Jesse Matthew, Jr., the Charlottesville man facing murder charges for the deaths of Virginia Tech student Morgan Harrington and University of Virginia student Hannah Graham, is expected to take a plea deal from Albemarle County court this week.
Last year in the Morgan Harrington case, Matthew was charged with first-degree murder and abduction with the intent to defile. Harrington, a Virginia Tech student, disappeared after a Metallica concert at John Paul Jones Arena in Charlottesville back in 2010. Three months later, the 20-year-old’s remains were found at an Albemarle farm.
Hannah Graham disappeared in fall of 2014, and Matthew was linked both to her case and the Harrington case in the ensuring investigation. Matthew faced the death penalty in the Graham case, and was scheduled to go on trial later this year for Harrington’s slaying.
Albemarle County’s Commonwealth Attorney Robert N. Tracci wrote in a letter to the news media that Matthew will be entering guilty pleas in each case. The details of the pleas will not be known until a judge finalizes and approves each plea.
