Murder suspect appeared to shake tough upbringing, but came undone
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Version 0 of 1. Jesse L. Matthew Jr. came from so little and appeared to be headed for so much, a friend likened his life to a Hollywood movie about a man overcoming poverty and a broken home to become a success. Matthew was bullied in school, but became a 40-0 state wrestling champ. A teacher predicted he wouldn’t go to college, but he got a full scholarship to Liberty University. His own father was often absent, yet Matthew became a role model to his nephew. But it was a secret from his rough childhood that would later play a role in the undoing of a man who appeared to have overcome so much, an ex-girlfriend wrote in a letter to a judge made public this week. Matthew, 33 — now accused of killing college students Hannah Graham and Morgan Harrington, and convicted of a brutal sexual assault in Fairfax County — told the girlfriend that his father would bring him along when he cheated on his mother. Matthew told the girlfriend that the trysts placed him in situations where he was sexually abused, according to her letter. “I have no doubt this repeated sexual trauma during his developmental years played a key role in the allegations against him,” the former girlfriend wrote. The abuse allegations emerged as part of a defense filing in the days before Matthew’s scheduled sentencing Friday for abducting and trying to kill a woman who was walking to her Fairfax home in 2005. Matthew, convicted in June, could face up to life in prison in that case. The new court documents include letters from Matthew’s family and close friends, photos, transcripts and other materials that provide a broader biography of the alleged killer, who has remained somewhat of a mystery despite the high-profile charges against him. [The three cases police say are linked to Jesse L. Matthew Jr.] None of the other letters from Matthew’s friends and family claim that he was sexually abused. Matthew’s attorney declined to comment on the filings, and his family members did not respond to requests for comment. Diana, the girlfriend whose last name is redacted from the court file, could not be reached for comment. The fresh details came as Matthew made routine court appearances Wednesday in the Graham and Harrington cases in the Charlottesville area. Circuit Court Judge Cheryl Higgins set an Oct. 24 trial date in the case of Harrington, a Virginia Tech student who was abducted in 2009 near the University of Virginia campus and killed. The Fairfax filings show that many who wrote to the court cannot reconcile the allegations of murder — and the conviction for sexual assault and attempted murder — with the man they know. Matthew maintained warm, romantic relationships with several women during the periods before and after the crimes of which is accused, and friends remembered him as gentle and giving. Latasha Matthew, his sister, wrote in a letter that her brother was like a father to her son, taking him to the beach, fishing and hiking. She recalled that her brother had once carried her more than a mile to get help after she stepped on a piece of glass, and he supported her financially. “I still can’t come to terms with how such a loving, generous and outgoing person could do such things,” Latasha Matthew wrote. “I am struck for words.” [Who is Jesse L. Matthew Jr.?] Matthew grew up on the outskirts of Charlottesville, a member of a large family and a tightknit group of four friends. He was known by most as “LJ,” or Little Jesse, since he was a junior. Defense attorneys wrote in their sentencing memorandum that Matthew was bullied as a child because he was poor and had a stutter and severe learning disabilities. Matthew’s father was an alcoholic who drifted in and out of his life and took him to meetings with his mistresses, according to the filing. His parents divorced when he was 16. Matthew turned to sports as an escape. As a member of his high school varsity football team, he received an MVP award, according to the defense filing. He won a state championship in wrestling in 2000, during his senior year. The same year, Matthew enrolled in Liberty University in Lynchburg, Va., after receiving a full football scholarship, according to defense filings. Benny, another friend whose last name is redacted from the court files, wrote in a letter that Matthew was following his “love and passion” by playing football but that that all came to an end when he was accused of raping a student in 2002. Matthew left the school; prosecutors have said previously that the woman declined to pursue criminal charges. Benny wrote that Matthew later “confided in me and said that he felt the time he spent with the girl was consensual.” In 2003, Matthew enrolled at Christopher Newport University in Newport News, Va., where one of his other childhood friends went to school. It was there that Matthew met the girlfriend, Diana, who wrote about him telling her that he was sexually abused as a child. Diana wrote in her letter that Matthew was a “big, goofy, happy-go-lucky” guy. “I saw him as a bastion of strength and resilience,” she wrote. Matthew left Christopher Newport in late 2003, after another sexual assault allegation emerged. He then bounced around jobs in Gaithersburg, Md., before returning to Charlottesville. [U-Va. suspect Jesse L. Matthew Jr. twice accused of college sex assaults] Matthew was convicted of abducting a 26-year-old woman in Fairfax as she was about to enter her home in September 2005. Matthew carried the woman to a grassy area, where he sexually assaulted and choked her before fleeing. That victim, who survived and now lives in India, testified against him. Harrington, a 20-year-old Virginia Tech junior, traveled to Charlottesville for a Metallica concert in October 2009, and she went missing after she got separated from a group of friends. Her body was found three months later in a hayfield miles away in the countryside surrounding the U-Va. campus. Graham, an 18-year-old U-Va. sophomore from Fairfax County, went missing in the early morning hours of Sept. 13, 2014, after she got lost in an unfamiliar part of town. Matthew was arrested after he was seen on video and by witnesses with Graham that night. Her body was later found on an abandoned property outside of Charlottesville. [For Hannah Graham’s family, ‘nightmare’ leaves enduring uncertainty and loss] Matthew has been charged with capital murder in Graham’s slaying, which could carry the death sentence if he is convicted. Prosecutors have said they do not plan to seek the death penalty in the Harrington case. Gil Harrington said Wednesday that the most compassionate ending for the case involving her daughter would involve a plea from Matthew. Harrington said that as she left the courtroom she shook hands with Matthew’s mother. She said it was the first time she had spoken to anyone from Matthew’s family. Harrington said that she was aware of the contents of a letter seeking leniency filed by Matthew’s ex-girlfriend on his behalf. Harrington described the allegations that Matthew was sexually abused as a child as “sad” but noted that many victims of such abuse do not go on to commit heinous acts themselves. Harrington said that her daughter and Graham were not granted any mercy in their own deaths. “Our girls did not fly off to heaven on a pink cloud,” Harrington said. “They were crying, screaming and bleeding. They did not receive mercy. I think that should be a factor.” Matthew’s attorney in the Charlottesville cases, Douglas Ramseur, declined to comment after the hearing. Shapiro reported from Charlottesville, Va. |