In the early morning hours of Feb. 26, one year ago today, the University community was rocked by the alleged assault of then-second-year College student and Student Council presidential candidate Daisy Lundy in Poe Alley directly behind the West side of the Lawn.
Lundy told police that an unknown assailant assaulted her, slamming her head against the steering wheel of her car as she attempted to retrieve her cellular phone, according to students on the Lawn at the time. She also reported that the assailant issued a racial epithet in regards to her candidacy for Council president.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation subsequently launched an investigation, examining the case as a potential hate crime.
Lawrence Barry, chief division counsel for the Richmond division of the FBI, said the investigation into the alleged Lundy assault "is still ongoing."
The FBI has been investigating the case for the past year as a potential civil rights violation, the more specific term characterizing a hate crime, and according to Barry, the nature of the investigation has not changed.
"We do have some criminal investigations that last several years and some that are concluded quickly -- it depends on the nature of the case," Barry said.
Barry added that the FBI has been working with the University Police Department throughout its investigation although the University Police Department's role has been "fairly limited" after the initial investigatory phase.
University Police Capt. Michael Coleman declined to comment on the investigation.
"The Daisy Lundy case is an FBI case," Coleman said. "The FBI are the only people who can comment on an FBI case."
Barry would not discuss whether a federal grand jury had been convened in conjunction with the Lundy case.
"In a generic sense, it's very typical for grand jury proceedings to be conducted during an investigation, but I am not confirming or denying the fact that a grand jury was or was not used," Barry said.
The FBI has not released any new information since an initial police statement described the alleged assailant as a "heavyset white male, wearing a dark coat, light pants and a dark hat."
Barry could not specify the amount of time, money and manpower that has been devoted to the Lundy investigation over the past year, but he explained that the funding has come from the FBI's general budget.
"Our investigations are not tied into how much money they cost or time they take," Barry said.
There are no set time frames for when FBI investigations commence or conclude.
"Civil rights matters continue to be a very high priority for the FBI," Barry said. "We try to be as thorough as possible, whether that takes six weeks or however as long"
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