Transcription
18-year-old Hannah Elizabeth Graham was in her second year of college at the University of Virginia. Out for the evening at Charlottesville's downtown Pedestrian Mall, meeting friends and having drinks—a night any college student would look forward to. But Hannah ended up heavily intoxicated and all alone. That is, until she met a man. Her last words, overheard by a passerby on the street, were, "I'm not getting in the car with you," and then she was gone. No trace of Hannah has been found since she disappeared in the early hours of Saturday, September the 13th, now more than 3 weeks ago. Somebody listening to me today either knows where Hannah is or knows someone who has that information. Please, please, please help end this nightmare for all of us. Please help us to bring Hannah home. Thank you.
Before we begin, we would like to send our deepest sympathies to the loved ones of Hannah Graham and Morgan Dana Harrington, who fell victim to the abominable acts described in this [Music] case. Hannah Graham was born in England, a daughter of John and Sue Graham and the baby sister of James Graham. At the age of five, the family moved to the United States, where they made their new home in the Stratford Landing area of Fairfax County, Virginia—a charming neighborhood once known as River Farm. The previous landowner was George Washington. Hannah came from a solid family; she was a happy, bright girl who loved life. Hannah was smart, athletic, musically inclined, and all around a great person, bursting with vigor, until she met Jesse Loyd Matthew Jr. Then the world would go dark and terrifying.
In every photo of Hannah Graham, she's always smiling. From childhood to her teenage years, she was full of life; she emitted positivity and enthusiasm and an energy that would light up a room to those who knew her. She had the potential to take the world by storm. Hannah had an amazing future ahead of her, if not cut short by an evil that too often inflicts the world with its selfish degradation.
On September 12th, 2014, at around 9:30 p.m., Hannah left her residence at the Grand Mark apartment complex to meet up with friends. They would then be heading to Charlottesville's Fig restaurant around 10:48 p.m. for drinks. Afterwards, Hannah headed to Camden Plaza Apartments on 14th Street to attend a party. At one point, she said she wasn't feeling well and was going to leave. A friend had offered to walk her home, but she refused. Her own apartment building was within walking distance from the Camden Plaza, but when she left the party around midnight, she went in the opposite direction towards the Tempo restaurant, located several blocks away. Hannah was captured on surveillance videos as she walked past businesses on her way to the downtown Charlottesville Mall where Tempo was located. This would come into play later. It was then technically September the 13th at 12:44 a.m. At 12:56 a.m., she sent a text to one of her friends telling her that she was lost and that she didn't feel well. Hannah was allegedly quite intoxicated at the time she sent the text. Had Hannah gotten turned around by accident, or had the alcohol intoxication caused her marked confusion?
Earlier that evening, in another area of town, 32-year-old Jesse Matthew, a part-time taxi driver and operating room technician, had headed to the Lazy Parrot for drinks. Afterwards, he began bar hopping through downtown, making several rude and unwanted advances towards women. Those same women would later report that Matthew had stepped over the line with them. After a period of time went by, Matthew and Graham's paths would eventually cross. At first, Matthew let her walk by without drawing attention to himself, and then he saw his moment. He turned and followed her. With Hannah's heavy intoxication, her alertness to her surroundings would have been a little slow—a very dangerous thing considering she was all alone. Surveillance footage seemed to show that Hannah had been wandering around as though disoriented as to her time and place. Matthew came up beside her, put his arm around her, and they were now walking together towards the Tempo Restaurant. Matthews went inside and bought two drinks, and there is some contradiction on whether Hannah was in the bar or outside at a table and if she was actually served. The last text that Hannah sent to a friend stated, "I got stuck down though," which made no sense at all to her friend. It was 1:00 a.m., and it would be the last communication to anyone from Hannah. Had an alleged predator just claimed his next victim?
On September 14th, Hannah's friends were very concerned about her and reported her missing. They had last communicated with her in the early morning hours around 1:00 a.m. on the 13th. Now friends and family could make no contact with her at all, and no one had seen her. Hannah was not the type of person who would go without informing someone; she was a responsible person, and everyone's concern grew deep by the minute. Police immediately started a search for Hannah, and state and federal law enforcement were called in as soon as possible. Hannah's disappearance had hit a nerve; there had been several other females in the past who had gone missing throughout Charlottesville and in Albemarle County, so Hannah's case would gain national attention rather quickly. They needed to find her, and soon. With thorough investigation and collection of surveillance videos around town, law enforcement were able to put together a timeline of Hannah's steps throughout the night up until the last time she was seen and who she was seen with.
"Hannah, where are you? We want you back where you belong. We love you more than you know, and we cannot wait to see you." —Sue, sending our infinite love. Lonnie, Katie, and your UVA fam.
"So did you know Hannah? Were you friends?"
"Well, er, on… I lived on her floor last year, but I didn't really have like a close personal relationship with her, but I knew like who she was."
"How did you feel when you found out that she was missing?"
"It was shocking. Like, I mean, this is such a big school, and like no one really like hears about this type of thing, and I was just like really hit home because I actually like knew who she was as well, which just like really shocked me."
"Is knowing her the reason that you're here tonight?"
"No, definitely not. Like, I think I would have come no matter what. I mean, everyone's been so supportive this whole time; it's just been like… and it's been like great to see support from everyone."
Hundreds gathered at the University of Virginia to show their support for Hannah Graham and her family during a candlelight vigil, and many of them would also show support through a community search for Hannah. They wanted to do anything they could to help find her; she had touched the lives of many and cared about them as well. Now it was their turn to do the same for her.
Jesse Loyd Matthew Jr., known to others as LJ, was raised in poverty, bullied at school, had an issue with stuttering and learning disabilities, yet he grew up and persevered through every tough turn and earned a full football scholarship to Liberty University. But there was allegedly a dark side to Matthew; he was accused of rape of a female student in 2002 at the University. He quickly left Liberty and enrolled at Christopher Newport University in 2003, but once again his dark side loomed; there he was accused of another sexual assault. The victim was not identified. After he left school for good, he just bounced around from job to job; one of those was being a taxi driver in the Charlottesville, Virginia area, and he knew the area well and how to get around. In 2005, a young woman was attacked and raped as she walked home from a store in Fairfax County. It was alleged that he threatened to kill her unless she let him do whatever he wanted. She was left alive and was taken for medical treatment, along with having a rape kit done. Investigators were able to lift DNA at the crime scene, build a profile, but the DNA did not come back to any known suspects on law enforcement's database. The woman feared for her life so much that she chose to move back to her home in India. Oddly, family and friends would say that Matthew was a kind-hearted soul, willing to help anyone; he was a gentle person with a big heart, they said. Even women he had dated in the past said of their relationships that he was charming and tender. Yet here was Matthew being accused of previous assaults—at least 12 women in all that were known of it—it just didn't make sense. One of Matthew's girlfriends even told detectives that he had a rough childhood, and by rough she meant he had been sexually abused.
Jesse was sexually abused by at least three different individuals throughout his elementary school years. One individual, in particular, abused him on several occasions and forced him to keep it a secret. "I have no doubt this repeated sexual trauma during his developmental years had played a key role in the allegations against him." It was never fully confirmed by either family or friends, but Matthew alleged that the sexual assault had occurred against him while he was growing up. If it were true, it might just explain his Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde persona—going from a nice guy to something else entirely. Had a nature versus nurture issue influenced Matthew's downward spiral towards his own undoing? Matthew's own father drank and was absent from his life at times and had even been arrested in 2006 for indecent exposure. What kind of example was his father setting for this young man? Could these things have impacted his developmental years, possibly evolving into a serial, racist murderer? Was Jesse lashing out against his past or giving into a drive that had emerged from deep within himself?
On September 19th, detectives retained a search warrant for Jesse Matthew's, labeled as the "Back to School Killer's," apartment. A cell phone with a missing SIM card was recovered, as were men's shorts with DNA. When it was examined, it contained both sperm and DNA from Matthew, but also DNA from Hannah. Her DNA was located also on the passenger side door of Matthew's vehicle. A second warrant was issued the next day to search Matthew's apartment again. Investigators said that he was not charged yet in connection with Hannah's disappearance, but he was the last person to be seen with her on the night she disappeared. With the second search completed, the investigators would leave with several evidence bags in tow. Some of the items were Matthew's Galaxy phone, bedding, pillows, more clothes, a toothbrush, hair samples, a wallet, a cigar butt, and fibers that they had collected. With a third search warrant, investigators collected a pair of white shorts and a maroon-colored shirt, along with a towel with a reddish-brown stain on it. Matthew owned an orange Chrysler Sebring, which was also seized. Investigators called in a bloodhound unit that located Hannah's scent at the rear entrance to Matthew's apartment, the passenger door of his vehicle, and a nearby dumpster.
September the 20th, Matthew shows up at the Charlottesville PD asking for a lawyer but refusing to speak to police about Hannah. It was said that he left the PD, got into a car, and left at a high rate of speed. Investigators, in turn, tailed him, but he was able to elude them, and a nationwide manhunt went into play. It was also revealed that Matthew had gotten a new driver's license and also had withdrawn most of his money from the bank. A wanted poster was issued for Matthew, described as a black male in his early 30s with dreadlocks and goatee, just under 6 ft tall and over 260 lb. He was last seen wearing a white shirt and black jeans, possibly in the possession of his sister's blue Nissan. It was disclosed that Matthew's family had pleaded with him to assist the detectives with any information he was aware of in the disappearance of Hannah Graham. His aunt, named Alice Fletcher, told police that the family were trying to do all they could to help Hannah's family find their missing daughter.
"Ladies and gentlemen, good afternoon. Uh, my name is John Graham. I'm Hannah's father. My… right here is Sue, Hannah's mother, my wife. As this nightmare for Hannah, for us, Hannah's big brother James, her grandparents, and for Hannah's extended family continues, we would like to make this statement. We have been utterly overwhelmed this week by the generosity and spirit of everybody we have met and many more besides who we've been unable to meet. We understand that over a thousand volunteers have been out combing Charlottesville looking for our girl yesterday and today. A similar number of wonderful people are out… oh God, the words are… out today searching. Sue and I were out searching yesterday, so are some of our work colleagues, our friends, our neighbors from our home, Hannah's friends from softball and… her… phenomenal high school team, high school, and and many others. But the effort is much wider; members of the Charlottesville Community have turned out in forced help; armies of Hannah's University friends have been helping."
On September 24th, Matthew was spotted on a Texas beach by the Galveston County Sheriff's Department. With Matthew's own vehicle impounded, he had used his sister's blue 1997 Nissan Sentra and was now staying on the beach in a tent. A passerby had recognized Matthew from the news reports and called 911. He was detained by law enforcement officers, and extradition was filed. Charlottesville investigators would head to Texas to pick up Matthew. He was officially listed as a suspect in the disappearance of Hannah, and the reward for leads for the discovery of Hannah was set at $1,000.
"You know, the reward to find missing Hannah Graham is now up to $100,000, but the man charged with abducting her is now behind bars. We want to show you two key… two key pieces of video from Galveston, Texas, but first take a look at this. This is the new mug shot after being arrested and booked."
We know 32-year-old Jesse Matthew had been in Texas since at least Tuesday because here he's seen walking into a convenience store. Police say he purchased bug repellent spray. Matthew was taken to the Charlottesville-Albemarle Regional Jail, where he would be held without bond. The search for Hannah would continue.
On October the 18th, skeletal remains were found at a property off of Old Lynchburg Road in Albemarle County. The location was in a densely wooded area behind a vacant residence. Investigators expanded the search area to find the rest of the remains. Today, teams are back out searching for more clues. ABC's Bosi Kanani has the latest from Charlottesville tonight. Police are sealing off what is now a crime scene after the discovery of human remains that could be 18-year-old Hannah Graham. The usually emphatic Charlottesville police chief, somber, explaining more tests must be done to confirm the identity and thanking searchers. A crop top and jeans that looked like the same ones Hannah had been wearing on the night of her disappearance were found nearby. The top was inside out, and the pants had one leg inside out. A watch was also found. What wasn't located were the undergarments, shoes, or a cell phone. A nearby resident told investigators that on the morning of September the 13th, they had seen Matthew's car backed into an access road that goes behind the property. The gate was closed, and no one was in the vehicle. Investigators learned that Matthew was very familiar with this location by driving a taxi in the area for the last several years; he would know where the remote and hidden areas would be. The remains were transported to the chief medical examiner, Dr. Kevin Whaley in Richmond, who, in turn, performed an autopsy and determined that the death occurred from homicidal violence. The most likely cause of death was strangulation or suffocation. Further studies showed two other things: the first was there had been two perimortem—meaning at or near the time of death—nasal fractures; the second was that the victim was definitely that of Hannah Elizabeth Graham. When DNA evidence was collected, investigators were able to connect Matthew to Hannah Graham's murder, but by a forensic link, they were also able to tie him to another murder which had occurred in October of 2009—that of Morgan Dana Harrington.
In January of 2010, Morgan's remains were found located on a 742-acre property of the Anchorage Farm in Albemarle County, Virginia. The remains were found by the owner of that farm in a remote area of the property. The owner at first thought they were the bones of an animal, but when he got closer, he realized it was human and called the police. Morgan's death was ruled a homicide. In a stunning revelation, the remains of Hannah and Morgan were found just 6 m apart. Forensic evidence found on Morgan's shirt matched DNA from Matthew. Unexpectedly, it also matched the assault mentioned earlier that had occurred in 2005 in Fairfax, Virginia. Three women now had been linked by the viciousness of a serial murderer. And again, concerning the possibility of Jesse Matthew and his past—how did this person become a serial murderer? The answer lies in the development of the individual from birth to adulthood. Specifically, the behavior a person displays is influenced by life experiences as well as certain biological factors. Serial murderers, just like all human beings, are a product of their heredity, their upbringing, and the choices they make throughout their development.
February 10th of 2015, Matthew is formally charged with Hannah's murder. The charge would be first-degree murder and abduction of the victim with the intent to defile. Prosecutors would seek the death penalty for Jesse Matthew. Matthew's defense lawyers submitted a plea deal in exchange for Matthew admitting to the murders of both Hannah Graham and Morgan Harrington. The young women's families met to discuss the plea deal. When they learned of what it would be, they would not accept it; it was only for 25 years in prison for the murders he had committed and the hurt and damage done to the families.
On March the 2nd, 2016, Matthew entered another plea deal. He would confess to the murders of Hannah Graham and Morgan Harrington in exchange for removing the death penalty from the table. Matthew's family asked the judge for leniency.
"More than six years after Virginia Tech student Morgan Harrington was found murdered not far from where we're standing tonight, Jesse Matthew has now confessed to the crime. He also confessed today to… to killing Hannah Graham more than 5 years later in 2014. Now, by signing that plea agreement to both their murders, both their abductions, he has avoided the death penalty."
The trial of Jesse Matthew was just under 3 days due to the plea deal. Matthew was sentenced to life with the conditions of no early release, no possibility of geriatric release, and he would not be eligible for parole. Matthew will be serving four life sentences consecutively. He was also indicted for the assault and rape in Fairfax County in 2005.
"Today, Jesse Matthew Jr. pled guilty to the first-degree murder of Hannah Graham, guilty to the abduction with intent to defile Hannah Graham, guilty to the first-degree murder of Morgan Harrington, and guilty to the abduction with intent to defile Morgan Harrington. Matthew will serve the maximum penalty for each of these offenses—four additional consecutive life terms. He has waived his right to appeal or withdraw his plea and waived any right to petition for early release, conditional release, geriatric release, or any type of parole. In exchange, the Commonwealth dropped a capital murder charge against him. However, the Commonwealth reserves the right to re-indict this charge without time limitation should the terms of this plea be violated. This agreement serves… serves the interests of justice; it ensures public safety and offender accountability. With the plea of guilty, four consecutive life terms, and the elimination of any possibility of release, it serves the interest of justice by providing a just resolution consistent with the wishes of the Graham and Harrington families that avoids the additional revictimization associated with highly public trials."
When Judge David Schell handed down the sentencing, he made a direct point of the fact of Matthew's attacks on his victims being so brutal and acted out with such horrific viciousness. After sentencing, Matthew's mother screamed and had to be removed from the courtroom. Matthew himself had listened intently throughout the trial, spoke softly to his attorney, and showed little emotion from the beginning of the trial to sentencing. He also requested his attorney apologize to the families of the victims for him. Matthew wanted them to know that he was terribly sorry for everything he had done and the pain he had put them through.
"Like to make it very clear that Mr. Tracy did consult us as the plea agreement was negotiated, and the agreement concluded today has our full support. Our overriding priority was that Matthew will never be able again to inflict his depravity on young women. The agreement meets this objective, which we regard as a public safety imperative. Matthew's deeds show that he is far too dangerous ever to be allowed to be free. The agreement also spares Hannah's friends, who would have been witnesses, the community, our family, and us the retraumatization that a 4-week trial would have brought. The finality and accountability that has been achieved today with this plea agreement will allow… allow our family to redirect energy into healing and recovery, both are areas that we have neglected during our quest for justice for Morgan. It has been a long… a very long journey to this point. Nothing can replace a child—not words of sympathy, not offers of an embrace, not apologies from the accused. But there may be some closure to this story and healing for the families and friends that loved these young women and still do."
Hannah Graham's parents, John and Sue, are asking lawmakers to expand the state's DNA database. In 2010, Matthew was arrested for trespassing; he was convicted, but the crime was not considered serious enough to acquire his DNA. The Grahams want a study that would expand the number of misdemeanor crimes that would require DNA from an individual if said individual commits another crime. The database would respond with a hit on the name, and authorities would be alerted and aimed at apprehending the perpetrator. If such a law was previously in play when Matthew was arrested in 2010, Hannah's parents believe that their daughter and Matthew would never have crossed paths, and Hannah would still be here. They're testifying before the State Crime Commission, pushing for enhanced DNA collection in the Commonwealth from people convicted of certain misdemeanor crimes.
"Doing the utmost possible to remove dangerous sex offenders and murderers from the streets of this country is a very basic part of protection of the people. Jesse Matthew was convicted of murdering Hannah Graham in 2014. Four years beforehand, he was convicted of a misdemeanor. Hannah's parents say if the change was in place, she would still be alive. Had Jesse Matthew's DNA been taken on his conviction for… um… criminal trespass, then… um… he would have been in jail where he rightly belonged, wouldn't have been roaming the streets of Charlottesville looking for victims, and Hannah would still be alive."
Hannah's friends, family, and the University of Virginia funded several initiatives in her honor, including scholarships and a memorial softball tournament in her name. In June of 2018, Virginia Governor Ralph Northam signed bills that would expand the list of misdemeanor convictions that trigger mandatory collection of DNA for the Commonwealth's Data Bank. Since Harrington's death, her mother has devoted herself to helping save the next girl—a nonprofit organization she founded to honor her daughter and familiarize young women with the potential predatory dangers. Morgan's family also funded a scholarship at Virginia Tech and a school in Africa, both in Morgan's honor. They also fund a nonprofit called Save the Next Girl.
In December of 2020, Matthew was moved from Sussex State Prison to Richmond Hospital under tight law enforcement presence. He has been diagnosed with stage four colon cancer.
"The man responsible for the murder of two Virginia college students has been transferred from Sussex I State Prison to a hospital here in Richmond. Back in 2016, Jesse Matthew Jr. confessed to the murders of Virginia Tech student Morgan Harrington and University of Virginia student Hannah Graham. In May 2019, he revealed to… uh… Lor… French he had been diagnosed with stage four colon cancer. At this time, we know that Matthew has been… been transferred to the MCV Hospital security care and remains in custody of the Virginia Department of Corrections. We do not know the reason he was sent to the hospital, but we're going to continue to bring you updates on this developing story as we learn them."
Gil Harrington, Morgan's mother, said, "We are not invested in retribution, though I do appreciate updates on the status of Jesse Matthew. We are not interested in learning about his inevitable demise. We are not invested in retribution. What we wanted was to have Jesse Matthew, the 'Back to School Killer,' stopped. This has been accomplished; his horrific crime spree is over."
As of December 2022, Jesse Matthew was still alive; no further information on his health is available at this time. Concerning Matthew and his horrific acts, society often wonders how such depravity can occur. A serial murderer can blend directly into their own community, hold jobs, and function as any normal individual would. They choose the time when they put their crimes into play, then they have a cooling-off period and return to their normal everyday lives. They know how to gain the trust of their victim and lull them into a false sense of security; then, at just the right moment, they strike. This is a timeline compiled of Jesse Matthew's criminal…
History [Music] [Music], and lastly, Food For Thought. Had Jesse Matthew not been caught, would these other cases eventually be linked to him? Or would more names and dates be added to the list?
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Until next time, stay safe and keep your eyes peeled—you never know what's lurking in the shadows.