Forensic evidence links Hannah Graham suspect to murdered Virginia Tech student Morgan Harrington

[mahatmakanejeeves]

Source: WTVR, channel 6, Richmond

Posted 9:43 am, September 29, 2014, by Laura French and Scott Wise, Updated at 12:41pm, September 29, 2014

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. — The man suspected of abducting 18-year-old Hannah Graham from the Downtown Mall in Charlottesville, Virginia earlier this month is forensically linked to the 2009 disappearance of 20-year-old Virginia Tech student Morgan Harrington, sources close to the investigation confirmed to CBS 6 reporter Laura French.

Those sources indicated that forensic evidence belonging to Graham suspect Jesse Matthew Jr., matched forensic evidence collected during the Harrington investigation.

The sources would not indicate what Matthew may or may not have done with Harrington, however the sources indicated that the forensic evidence match showed Harrington had some sort of contact with Matthew the night she disappeared outside John Paul Jones arena on October 17, 2009. Her remains were found in January 2010 on an Albemarle County farm.

Read more: http://wtvr.com/2014/09/29/hannah-graham-morgan-harrington-connection/

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Hat tip, Fox 5 in DC: Suspect in Hannah Graham's abduction forensically linked to Harrington case

There's at least one other thread in LBN about Hannah Graham:

Charlottesville Police Chief Tim Longo says Jesse Matthew is in police custody

but the big news here is the link to the earlier disappearance.

Jesse Matthew's life is about to take a turn for the much, much worse.

Also, this story has made the TV network news, so it's far beyond local news.

State police: Forensic link found between Hannah Graham, Morgan Harrington cases

Posted: Monday, September 29, 2014 12:58 pm

By Laurence Hammack [e-mail] 981-3239

The investigation into a missing University of Virginia student has led to new forensic evidence in the five-year-old case of Morgan Harrington, a Virginia Tech student who also went missing in Charlottesville.

Last week’s arrest of Jesse L. Matthew, on charges of abducting Hannah Graham, “provided a significant break in this case with a new forensic link” to the Harrington case, state police spokeswoman Corinne Geller said in a news release today.

Details of the type of forensic evidence — and how helpful it may prove to be — were not immediately clear. “There is still a great deal of work to be done in regards to this investigation,” Geller said. ... But the news gave hope to Gil and Dan Harrington of Roanoke County, who have been working for the past five years to find the person responsible for their daughter’s death.

“We’re relieved that justice for Morgan may be coming,” Dan Harrington said today. He declined to elaborate on what the Harringtons have been told by police, saying “I think the focus needs to be on trying to find Hannah Graham.”

Suspect’s arrest in U-Va. case provides lead in 2009 death of Virginia Tech student

By T. Rees Shapiro September 29 at 12:53 PM 

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 teenager 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.

[riqster]

1. DNA can exonerate the innocent and catch the guilty.

If it's properly managed and privacy rights are protected, it can be a game changer.

[mahatmakanejeeves]

2. Police Using Drone in Search for Hannah Graham

Last edited Thu Oct 2, 2014, 11:20 AM - Edit history (1)

Police Using Drone in Search for Hannah Graham

Oct. 1, 2014

As the search for 18-year-old Hannah Elizabeth Graham expands into the county, it's also expanding into the sky with new technology. ... Wednesday, Albemarle County Police deployed a drone in the search for the missing University of Virginia student. This marks the first time in Virginia that a drone is being used by law enforcement.
....

The drone is on loan from Virginia Tech. Engineers say the high-quality camera and endurance of the Sky Ranger is perfect for this this type of search. ... “It's our hope this will give us a perspective you can't get from the ground, allow us to cover more area, and hopefully bring this to conclusion sooner,’ said John Coggin with Mid-Atlantic Aviation Partnership.

While the use of drones has been controversial, engineers hope that Wednesday's search effort will show there are positive uses for the technology. ... Even civil liberties group, The Rutherford institute agrees. In a statement John Whitehead said "The Rutherford Institute has long recognized that there are beneficial uses for drones, such as tracking wildfires or locating missing persons. We are all concerned about what has happened to Hannah Graham, and if using aerial drones can find her or at least provide some leads to law enforcement, all the better."

Police say they got authorization from the FAA to fly the drone, which will be 300-500 ft. in the air. Law enforcement also received permission from landowners to fly over their property.

Police employ drones in Graham investigation

As search enters week three, Matthew hearing pushed back

by Kelly Kaler | Oct 02 2014

Albemarle County Police employed the use of drone technology Wednesday in their continuing efforts to locate missing second-year College student Hannah Graham.

Officers employed an Unmanned Aerial System, or UAS, equipped with advanced sensors. The UAS belongs to Virginia Tech’s Mid-Atlantic Aviation Partnership, headquartered at the university’s Institute for Critical Technology and Applied Science in Blacksburg. This is the first time a UAS was used by Virginia authorities for a search of this kind, and its use required prior approval by the Federal Aviation Administration.

Carter Johnson, a public information officer for the Albemarle County Police Department, said the UAS was used to search areas where all-terrain vehicles and helicopters are unable to reach due to terrain restrictions or power lines.

“We are grateful that this technology was available to help us find Hannah Graham,” Johnson said in an email. “Our focus is on finding Hannah and we appreciate the support by VT in allowing us to use their UAS.”

Click here to watch a video of the drone search in action.

[mahatmakanejeeves]

3. U-Va. suspect Jesse L. Matthew Jr. twice accused of college sex assaults

U-Va. suspect Jesse L. Matthew Jr. twice accused of college sex assaults

By Mary Pat Flaherty and T. Rees Shapiro October 1

The suspect in the disappearance of University of Virginia sophomore Hannah Graham was accused of sexual assaults at two Virginia colleges he attended, and he left each school shortly after each allegation, according to school officials.

The alleged assaults occurred within an 11-month span from 2002 to 2003 as Jesse L. “LJ” Matthew Jr. moved from Liberty University in Lynchburg to Christopher Newport University in Newport News. Police investigated each report, but neither resulted in a criminal case, according to the Lynchburg prosecutor and a review of online court records in Newport News.
....

Christopher Newport confirmed the sexual assault allegation against Matthew on Wednesday in response to a public-records request by The Washington Post. School spokeswoman Lori Jacobs said records indicate that Matthew was accused of a sexual assault on campus on Sept. 7, 2003, which campus police investigated. Jacobs declined to say what action was taken after the allegation or how the case was resolved. Matthew left the university less than a week later.
....

Lynchburg Commonwealth’s Attorney Michael Doucette said that Matthew was the subject of a sexual assault investigation by Lynchburg police in 2002, when he was a student at Liberty. Another student accused Matthew of raping her on campus, Doucette said, and the case went to Lynchburg prosecutors. But Doucette said the woman declined to press charges and no independent witnesses could be found to corroborate her account, so no charges were filed. ... David M. Corry, Liberty University’s general counsel, said that Matthew attended the evangelical Christian school in Lynchburg from Aug. 14, 2000, to Oct. 17, 2002 — the same day as the sex assault report, which came in after 4 a.m.
....

[e-mail]
[e-mail]

Mary Pat Flaherty works on investigative and long-range stories. Her work has won numerous national awards, including the Pulitzer Prize.

T. Rees Shapiro is an education reporter.

One of the comments had this link:

Commonwealth’s attorney will order ‘scientific testing’ to rule out Jesse Matthew in Alexis Murphy case

Incidents Jesse Matthew Jr. has been connected to:

Oct. 17, 2002 – Alleged sexual assault at Liberty University
Sept. 7, 2003 – Reported CNU assault
Sept. 24, 2005 – Northern Virginia rape (forensic evidence linked to Morgan Harrington case)
Oct. 17, 2009 – Morgan Harrington disappearance
Sept. 13, 2014 – Hannah Graham disappearance

Law enforcement investigating cases for possible connection to Matthew:

July 24, 2003 — Autumn Day in Newport News
Sept. 7, 2003 – Sophia Rivera in Newport News
August 26, 2009 – Heidi Childs and David Metzler, in Blacksburg
Oct. 10, 2009 – Cassandra Morton, not far from Lynchburg
Sept. 13, 2010 – Samantha Clarke, in Orange County

Cases unsolved in the area near Charlottesville

Jan. 24, 2010 – Joan Cook, Roanoke County
Nov. 21, 2011 — Lauren Smith, Madison County
Nov. 20, 2012 — Dashad Sage Smith, Charlottesville
August 3, 2013 – Alexis Murphy, Shipman (Randy Taylor jailed for this, body never found)

Anyone with info is asked to call the tipline at 434-295-3851. All surveillance videos can be seen here. All reports filed on this case can be found here.