Grand Jury Returns Indictments Against Jesse Matthew in Morgan Harrington Case

An Albemarle County Grand Jury has returned two Indictments against Jesse Leroy Matthew, Jr. in connection with the Oct. 17, 2009 disappearance and death of Morgan Dana Harrington, according to a news release today from the Albemarle County Commonwealth’s Attorney.

Matthew was charged with First Degree Murder of Morgan Harrington and Abduction with the Intent to Defile. The maximum penalty for each offense is life in prison.

Harrington was a student at Virginia Tech and went missing after attending a concert in Charlottesville.

Matthew, of Charlottesville, is also charged in the Hannah Graham case. Hannah, 18, a graduate of West Potomac High School was a student at UVA when she went missing Sept. 13, 2014 in Charlottesville. Her remains were found Oct. 18.

To mark the one year anniversary Hannah’s disappearance, friends and supporters gathered last weekend on the mall in Charlottesville to write messages of hope in her honor, according to Charlottesville media reports.

Matthew was convicted this summer of attempted capital murder, abduction and sexual assault in a 2005 case involving a woman in Fairfax City. He is to be sentenced in that case on Oct. 2 and faces up to three life terms.

These latest Indictments were received by the Court on Tuesday. An indictment is a charge and not evidence of guilt. A defendant is presumed innocent and entitled to a fair trial with the burden on the Commonwealth to prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.

Matthew was served with the Indictments today. His first appearance before the Albemarle County Circuit Court will take place at 12:45 p.m. Wednesday, according to the county Commonwealth’s Attorney.

The office gave a nod to law enforcement, stating that “the indictments result from the dedicated investigative efforts over the past six years by the Virginia State Police, Albemarle County Police, Charlottesville Police, University of Virginia Police, and the FBI.”