Report: DNA evidence could help Patrick Kane in rape case
According to The Buffalo News, evidence from a DNA test may work in Patrick Kane's favor in the Blackhawks star's rape case.
The paper reports that tests taken from a rape kit conducted on the woman alleging Kane sexually assaulted her found no trace of Kane's DNA in the woman's genital area or her undergarments.
Although there is reportedly none of that particular evidence, it does not mean Kane is not guilty of sexual assault, and he remains under investigation for the events that occured the night of Aug. 2 in Hamburg, N.Y. His DNA was reportedly found beneath the woman's fingernails and on her shoulders.
“The absence of DNA and semen, in itself, does not prove that there was no rape,” Florina Altshiler, a Buffalo attorney who worked as a sex-crimes prosecutor in Alaska, told the News. “It proves that there was no ejaculation, or possibly, that the perpetrator wore a condom.”
The county's former D.A., Frank J. Clark, believed that if the vaginal swabs showed no sign of Kane's DNA, it “could very well exonerate him of rape.”
The News confirms previous reports that representatives of Kane and the victim are attempting to negotiate an out-of-court civil settlement, though Kane's attorney has denied those talks have occurred. Kane reported to Chicago's training camp this week on the Notre Dame campus and has not been punished by the team.
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“This has been an incredibly difficult time for many people,” Kane read from a statement Thursday, speaking publicly for the first time since the incident. He declined to answer questions regarding the case in any way. “I cannot apologize enough for the distraction this has caused my family, my teammates, this incredible organization and of course, our fans. While I have too much respect for the legal process to comment on an ongoing matter I am confident that when all the facts are brought to light, I will be absolved of having done nothing wrong.”
- Jeremy Woo