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Suspect’s arrest in U-Va. case provides lead in 2009 death of Virginia Tech student Suspect’s arrest in U-Va. case provides lead in 2009 death of Virginia Tech student
(about 2 hours later)
Virginia State Police investigators said Monday that the arrest of Jesse L. Matthew Jr., who allegedly abducted U-Va. student Hannah Graham, has provided “a significant break” in the case of a young woman who disappeared in Charlottesville in 2009 and was later found dead.Virginia State Police investigators said Monday that the arrest of Jesse L. Matthew Jr., who allegedly abducted U-Va. student Hannah Graham, has provided “a significant break” in the case of a young woman who disappeared in Charlottesville in 2009 and was later found dead.
Police said Matthew’s arrest last week has given state police investigators forensic leads to pursue in the abduction and slaying of Virginia Tech student Morgan Harrington, 20, who went missing in Charlottesville five years ago. Harrington’s body was found in a field 10 miles south of town 101 days after she disappeared from a Metallica concert at a U-Va. basketball arena.Police said Matthew’s arrest last week has given state police investigators forensic leads to pursue in the abduction and slaying of Virginia Tech student Morgan Harrington, 20, who went missing in Charlottesville five years ago. Harrington’s body was found in a field 10 miles south of town 101 days after she disappeared from a Metallica concert at a U-Va. basketball arena.
Charlottesville Police allege that Matthew abducted Graham in the early morning hours of Sept. 13, and Graham has not been heard from since. Extensive searches for Graham thus far have turned up almost no trace of her since she appeared on video surveillance on the Downtown Mall at around 1 a.m. that Saturday. Charlottesville Police allege that Matthew abducted Graham in the early morning hours of Sept. 13, and Graham has not been heard from since. Extensive searches for Graham thus far have turned up almost no trace of her since she appeared on video surveillance on the Downtown Mall shortly after 1 a.m. that Saturday.
Police would not say what forensic evidence they have connecting Matthew to Graham’s case or to the Harrington investigation. Police and other law enforcement officials would not disclose what evidence they have or how it might be linked to Harrington’s case, but any connection between her disappearance and Graham’s could indicate what many in the U-Va. community have feared: That an attacker has, over a span of years, preyed on young, vulnerable women on the state’s flagship public campus.
Charlottesville Police Chief Timothy J. Longo said that “it would be inappropriate for me to comment” on the new information. Graham’s parents, John and Sue, said in an interview last week that they suspected foul play in their daughter’s case.
After a nationwide manhunt, Matthew was found last week on a beach near Galveston, Tex., where a tip led to his arrest by a local sheriff’s deputy. He waived an extradition hearing in Texas and was transported to Charlottesville on Friday. He is scheduled to appear in court on Thursday for a bond hearing and is being held in the Albemarle-Charlottesville Regional Jail. “If she’s a victim of foul play, then someone perpetrated it,” John Graham said. “We want to prevent that person or persons from doing it again.”
Those familiar with the two disappearances said privately Monday that there are obvious similarities, with both young women vanishing suddenly at night while alone in Charlottesville. Harrington’s case also has been linked to an earlier violent sex assault in Fairfax City.
In 2010, Virginia State Police announced that Harrington’s case had been linked to a 2005 sexual assault in Fairfax City. Sources told The Washington Post at the time that there was a DNA match between the cases.
A 26-year-old Fairfax woman was grabbed by a man on Rock Garden Drive as she was walking home from a Giant supermarket around 10 p.m. on Sept. 24, 2005. The man carried the woman to a nearby swimming pool and assaulted her before running away. The victim described the suspect as between 25 to 35 years old and having a medium build and dark hair.
Linda Jackson, director of the Virginia Department of Forensic Science, said the department could not comment on the Virginia State Police release regarding the Graham and Harrington cases because the investigations are active. She also declined to say whether the department has finished analyzing items processed in the disappearance of Graham.
Charlottesville Police Chief Timothy J. Longo said that “it would be inappropriate for me to comment” on the new information. Harrington’s parents did not return calls seeking comment Monday.
James L. Camblos III, who is representing Matthew in the Graham case, declined to comment.
The search for Graham is ongoing, and police have scoured the area where Harrington’s remains were found along with a growing swath of rural areas surrounding the U-Va. campus.
Graham, a sophomore from Fairfax County, disappeared after spending the evening of Sept. 12 socializing and drinking with friends. Later that night, Graham left her apartment near the popular Corner area of Charlottesville to meet up with another group of friends. While walking around town, Graham became disoriented and sent phone messages to friends saying she was lost. She walked to the Downtown Mall, about a mile and half from campus, where Matthew is seen on video approaching her and later has his arm around her.
Brice Cunningham, the owner of the Tempo restaurant and bar on the Downtown Mall, said that Graham was seen walking with Matthew after 1 a.m. Cunningham said that Graham appeared intoxicated at the time but that she did not enter the restaurant and was not served alcohol.
Charlottesville police later searched Matthew’s car and apartment and found evidence linking him to Graham’s disappearance. Matthew was charged with abduction with intent to defile, indicating that police believe he intended to sexually assault Graham.
Matthew was found last week on a beach near Galveston, Tex., where a tip about a suspicious person led a local sheriff’s deputy to confront him. It is not clear why Matthew was in that area of the country, approximately 1,300 miles from Charlottesville. Matthew waived an extradition hearing in Texas and was transported to Charlottesville on Friday. He is scheduled to appear in court on Thursday for a bond hearing and is being held in the Albemarle-Charlottesville Regional Jail.
Virginia State Police said Monday that investigations into both Harrington’s death and Graham’s disappearance continue in earnest.
“There is still a great deal of work to be done in regards to this investigation, and we appreciate the public’s patience as we move forward,” Corinne Geller, a spokeswoman for the Virginia State Police, said in a statement Monday. “The public’s focus needs to remain on helping Charlottesville Police locate and bring Hannah Graham home.”“There is still a great deal of work to be done in regards to this investigation, and we appreciate the public’s patience as we move forward,” Corinne Geller, a spokeswoman for the Virginia State Police, said in a statement Monday. “The public’s focus needs to remain on helping Charlottesville Police locate and bring Hannah Graham home.”
James L. Camblos III, who is representing Matthew in the Graham case, declined to comment Monday.