The Patrick Kane rape case has taken another strange turn, with the lawyer representing the alleged victim quitting just one day after he held a news conference claiming that evidence had been compromised.
Kane, the Chicago Blackhawks forward, is accused of sexually assaulting a 21-year-old, with the incident reportedly taking place at Kane’s home just outside of Buffalo.
Yesterday, lawyer Thomas J. Eoannou held a press conference claiming that the evidence bag from the case showed up on the doorstep of the victim’s mother. The bag was torn, Eoannou claimed, showing that the evidence had likely been tainted and may be inadmissible.
“In my 30 years-plus of being both a prosecutor and a defense attorney, I have never seen an evidence bag outside of a police lab, a prosecutor’s office or a courtroom, let alone find one in the doorway of a rape victim’s mother’s home,” he said (via NBC Chicago ).
But that report was quickly refuted by the town of Hamburg police department, which claimed on its Facebook page that the evidence was never outside of their control.
In regard to the information conveyed today by Mr. Thomas Eoannou, the Hamburg Police Department will cooperate with any authorized investigation regarding the handling of evidence and the procedure of such. That said, The Hamburg Police Department has documentation that unequivocally demonstrates that its handling of the evidence and the integrity of its chain of custody of evidence in this case is unassailable. As is policy with active investigations, there will be no further comment regarding this situation.
On Thursday, Eoannou cast further doubt on the claim. He announced that he was stepping down from the case, and said he is now unsure of just how the evidence bag came to him.
“I have no longer confidence in manner and means that bag came to my office,” said Eoannou.
It is unclear what the turn of events means for the rape case against Patrick Kane, NBC Chicago noted. The Chicago Blackhawks star has denied the allegations, and on Thursday his lawyer suggested that the investigation against Kane is “forever tainted.”
Kane’s lawyer said at a later news conference that the investigation into assault allegations against the athlete is “forever tainted.”
“It’s clear that a misrepresentation was made,” Kane’s lawyer Paul Cambria said.
While the rape case plays out, Patrick Kane continues to take part in the Chicago Blackhawks practices and preseason games.
[Photo by Tasos Katopodis / Getty Images]
