It’s Official: Patrick Kane Won’t Face Sexual Assault Charges
By Kate Shepherd in News on Nov 5, 2015 4:30PM
Patrick Kane #88 of the Chicago Blackhawks celebrating after defeating the Tampa Bay Lightning on June 15, 2015 in Chicago. (Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images)
After three months of speculation and bizarre press conferences, the Patrick Kane rape investigation is over. Kane will not face charges for an alleged sexual assault at his Hamburg, New York home on Aug. 2, the Erie County District Attorney's office announced in a statement.
The physical and forensic evidence contradicts the 21-year-old accuser's claims that she was raped on the hockey player's bed, according to the statement. There are "significant material inconsistencies" between her account and those of other witnesses and the "DNA results lend no corroboration whatsoever to the complainant's claim of penetration," which is required for a rape charge.
"The totality of the credible evidence—the proof —does not sufficiently substantiate the complainant's allegation that she was raped by Patrick Kane and this so-called 'case' is rife with reasonable doubt," Erie County District Attorney Frank Sedita III said in a statement.
Kane has never spoken to investigators about the case but he did not make any known incriminating statements and he has not "engaged in any conduct consistent with a consciousness of guilt," Sedita said in the statement.
After consulting with her attorney, the accuser declined to go forward with a criminal prosecution and recently signed a non-prosecution affidavit, in which she said, "I do so of my own free will and without any promises or compensation." The stress of the investigation was a key factor in her decision to drop the charges, sources told the Buffalo News recently.
It's a relief for Blackhawks fans who felt the investigation put a damper on the glow from their Stanley Cup win. The Hawks have kept Kane on the ice throughout the investigation and he's had an outstanding season even though the team has not been living up to fans' high expectations.