Sept. 25--One day after an attorney charged that evidence in the Patrick Kane investigation had been tampered with, the top prosecutor in the case scheduled a news conference for Friday morning to discuss the allegations.
Erie County District Attorney Frank Sedita III is expected to meet with reporters at 10 a.m. Chicago time. He has never publicly acknowledged the investigation into a 21-year-old western New York woman's allegation that the Blackhawks star raped her at his lakefront mansion early on Aug. 2.
The attorney for Kane's accuser on Wednesday claimed a ripped, empty evidence bag that once contained the woman's rape kit had been left anonymously on her mother's doorstep -- an accusation that plunged the case into chaos and spurred Kane's lawyer into revealing the results of DNA testing that he said favors his client.
In a stinging rebuke to the tampering allegation, Kane attorney Paul Cambria said Wednesday that the DNA analysis in the case found that samples taken below the accuser's waist contain "a mixture" of male profiles. None of the DNA, he said, belonged to the 26-year-old winger.
Cambria downplayed the drama surrounding the case during an interview Wednesday with the Tribune.
"We're comfortable with whatever we're dealing with," Cambria said.
Attorney Thomas Eoannou, who is representing Kane's accuser, has asked for an independent investigation of the incident.
Prosecutors opened an investigation into the tampering allegation Wednesday. The Hamburg Police Department, which conducted the initial investigation, called its handling of the evidence "unassailable" and said it would cooperate.
The Erie County crime lab said in a statement Wednesday that all evidence in the Kane investigation was accounted for and still in its original evidence package, which suggests that the bag purportedly left on the doorstep may not be connected to the case. A spokesman would not say if the label or markings on the bag were consistent with those used by local law enforcement.
Eoannou said the crime lab's statement did not rule out evidence tampering and suggested that the bag might have been switched before it reached the lab. The label contained too much privileged information, such as the accuser's birthday and the nurse's initials, to be faked, he said. He also said the Erie County Medical Center, where the accuser had the kit done, confirmed the bag's authenticity.
The hospital's president did not respond to requests for comment.
Eoannou has acknowledged the bag allegation could hinder the prosecution's ability to move forward with the case. If it proves authentic and the case goes to trial, Kane could argue that the evidence -- even if it favors his side -- has been compromised and prevents him from receiving a fair hearing.
He said the woman continues to cooperate with authorities and is still willing to testify.
Eoannou could not be reached for comment Thursday.
The Blackhawks are scheduled to be in Montreal for a preseason game Friday, but it is unclear if Kane and other top players will be traveling there. Cambria said Thursday that he had spoken with Kane about the evidence bag, but he declined to discuss the player's reaction.
"He's fine now that he's playing hockey. That's his whole life," Cambria said. "We're all paying attention, trying to work toward this being resolved and over."
jahopkins@tribpub.com
sstclair@tribpub.com
Twitter @stacystclair
