Patrick Kane Rape-Case Evidence Photos Released

Photographic evidence compiled by the Town of Hamburg police department in the Patrick Kane rape-claim investigation was released to a Buffalo television news team this week in response to a Freedom of Information Act request.

Now, Chicago Blackhawks fans can see for themselves some of the photographic evidence reviewed by investigators.

After some bizarre turns in which the accuser’s mom faked a story about rape-kit evidence being left on her doorstep and the accuser opted not to cooperate with prosecutors, Erie County District Attorney Frank Sedita III decided not to press charges against the professional hockey star and not take the case to a grand jury.

“The DNA results lend no corroboration whatsoever to the complainant’s claim of penetration, a required element of proof for a rape charge,” Sedita said in November, explaining his decision to clear Kane of all suspicion. ”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.”

The accusation and investigation set off contentious, angry, sometimes profane discussion among Kane supporters and rape-victim advocates, with many rushing to judge on both sides.

From the first moment when people learned that police came to Kane’s house in the middle of the night to gather evidence, the woman was described as a money-grubbing whore out for a payday. Kane’s troublesome, party-boy image and past history of misbehavior only added to the speculation that he must have done something wrong, particularly when people who saw him that night described him as almost fall-down drunk.

Kane was never arrested and never charged. During the investigation, he lost his spot on the NHL 16 video game cover. At the same time, he praised Blackhawks fans and teammates for their support. At the start of the hockey season, he was mocked and jeered by opposing teams’ fans. Nevertheless, Kane returned to form on the ice and in December went on to break Bobby Hull’s single-season point streak record.

The Patrick Kane Saga

• Rape Investigation of Patrick Kane Closed: ‘Rife with Reasonable Doubt’
• Patrick Kane: ‘My Family’s Been Awesome. My Girlfriend’s Been Great’
• Accuser No Longer Willing to Cooperate in Investigation
• Patrick Kane ‘Rape-Kit Evidence Bag’ a ‘Hoax’ by the Mom: Prosecutor
• Attorney for Patrick Kane’s Accuser Drops His Client
• Trading Kane: Will ‘Volcanically Outraged’ Blackhawks Management Send Patrick Kane Away?
• Patrick Kane’s Lawyer vs. the Erie County District Attorney
• What Patrick Kane’s Chauffeur, an Off-Duty Cop, Says He Saw That Night
• Patrick Kane Dropped from NHL 16 Video Game Cover
• The Buffalo News Taken to Task for ‘Victim-Blaming’ Quotes
• Patrick Kane’s Accuser Had ‘Bite Marks’ on Her Shoulders: Report
• Patrick Kane’s Saturday with the Stanley Cup
• Rocky Wirtz and Blackhawks Feel ‘Anger, Disappointment, Sadness’
• Rape Accusation Leads Cops to Investigate Blackhawks’ Patrick Kane
• Patrick Kane’s Weekend According to Social Media