Caleb Suh, a former West Point cadet,admitted to drugging his partner with abortion medication in March 2022 to force a miscarriage. Despite the assault, Suh later graduated from Cornell University and enrolled at Columbia University before a recent lawsuit brought the details to light.
The "prenatal protein shake" and the deception of Jane Doe
The details of the March 2022 assault are harrowing. According to court records and a lawsuit filed by the victim, known as Jane Doe, Caleb Suh impersonated the woman to create an online pharmacy account to purchase abortion pills. To ensure she would not resist, Caleb Suh obtained Xanax from a friend and tricked the victim into drinking a beverage she believed was a prenatal protein shake.
Once the victim was sedated, Caleb Suh administered the abortion medications both orally and vaginally.. As reported by The New York Times, the lawsuit alleges that Caleb Suh then abandoned the incapacitated woman, ignoring her attempts to contact him as she began bleeding and required emergency hospitalization. while the victim was receiving medical care, Caleb Suh reportedly returned to the online pharmacy's website to research whether physicians could detect the presence of the pills.
How a "no" on a Cornell application enabled an Ivy League transition
Despite the severity of the incident, Caleb Suh successfully transferred to Cornell University during the 2023-2024 academic year. Cornell University satted that Caleb Suh answered "no" when asked on his application if he had been found responsible for any disciplinary violations at previous institutions. Because West Point reported that he was in good academic standing and eligible to return, the university admitted him.
This failure in vetting mirrors a broader trend of institutional negligence regarding student misconduct. Cornell University has recently faced intense criticism following a 2024 lawsuit in which a former student alleged that the university failed to act sufficiently after she reported being raped by several men at a fraternity house. The case of Caleb Suh suggests a recurring pattern where academic prestige and administrative checkboxes override the safety of the campus community.
While at Cornell University, Caleb Suh was not only recognized for his writing in early 2024 but also became involved with the Cornell Center for Health Equity. He even contributed as a co-author to a medical journal report regarding a 2025 conference on cardiopulmonary resuscitation, all while awaiting the legal fallout of his actions at West Point.
The Mailman School of Public Health's gap in criminal record screening
The academic trajectory of Caleb Suh extended to Columbia University, where he began a master's program at the Mailman School of Public Health in September.. According to a source familiar with the matter, applicants to the Mailman School of Public Health are asked about disciplinary violations or academic performance,but they are not asked to disclose their criminal records.
Caleb Suh's application to Columbia University reportedly omitted any mention of the disciplinary proceedings surrounding his assault of the West Point cadet.. This administrative gap allowed him to enter a public health program—a field dedicated to community well-being—despite having pleaded guilty to a violent federal crime in June.
A June guilty plea and the silence from West Point
In June, Caleb Suh pleaded guilty in a Manhattan-based federal court to the assault of the 19-year-old cadet. During the proceedings, Assistant U.S. Attorney Marcia Cohen noted that Caleb Suh had previously lied to West Point investigators, claiming the miscarriage was accidental and denying the purchase of abortion medication.
Significant questions remain regarding the internal handling of the case by the U.S. Military Academy. It is currently unknown what specific disciplinary actions, if any, West Point took after the woman reported the crime to the Army Criminal Investigation Division in May 2022. Furthermore,while a lawsuit was filed on October 28, the current enrollment status of Caleb Suh at Columbia University remains unconfirmed, as the institution has declined to comment citing privacy laws.
Comments 0