Summary: The mother of the woman accusing Patrick Kane, a player for the Chicago Blackhawks, created an elaborate story about a tampered rape kit.
If you make up a story about tampered evidence, well…let’s just say it doesn’t look good.
Two months ago, Chicago Blackhawks fans were shocked to hear allegations that one of their favorite players, 26-year-old Patrick Kane, had raped a young woman after a night of hitting the bars in his hometown. The police descended on Kane’s waterfront mansion before sunrise, confiscating evidence and abruptly cutting off his Stanley Cup celebrations.
See Chicago Blackhawks Patrick Kane Investigated for Rape.
In the following weeks details of the investigation were leaked: The woman had evidence of bite marks on her shoulders and scratches on her legs. Kane’s DNA was found under the woman’s fingernails but not in her genital area. No DNA was found from “the waist down.”
Then the accuser’s mother dropped a bombshell. She claimed to have come home from work last Tuesday and found an evidence bag and rape kit wedged in her storm door. According to the mother, the rape kid had been torn open. The accuser’s lawyer, Thomas Eoannou, quickly called a press conference and insinuated the evidence had been tampered with. “Something seriously has gone amiss,” the attorney said. Pictures of the beleaguered rape kit instantly went viral:
Many of Kane’s fans were distressed. Did this mean he was guilty? Had there been a cover-up?
But the drama was not over. The next day the accuser’s lawyer, Thomas Eoannou, stepped forward again. “I received the story line from the mother,” he said. “And it’s my position that I’m not comfortable with that version of the events. I do not believe the version of events as to how I received the bag, and it is best for me to withdraw.”
County officials soon confirmed that all of the evidence had been accounted for.
On Friday, Erie County District Attorney Frank Sedita III confirmed the mother’s story about the evidence bag was nothing more than an “elaborate hoax.” Sedita said he’s not even sure the case will even be presented to a grand jury, and that he must figure out “what comes next.” According to the Chicago Tribune, the key witness in the case–the girlfriend who was with the accuser that night–is now reluctant to testify.
Kane’s attorney, Paul Cambria, has spoken on the matter: “I think that anytime someone tries to undermine the science in a case…to achieve their goal–I think that speaks volumes to the integrity of the accusations. I think the investigation is forever tainted.”
But wait. This story’s bizarreness doesn’t end here. According to the Niagra Falls Reporter, the father of the accuser posted an image of himself on Facebook Friday afternoon:
On Sunday morning, the father removed the knife picture and substituted a photo of a lion with this quote from St. Augustine: “The truth is like a lion. You don’t have to defend it. Let it loose. It will defend itself.”
The display prompted one Twitter user to make the following comment:
When asked how he is dealing with the ordeal, Kane told the Sun-Times, “Everyone’s kind of stuck with me through the whole thing. It’s good to have that support. Support’s been huge throughout these past couple of months.”
Source: Daily Caller
Other sources: Patch.com, CBSSports.com
Photo credits: Patch.com (first image), Twitter.com (2nd image), abc7chicago.com (3rd image), Niagra Falls Reporter (4th image)