Jesse Matthew, the suspect directly linked to the Hannah Graham case, may not be talking but that is not stopping investigators from putting together a series of cases against him. On Saturday, remains were found in a rural area near where Matthew once lived and, while authorities are waiting for forensic testing to come back so they can make a positive identification, they believe it was Graham's body that was recovered. While working on the missing UVA student's case, police have been able to link Matthew with several other crimes against various women, and on Monday, Oct. 20, Matthew was indicted on an attempted murder charge in a 2005 sexual assault.
Matthew has already been linked to forensic evidence in the 2009 disappearance of Virginia Tech student Morgan Harrington and that DNA evidence is also tied to a rape that occurred in Fairfax, Virginia, near the Washington, D.C., area. In that 2005 case, the victim actually survived and yesterday Matthew was charged with attempted murder, rape and abduction with intent to defile.
While the suspect has put forth an effort to cover his tracks, criminal investigators are starting to link him to various cold cases spanning Virginia, and the phrase "serial killer" is starting to be affiliated with Matthew's name.
As for the case of Graham, Matthew is currently charged with one count of abduction with intent to defile, but police are pretty confident that once the forensic results are in then they will likely be able to build a case against their suspect.
Have you been following this case? Do you think this one guy is connected to as many as five other cold cases? Do you think he allegedly committed these crimes only in the Virginia area? Tell us your thoughts in the comments below.
