered during Cornell's internal investigation.

The latest recording provides a detailed account from Ingalls about how the encounter began, but it does not by itself establish whether a crime occurred or resolve the conflicting accounts of what followed.