Abduction charges filed against man who was the last person seen with missing UVA student Hannah Graham

  • Arrest warrant issued for Jesse Matthew, 32, for felony abduction 
  • Matthew, 32, a nursing assistant, was the last person to be seen with missing UVA student Hannah Graham on September 13
  • Police recovered clothing in a second search of Matthew's home in Charlottesville, Virginia    
  • Online court records show Matthew was convicted of trespassing in 2010 but provide no details about the incident 

The man who was the last person seen with missing UVA student Hannah Graham has been charged with her abduction, police said on Tuesday night.  

An arrest warrant was issued on Tuesday for nursing assistant Jesse Matthew on a charge of felony abduction with intent to defile - which, under Virginia law, means intent to commit a sexual assault.

University of Virginia sophomore Hannah Graham, 18, disappeared in the early hours of September 13 in Charlottesville, Virginia.

Matthew was seen with Graham in the downtown mall in the early hours,  putting his arm around her. He is still on the run today after fleeing a police station on Saturday. 

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New evidence? Police recovered clothing in a second search of Jesse Matthew's (pictured) home on Monday. Matthew is considered a 'person of interest' in the September 13 disappearance University of Virginia student Hannah Graham
Missing student Hannah Graham is one of five young women to have disappeared from the Charlottesville area in the past five years within a few minutes' drive of the same Route 29 highway, it emerged on Wednesday.
As the FBI, police and volunteers continue their desperate search for the 18-year-old and her parents said they fear 'foul play', the mother of one of the young women who vanished said the worry of not knowing is the hardest part to bear.
Gil Harrington suffered months of despair after her 20-year-old daughter Morgan disappeared from UVA in October 2009 while attending a rock concert.
Her body was not recovered until three months later, hidden at a remote farm. She had been raped before she was murdered. 


Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2759584/UVA-student-Hannah-Graham-FIFTH-young-woman-five-years-vanish-Route-29-corridor-one-body-found.html#ixzz3Dh2eFqwV 
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Suspect: Police on Tuesday obtained an arrest warrant against Jesse Matthew (left) on a charge of felony abduction in the disappearance of UVA student Hannah Graham (right)

Police issued a new warrant on Tuesday for Matthew along with this wanted poster. The 32-year-old was seen putting his arms around  Hannah Graham on the night she went missing. Matthew fled a police station on Saturday and has not been seen since

Police issued a new warrant on Tuesday for Matthew along with this wanted poster. The 32-year-old was seen putting his arm around Hannah Graham on the night she went missing. Matthew fled a police station on Saturday and has not been seen since

A new ‘wanted’ poster was issued on Tuesday to help track him down.

Charlottesville Police Chief Tim Longo said that his team now had ‘sufficient evidence of probable cause to charge UVA nursing assistant Matthew with ‘abduction with intent to defile’. 

Longo said police, who have searched Matthew's car once and his apartment twice, decided they had probable cause to charge him in Graham's disappearance. 

He declined to say what new information police had, and he did not take questions. 

Chief Longo told a press conference on Tuesday afternoon: ‘We have been working very hard over the past almost nine days in relation to this case.

‘This afternoon we reached that point where the commonwealth [Virginia’s attorney’s office] felt we had sufficient probable cause to seek an arrest warrant.

Jesse Matthew had a taxi permit from 2007 through 2010, according to the Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles on Tuesday. Charges have been filed against Matthew for the abduction of Hannah Graham 

Jesse Matthew had a taxi permit from 2007 through 2010, according to the Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles on Tuesday. Charges have been filed against Matthew for the abduction of Hannah Graham 

‘So we appeared before a magistrate, DS Mooney did, very late this afternoon. And we obtained an arrest warrant for Jesse Leroy Matthew Junior of Charlottesville charging him with class 2 felony, abduction with intent to defile.’

He said the FBI and Virginia State Police were now joining the hunt for Matthew but he appealed to members of the public – ‘in every state’ – to help track him down.

Chief Longo said: ‘We are trying to locate Mr Matthew. State and federal resources have been released to help accomplish that task.

‘We want people to know that Mr Matthew is wanted for this very serious offence.’

He added he hoped Matthew would ‘cooperate’ with his inquiry once he was in custody.

Matthew has been employed at the University of Virginia Medical Center since August 12, 2012, as a patient technician in the operating room, university spokesman McGregor McCance said.

Online court records show Matthew was convicted of trespassing in 2010 but provide no details about the incident. 

Details also were unavailable for two other charges of assault and attempted grand larceny relating to a 2009 incident that were not prosecuted. Matthew also has several traffic infractions, records show.

Matthew had a taxi permit from 2007 through 2010, according to Pam Goheen with Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles.

New evidence? Police recovered clothing in a second search of Jesse Matthew's home on Monday

New evidence? Police recovered clothing in a second search of Jesse Matthew's home on Monday

The police chief refused to release details of the new information that had led to the charges and new arrest warrant but he said the search for the UVA student continues.

Chief Longo said: ‘We absolutely are continuing our search for Hannah.’

Prime suspect Jesse ‘LJ’ Matthew was named by MailOnline as the black man with dreadlocks seen following Miss Graham and putting his arm around her as she walked through Charlottesville’s Downtown Mall at 1am on Saturday, September 13.

Witnesses later saw Matthew buying drinks for 18-year-old Hannah at the Tempo bar and the pair leaving together.

Chief Longo said Matthew was the last person to see the 18-year-old student before she ‘vanished off the face of the earth’.

MailOnline exclusively revealed how the UVA nursing assistant told family members he was not responsible for the 18-year-old’s disappearance and that the pair ‘went their separate ways’.

Matthew’s grandmother Christine Carr told MailOnline: ‘He told his mother he bought her some drinks. 

‘He said she did not get into his car. He said he went his way and she went hers.’

Matthew has been on the run since Saturday when police issued an arrest warrant for his arrest on two counts of reckless driving. 

On Monday, police conducted a second search of Jesse Matthew's Charlottesville home in the hunt for Miss Graham.

Authorities announced on Tuesday that they had taken clothing during the search. Charlottesville Police Captain Gary Pleasants declined to comment on the importance of the clothing or give any further details on what prompted the second search.

As of Tuesday afternoon, the state lab was still analyzing evidence it has received from Charlottesville police, including nearly two dozen items and eight 'known samples that we would use for comparison purposes,' said Jeffrey Ban, director of the Department of Forensic Science's Central Laboratory in Richmond. 

Ban said that the department has expedited the case and hoped to provide authorities with results in the 'very near future'. 

Hannah Graham (pictured) has been missing since the early hours of September 13. She was last seen with Matthew at a downtown Charlottesville bar
Hannah Graham has been missing since the early hours of September 13. She was last seen with Matthew (pictured) at a downtown Charlottesville bar

Hannah Graham (left) has been missing since the early hours of September 13. She was last seen with Matthew at a downtown Charlottesville bar

Matthew, pictured with a friend, left, is being 'aggressively pursued' by police after being charged with abduction and two reckless driving counts

Matthew, pictured with a friend, left, is being 'aggressively pursued' by police after being charged with abduction and two reckless driving counts

According to Charlottesville Police Chief Longo, Matthew walked into the police station with his mother and his uncle on Saturday but quickly left the station after asking to speak to a lawyer.

Police say he sped away afterward, losing officers who had him under surveillance and prompting authorities to issue two arrest warrants for reckless driving. 

Chief Longo said they are 'aggressively pursuing' Matthew, who is 6'2' and 270lb. 

His wanted poster revealed that Matthew had contacts and associates in New York, Maryland, Pennsylvania and Washington D.C.

Miss Graham's parents spoke publicly on Sunday for the first time since their 18-year-old daughter's disappearance last week. 

A $50,000 reward has been posted for information relating to her disappearance.  

John and Sue Graham held hands as they walked in front of the news cameras for the first time since their daughter's disappearance over a week ago.

Tears could be seen running down the Mrs Graham's face and she appeared to be shaking. 

Speaking in a British accent Mr Graham said: ‘As this nightmare for Hannah, for us, for Hannah’s big brother James, her grandparents and extended family continues we would like to make this statement. 

‘Hannah is our little girl, our only daughter, James’s little sister. She is also the oldest granddaughter of her grandparents. She is enormously precious to us.' 

Mr Graham then went on to ask anyone with information on Hannah's disappearance to call police, no matter how small the detail. 

'All we want to do now is to bring Hannah home safely,' Mr Graham said, before he left the room with his sobbing wife. 

‘Now somebody knows what happened to Hannah. We don’t know who that is. Others who may be watching, they may know something about what happened to Hannah.’

Mr Graham appealed to anyone who saw ‘distinctively-dressed’ Hannah last Friday night.

Heartbroken: John and Sue Graham spoke to reporters on Sunday, to thank locals for their support in searching for their missing daughter Hannah

Heartbroken: John and Sue Graham spoke to reporters on Sunday, to thank locals for their support in searching for their missing daughter Hannah

Police released this footage in their search for a man in dreadlocks. He has now been revealed to be Jesse 'LJ' Matthew, a nursing assistant at UVA Hospital. Police charged him with abduction on Tuesday

Mystery man: Police released this footage in their search for a man in dreadlocks. He has now been revealed to be Jesse 'LJ' Matthew, a nursing assistant at UVA Hospital

He said: ‘Did anybody see Hannah? Did you see Hannah? Who saw Hannah? Somebody did. Please if you have anything no matter how insignificant you think it may be please call the tip line.

‘Anything that just might help us to bring Hannah home.’

During the address, Mr Graham held Hannah’s favorite soft toy, a white rabbit called Bibi, aloft.

He said the toy had been Hannah’s ‘constant companion and guardian angel’ until he returned from dropping her off at UVA last month without. Mr Graham said Bibi was lost for three months when Hannah was six.

But he added: ‘We found Bibi and we brought him home to Hannah. All we want to do is to bring Hannah home safely and please, please, please, help us bring Hannah home.’

Mr Graham said his family had received countless messages of support including one from Hannah’s former high school teacher who said ‘if anyone can get through this it is Hannah'.  

Police have since conducted searches of Matthew's car (pictured) and house. They are awaiting the results of forensic tests which are due back tomorrow or Tuesday

Police have since conducted searches of Matthew's car (pictured) and house. They are awaiting the results of forensic tests which are due back tomorrow or Tuesday

Heartbroken and hopeful: Hannah with her brother, James, mother, Sue and father, John. The parents made an emotional plea on Sunday, a week after she went missing

Heartbroken and hopeful: Hannah with her brother, James, mother, Sue and father, John. The parents made an emotional plea on Sunday, a week after she went missing

Hannah was last seen by friends at Camden Plaza Apartments, in Charlottesville at 11.50pm on Friday night at a party with another male friend and police have said she was heavily intoxicated.

At 1.20am, friends waiting at a party for the student got a text from her saying that she was lost in the area around 14th and Wertland Streets, which is near the student;s own off-campus home.

Surveillance footage released on Wednesday places her half-a-mile away at the Charlottesville downtown mall just 20 minutes before the text.

The 5'11' softball player was wearing black pants and a gold top that had black mesh cut outs on the evening she went missing a week and a day ago.

Chief Longo revealed Matthew had walked into the police station on Saturday afternoon just hours after he was named and his picture appeared on MailOnline.

However, he revealed his frustration as Matthew, a nursing assistant at UVA Hospital has so far refused to discuss his ‘interaction with Hannah Graham’.

The last footage of Hannah is from roughly 30 minutes before she called her friends to say she was lost

Crucial: The last footage of Hannah is from approximately 30 minutes before she called her friends to say she was lost

Acquaintances immediately recognized this man as 32-year-old Jesse Matthew, a nursing assistant 

Acquaintances immediately recognized this man as 32-year-old Jesse Matthew, a nursing assistant 

Chief Longo said he continued to be ‘very interested’ in talking to Matthew.

And he told how Virginia State Police had issued a warrant to arrest Matthew after he drove ‘recklessly’ to lose police and Federal agents who followed him from the Charlottesville City Police headquarters.

He said: ‘I believe Jesse Matthew was the last person she [Hannah Graham] was seen with before she vanished off the face of the earth.’

The police chief said he believed Matthew was the black man with dreadlocks seen in the video with his arm around Hannah’s waist on the Downtown Mall in the early hours of Saturday morning.

‘I believe that man was Jesse Matthew. I really do,’ he said.

‘I believe Jesse Matthew and Hannah found themselves at the Tempo restaurant. Eye witnesses have told us so. I believe Hannah Graham left Tempo restaurant with Jesse Matthew. In fact I believe that JM was the last person to see Hannah before she vanished off the face of the earth.

‘But somebody knows where she is. Somebody’s got to know where she is. And we want to know who that person or persons are.’

Jesse 'LJ' Matthew has confirmed he met the 18-year-old in Charlottesville’s Downtown Mall on the night she went missing and bought her drinks at a local bar, MailOnline revealed.

But Matthew, a nursing assistant at UVA Hospital, told his mother that Hannah did not get into his car and that the pair 'went their separate ways.' 

Matthew’s grandmother, Christine Carr, told MailOnline on Saturday: ‘I have been talking with his mother.

Confusion: This map shows Hannah Graham's movements on the night of Friday 12 and Saturday 13. At 11.50pm she was seen at a party by friends with another male friend. She then seemed to head westward toward the Charlottesville downtown mall

Confusion: This map shows Hannah Graham's movements on the night of Friday 12 and Saturday 13. At 11.50pm she was seen at a party by friends with another male friend. She then seemed to head westward toward the Charlottesville downtown mall

‘He said he went his way and she went hers. He told his mother he bought her some drinks. He said she did not get into his car. The girl went her way and he went his.’

Matthew has lived in Charlottesville his whole life, where he works in the operating room of the UVA Hospital, sources told MailOnline. He is a nursing assistant who transports patients to the operating room.

His grandmother, Mrs Carr, says she instantly recognized her grandson ‘LJ’ when she watched the video tape released by police investigating Hannah’s disappearance.

She told MailOnline: ‘I saw the video tape. That is him, that is LJ. The police went through his car and his apartment.

‘They took away his car and three bags out of his apartment.’

Mrs Carr added she was confident her 32-year-old grandson, who has dreadlocks, has nothing to do with the disappearance of Hannah, who has not been seen since the early hours of last Saturday morning.

‘LJ would never hurt anybody,' Mrs Carr, 82, from Charlottesville, told MailOnline. 'I know he is a good boy. I have known him all his life.

‘I’m sure he had nothing to do with it. He is a good boy. He has worked ever since he was able to work. He has never been in trouble. He would do anything to help anybody.

Chief Lingo added that although police have named Jesse Matthew investigators maintain an open mind to other suspects.

He said: ‘I don’t want to get tunnel vision just because we have a name, just because we saw her with a particular person.’

With friends: Hannah with a group of friends who have all described her disappearance as extremely uncharacteristic

With friends: Hannah with a group of friends who have all described her disappearance as extremely uncharacteristic

However he added people should keep their eyes’ open ‘on all four corners of the nation’ for Matthew.

He said: ‘We were so interested in Jesse Matthew that we found our way to his apartment with a search warrant.’

Chief Longo also issued a photo of his burnt orange Chrysler car.

He said: ‘If you saw that car we want to talk to you. We want to know where you saw it and who was inside the vehicle. 

If you saw somebody get into that car about 1.20, 1.30 we really need to talk to you. Because this is a critical piece of a puzzle with lots of pieces missing.

‘Jesse Matthew showed up at the police station yesterday. He walked straight in through the front door. He got inside and he asked for a lawyer.

‘They walked out of that door and I don’t know any more about that interaction than the minute he walked in.

‘I hope and pray that we might have an opportunity to talk to Jesse Matthew again. Because I think he can help us find Hannah Graham.’

Detective Sergeant Jim Mooney said investigators had received over 900 tips and had spoken to over 75 witnesses.

Mark Eggerman of Virginia Search and Rescue who coordinated the search for Hannah Graham thanked volunteers for giving up their weekend to help find clues.

He said: ‘We need to find that one thing that will turn this mission on a dime.’

 

 

 

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