Today, a New Hampshire jury found a Dartmouth alumnus guilty of sexually assaulting a female student on the roof of his former fraternity.
Kyle Clampitt ’20 had been accused of sexually assaulting and strangling an 18-year-old woman on the roof of Theta Delta Chi fraternity in April 2022. He was found guilty on 12 counts of aggravated felonious sexual assault and acquitted on two counts of second-degree assault involving strangulation.
The verdict caps off Clampitt’s weeklong trial at the Grafton Superior Court in Haverhill, N.H. Clampitt will now be held in custody without bail until his sentencing on April 14. Each guilty count carries a sentence of 10 to 20 years in prison, according to state criminal statutes.
In an interview after the verdict, Grafton County prosecutor Marcie Hornick praised the woman — who testified against Clampitt on Jan. 24 and Jan. 27 — and said she believes the jury “really paid attention to the evidence that was presented.”
“I’m glad she was brave enough to come forward,” Hornick said. “I’m glad she was brave enough to go through all this.”
Robin Melone, Clampitt’s defense attorney, declined to comment after the verdict.
A College spokesperson wrote in an email statement to The Dartmouth that the College will continue to “offer support to all impacted students” in the case.
Clampitt, 26, was charged in June 2023 and pleaded not guilty, arguing in court that he had engaged in consensual sex with the woman.
Taking the stand yesterday, Clampitt first faced questioning from Melone, who asked if there was “anything to suggest that [the woman] was uncomfortable” on the roof.
“No,” Clampitt replied.
Clampitt testified that he and the woman went up to the roof as “something fun to do” and claimed that she had initiated much of the encounter herself.
During cross-examination, assistant county attorney Amanda Jacobson questioned Clampitt about his alcohol consumption, pressing him on how inebriation may have affected his behavior that night. Jacobson also questioned why he and the woman would have chosen to have sex on the “cold” and uncomfortable roof, rather than in a fraternity bedroom — or at the Airbnb which Clampitt had rented for the weekend. Clampitt, a former member of the men’s lacrosse team, was in Hanover for a lacrosse game.
Clampitt’s account stood in direct conflict with the woman’s testimony on the first and second days of the trial. While recounting her experience, she testified in graphic detail that Clampitt had brought her to the roof of his former fraternity and raped her.
Over the past week, the State called 11 witnesses to substantiate the woman’s story. On Wednesday, Clampitt’s former fraternity brother gave an account consistent with the woman’s testimony. The witness, who was the first person to see the woman and Clampitt after they returned from the rooftop, testified that the woman left Clampitt, approached the fraternity member — who graduated in 2022 — and asked him for help while tearing up.
The now-former fraternity member then testified that he took the woman to a room in the fraternity and told her to lock the door until he returned — details that were consistent with the woman’s testimony.
The former fraternity member also testified that Clampitt had persistently and repeatedly tried to contact him that night. He also testified that Clampitt approached him before the woman went into the room and asked, “Was that chick talking shit about me?”
Two of the woman’s friends also testified on Wednesday. One recounted how she took the woman to the hospital twice the next day, and another described receiving a call from the woman about the assault shortly after it happened.
The same day, Hanover Police Department lieutenant Michael Schibuola testified to police protocol related to the investigation. The day after the assault, the Department retrieved a rape kit from Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center, as well as two pieces of clothing that had been found on the rooftop of the fraternity and delivered to the hospital, Schibuola testified. After the woman reported the assault to the police on Sept. 25, 2022, the department obtained a search warrant to collect Clampitt’s DNA and sent it along with the rape kit to a forensics lab, Schibuola testified.
The state’s final witness, DNA specialist Tarah Nieroda, testified remotely yesterday as to the case’s physical evidence. Nieroda said the male DNA found on the external genitalia of the woman was potentially consistent with Clampitt’s own DNA.
“Mr. Clampitt could not be excluded as a contributor to the Y DNA profile obtained from the external genital swabs,” she said.
The jury deliberated for approximately two and a half hours before delivering its verdict.
Annabelle Zhang ’27 and Casey Bertocchi ’26 contributed to reporting.
Kelsey Wang is a reporter and editor for The Dartmouth from the greater Seattle area, majoring in history and government. Outside of The D, she likes to crochet, do jigsaw puzzles and paint.
Alesandra Gonzales is a reporter, photographer, and videographer for The Dartmouth from south Texas, majoring in psychology with a minor in film. Outside of The D, she likes to workout, watch The Ranch, and do EMS work. She is a licensed EMT in three states.
Charlotte Hampton is a reporter from New York, N.Y., studying government and philosophy. She likes writing about politics and art in the Upper Valley. Outside of The D, she likes reading Clarice Lispector, Gabriel Garcia Marquez, Annie Dillard and one sentimental copy of “A Coney Island of the Mind.”
