Missing Virginia Student Update: Jesse Leroy Matthew Taken Into Custody for Abducting Hannah Graham, Denied Bond
ByJesse Leroy "LJ" Matthew, 32, has been taken into custody for the abduction of Hannah Graham, a University of Virginia (UVa) student missing for two weeks.
According to the Washington Post, police issued an arrest warrant earlier this week for Matthew on a charge of abduction with intent to defile. He was taken into custody in Galveston, Texas Wednesday and denied bond on Thursday.
Matthew is to be transferred to Charlottesville, Va. to face the abduction charges in court. Matthew, a patient technician at the UVa hospital, was the last person seen with Graham, 18, but the charges against him indicate the police have convincing evidence against him.
Graham has been missing since Sept. 13 and was seen with Matthew on surveillance footage at 1 a.m. when the two were seen at a local bar. The police believe Matthew at least meant to sexually assault Graham, the Post noted, and would have taken her against her will or when she was too inebriated to consent.
Charlottesville Police Chief Tim Longo gave a brief news conference Wednesday and did not disclose how the Galveston police officers took Matthew into custody, NBC Washington reported.
"Their attention to detail was one of the aspects that brought Mr. Matthew into custody," Longo said, noting authorities still do not know where Graham is.
"This case is nowhere near over. We have a person in custody but a long road ahead of us," he said. "We're asking every person within the sound of my voice to find Hannah."
Matthew initially came into the Charlottesville Police Station Saturday as a person of interest, but requested a lawyer and left after an hour. Officers openly tailed him when he drove home, which prompted Matthew to speed off and the police then issued an arrest warrant for reckless driving.
The day before, police had searched Matthew's apartment and found more than 20 items that belonged to Graham, including clothing.