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Hannah Graham suspect charged with 2005 rape

Jesse Matthew is being held in connection with the disappearance of the British student and now faces charges dating from earlier case

University of Virginia student Hannah Elizabeth Graham (right) and Jesse Matthew who is accused of abducting her
University of Virginia student Hannah Elizabeth Graham (right) and Jesse Matthew who is accused of abducting her Credit: Photo: REUTERS/AP

The suspect in the disappearance of Hannah Graham, a British student at the University of Virginia, was charged on Monday with abducting and raping a woman in suburban Washington in 2005.

Jesse Matthew, 32, is being held in Charlottesville, Virginia, on a charge related to the disappearance last month of Hannah Graham, 18. She moved from England to northern Virginia at the age of 5.

Officers who have been searching for Miss Graham found human remains over the weekend.

At a news conference on Monday, Ray Morrogh, Fairfax County Commonwealth's Attorney, declined to discuss details of the earlier case, but did say the victim was co-operating. Police had previously said that in September 2005, a 26-year-old woman was walking home from the grocery store on a Saturday night, when her assailant grabbed her from behind, dragged her into a wooded area behind some townhomes, and sexually assaulted her.

The man fled the area when he was startled by a passer-by, police said.

Police officers are continuing to search an area about 12 miles southwest of the Charlottesville campus of University of Virginia where the remains were found on Saturday after an extensive search in the city of 40,000 and in Albemarle County.

Matthew has been charged with abduction with intent to defile Graham. He is being held in the Albemarle-Charlottesville Regional Jail.

The remains were discovered roughly 6 miles from where the body of 20-year-old Virginia Tech student Morgan Harrington was found after she vanished in 2009. Police have said forensic evidence connects Matthew to Miss Harrington's killing, which in turn is linked by DNA to the 2005 sexual assault in northern Virginia. He has not been charged in the Harrington killing.

Miss Graham went missing after a night out with friends. She had met friends at a restaurant for dinner before stopping by two off-campus parties. She left the second party alone and eventually texted a friend saying she was lost, authorities said.