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| Jesse Matthew convicted in slayings of college students | Jesse Matthew convicted in slayings of college students |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| A Charlottesville-area man was convicted in the high-profile killings of two Va. college students Wednesday as part of a plea deal with prosecutors that spared him the possibility of facing the death penalty. | A Charlottesville-area man was convicted in the high-profile killings of two Va. college students Wednesday as part of a plea deal with prosecutors that spared him the possibility of facing the death penalty. |
| Jesse Leroy Matthew Jr., 33, entered guilty pleas in Albemarle County court for the 2014 slaying of University of Virginia student Hannah Graham and the 2009 killing of Virginia Tech junior Morgan Harrington. He was sentenced to four life terms. | |
| Matthew, who was charged with the disappearances and deaths of the two young women, faced the possibility of being sentenced to death if he was found guilty at trial in the slaying of Graham, 18, of Fairfax County. | Matthew, who was charged with the disappearances and deaths of the two young women, faced the possibility of being sentenced to death if he was found guilty at trial in the slaying of Graham, 18, of Fairfax County. |
| After Judge Cheryl Higgins accepted the guilty pleas from Matthew, Sue Graham, Hannah Graham’s mother, read a state to the court. | |
| “Her friends said that she would change the world, and she did, but at a terrible price,” Graham said, noting that her daughter helped police arrest “a serial rapist and murderer hiding in plain sight. She is a heroine.” | |
| In addition to the first-degree murder charges, Matthew pleaded guilty to abduction and intent to defile charges in both cases. The capital murder charge he was facing was dropped by prosecutors as part of the deal. | |
| Matthew’s lawyer, Douglas Ramseur, read a statement from the defendant. | |
| “He’s very sorry for what happened,” Ramseur said. “He loves his family very much.” | |
| Ramseur said Matthew agreed to the plea deal in order “to not have the sentence of death hanging over his head.” | |
| Matthew was arrested in Graham’s case in September 2014 weeks after she went missing following a night out with friends in downtown Charlottesville. Her disappearance sparked a massive search and her body was later found on an abandoned property outside the college town. | Matthew was arrested in Graham’s case in September 2014 weeks after she went missing following a night out with friends in downtown Charlottesville. Her disappearance sparked a massive search and her body was later found on an abandoned property outside the college town. |
| After Matthew’s arrest, he was linked through a DNA test to a cold case that bore striking similarities to the Graham disappearance — the slaying of Harrington, 20. Harrington had vanished in Oct. 2009 after a Metallica concert in Charlottesville and her body was found months later in an Albemarle County pasture. Matthew was indicted in Harrington’s death about a year after he was charged with Graham’s slaying. | After Matthew’s arrest, he was linked through a DNA test to a cold case that bore striking similarities to the Graham disappearance — the slaying of Harrington, 20. Harrington had vanished in Oct. 2009 after a Metallica concert in Charlottesville and her body was found months later in an Albemarle County pasture. Matthew was indicted in Harrington’s death about a year after he was charged with Graham’s slaying. |
| [Here’s how police traced Jesse Matthew to the slaying of Hannah Graham] | [Here’s how police traced Jesse Matthew to the slaying of Hannah Graham] |
| In a letter released to reporters Monday, Albemarle County Commonwealth’s Attorney Robert N. Tracci wrote that Matthew “will be entering pleas of guilty to resolve both the Hannah Graham and Morgan Harrington abduction and murder cases.” | In a letter released to reporters Monday, Albemarle County Commonwealth’s Attorney Robert N. Tracci wrote that Matthew “will be entering pleas of guilty to resolve both the Hannah Graham and Morgan Harrington abduction and murder cases.” |
| The hearing is scheduled to begin at 1:30 p.m. The terms of the plea deal have not been released. | The hearing is scheduled to begin at 1:30 p.m. The terms of the plea deal have not been released. |
| In a brief interview Tuesday, Albemarle County Commonwealth’s Attorney Robert N. Tracci said that the plea agreement had been in the works for some time. He said he had met personally with the families of both victims to discuss possible resolutions of the case. | In a brief interview Tuesday, Albemarle County Commonwealth’s Attorney Robert N. Tracci said that the plea agreement had been in the works for some time. He said he had met personally with the families of both victims to discuss possible resolutions of the case. |
| “I’ve been in close consultation with Hannah and Morgan’s parents from day one,” Tracci said. “We established certain objectives that the plea should meet and that’s what we’ve done.” | “I’ve been in close consultation with Hannah and Morgan’s parents from day one,” Tracci said. “We established certain objectives that the plea should meet and that’s what we’ve done.” |
| Tracci, speaking generally, said that any plea agreement should meet three objectives: community safety, accountability and finality. | Tracci, speaking generally, said that any plea agreement should meet three objectives: community safety, accountability and finality. |
| “The very first priority has been to work toward a resolution,” Tracci said. | “The very first priority has been to work toward a resolution,” Tracci said. |
| [The three cases police say are linked to Jesse Matthew] | [The three cases police say are linked to Jesse Matthew] |
| Matthew is currently serving three life sentences after he was convicted in June on sex assault charges in an attack that occurred in Fairfax County in 2005. He entered an Alford plea, which allowed him to submit that the prosecutors in Fairfax had enough evidence to convict him in the case without admitting that he was guilty. In that case, Fairfax County Commonwealth’s Attorney Ray Morrogh presented evidence showing that DNA recovered from the victim’s fingernail was highly likely to belong to Matthew. | Matthew is currently serving three life sentences after he was convicted in June on sex assault charges in an attack that occurred in Fairfax County in 2005. He entered an Alford plea, which allowed him to submit that the prosecutors in Fairfax had enough evidence to convict him in the case without admitting that he was guilty. In that case, Fairfax County Commonwealth’s Attorney Ray Morrogh presented evidence showing that DNA recovered from the victim’s fingernail was highly likely to belong to Matthew. |
| Gil Harrington said in an interview Monday that her family had been working for years to seek justice on behalf of their daughter. When she finally learned about the agreement from the Albemarle prosecutor, she said that her family felt relief along with enduring sadness. | Gil Harrington said in an interview Monday that her family had been working for years to seek justice on behalf of their daughter. When she finally learned about the agreement from the Albemarle prosecutor, she said that her family felt relief along with enduring sadness. |
| “It is not a fist-pumping time of celebrations,” Harrington said. “Our daughter is still as dead as she was six and a half years ago — nothing can change that.” | “It is not a fist-pumping time of celebrations,” Harrington said. “Our daughter is still as dead as she was six and a half years ago — nothing can change that.” |