For nearly three months, Patrick Kane has been the investigation of an alleged rape. On Thursday, that investigation officially came to a close.
No charges will be filed against Kane according to Erie County district attorney Frank Sedita III, who announced that his office has completed its investigation of the Blackhawks right wing. A woman had accused Kane of raping her at his Buffalo, N.Y.-area home in early August.
Sedita posted a statement on the Erie County D.A.’s website, saying Hamburg police and his office conducted an “exhaustive investigation over the course of the past three months.” The statement said that the case “is rife with reasonable doubt.”
Among their findings:
• There are significant material inconsistencies between the complainant’s accounts and those of other witnesses.
• The DNA results lend no corroboration whatsoever to the complainant’s claim of penetration, a required element of proof for a rape charge.
• The physical evidence and the forensic evidence, when viewed in tandem, tend to contradict the complainant’s claim that she was raped on Kane’s bed. Although Kane has exercised his constitutional right to remain silent (which prohibits questioning by law enforcement), he has made no known incriminating statements to any civilian, nor has he engaged in any conduct consistent with a consciousness of guilt.
NHL
The statement adds that the accuser has decided not to go forward with criminal prosecution.
Sedita will not be holding a press conference.
The Blackhawks were not practicing Thursday before leaving for New Jersey, where they’ll play the Devils on Friday night. Kane did issue a statement through the team, saying, “I have respected the legal process and I am glad that this matter has now been closed and I will have nothing further to say going forward.”
The team also released a statement saying it respected the announcement by the Erie County D.A. regarding the investigation.
“The Chicago Blackhawks organization has taken this matter very seriously, and has tried to navigate a very sensitive situation while continually respecting the legal proceedings,” the statement continued. “At this time we will have no further comment.”
Kane’s agent, Pat Brisson, via email, said: “We knew all along that Patrick didn’t do anything wrong. We are pleased with the results from the investigation. It’s finally concluded.”
NHL Deputy Commissioner Bill Daly also issued a statement regarding the matter: “In light of the statement issued today by the Erie County District Attorney’s Office, as an internal League matter, we intend to promptly review the information that may now be available to us. We will have no further comment until we have completed that review.”
The Buffalo News, citing sources, reported on Saturday night that Kane was unlikely to face charges; Kane didn’t want to comment much on the report out of Sunday’s practice. He did say he wasn’t frustrated that the investigation was taking a while.
The Buffalo News, citing sources, reported on Saturday night that Kane was unlikely to face charges; Kane didn’t want to comment much on the report out of Sunday’s practice. He did say he wasn’t frustrated that the investigation was taking a while.
“You understand the law and I’m not the only case that’s going on in that district. I’m sure there are other matters they’re attending to. It’s one of those situations where it seems like it’s been a long time but obviously I’ll be looking forward to any time of conclusion, whatever it may be,” Kane said on Sunday. “For me to comment on any thing sources say or any reports would be against what we’ve been saying this whole time. I’ll just stick to that plan: not saying much about it, just waiting for a conclusion.”
The investigation had its strange moments and in late September, Sedita held a press conference to clarify/correct some of them. The accuser’s attorney at the time, Tom Eoannou, claimed there was possible evidence tampering involving the rape kit and a bag allegedly left at the accuser’s mother’s home. Eoannou resigned from the case the next day, saying, “misrepresentations were made” regarding how that bag was found. Sedita, speaking on Sept. 25, said the rape-kit evidence bag was a “hoax” and that rape kits come in boxes, not bags.
When asked that day about where the case went from there, Sedita said, “the question in my mind is not when this case will go to a grand jury, it’s if this case will go to a grand jury.”
Coach Joel Quenneville talked recently of how Kane has dealt with the matter on the ice.
“As far as that situation, I commend Kaner and how he's handled it and the team,” he said last weekend. “We haven't ever mentioned it or talked about it. It's been business as usual. Our focus is trying to win the next game. He's gotten off to a great start to the season and it's basically business as usual.”
Kane was invited to training camp when it opened in mid-September. He made his first public comments – answering hockey questions and declining most others – during a bizarre news conference at the University of Notre Dame. He stated at that time, and reiterated several times after, that he had done nothing wrong.