Hannah Graham, a second-year student at the University of Virginia was last seen leaving a bar to go meet friends at a party on Saturday, Sept. 13, 2014. She never arrived at the party.

Here are the developments in the case thus far:

Matthew Charged in Harrington Death

Sept. 15, 2015 - A man convicted on one rape and awaiting trial for the kidnapping and murder of a University of Virginia student has now been charged with the murder of another college student.


Jesse Matthew has been indicted on first-degree murder charges in the death of 20-year-old Virginia Tech student Morgan Dana Harrington.

Matthew is facing the death penalty in the capital murder case of 18-year-old Hannah Graham who was abducted in Charlottesville a year ago.

Harrington disappeared after attending a Metallica concert at the University of Virginia on Oct. 17, 2009. Her remains were found in January 2010 on a farm about 10 miles from the Charlottesville concert arena.

Harrington was with friends at the concert but left them just before the concert was to begin. She later called them to tell them she was outside of the arena. Later, police found her purse and cellphone. The battery had been removed from the phone.

Investigators have said previously that they had forensic evidence linking Matthew to the Harrington murder. He was indicted by a Albermarle County grand jury for first-degree murder and abduction with intent to defile.

Matthew is scheduled to go on trial in the Hannah Graham case in July 2016.

He entered an Alford plea in the Fairfax rape case and faces three life sentences when he is sentenced for that crime on October 2.

Trial Date Set for Jesse Matthew

June 25, 2015 - It will be more than a year before a convicted killer faces trial for the kidnapping and murder of a 18-year-old University of Virginia student. A trial date of July 5, 2016 has been set for Jesse Matthew in the death of Hannah Graham.

Judge Cheryl Higgins set the date for the death penalty trial for the kidnapping of Graham from a downtown Charlottesville mall in September 2014.

Judge Higgins also denied a motion that she recuse herself from the trial. The defense argued that she could not be fair or impartial because she issued early search warrants in the case, has a child who is a student at the University of Virginia, and a member of her family attended a vigil for Graham.

Earlier this month, Matthew entered an Alford plea in an attempted capital murder and sexual assault case in Fairfax, stemming from a 2005 incident. He has not yet been sentenced in that case.

Jesse Matthew Enters Plea in Fairfax

June 10, 2015 - Just after the prosecution finished its case in his trial for the 2005 sexual assault of a woman in Fairfax, the man accused of kidnapping and killing Hannah Graham decided to change his plea. Jesse Matthew entered an Alford plea on charges of capital attempted murder, sexual assault and abduction with intent to defile.

The Alford plea means that Matthew is not admitting guilt explicitly, but acknowledging that the state has enough evidence to convict him.

After asking Matthew a series of questions, the judge ruled that he was guilty of all charges.

Prosecutors said Matthew entered his plea without having a plea agreement on the table. That means when he is sentenced he could face the maximum sentence for each count.

If Matthew had changed his plea to guilty, rather than the Alford plea, then he would have been asked to verbally admit his guilt in open court and give details of the crime, a move that could potentially work against him in his up-coming trial in the Hannah Graham case in Charlottesville.

No trial date has been set for the murder of Hannah Graham.

2005 Victim Faces Jesse Matthew

June 8, 2015 - A woman who lives in India has returned to the United States to confront an accused serial rapist and killer in the courtroom. The woman testified this week that Jesse Matthew choked her and tried to rape her after asking her for directions.

The woman told the jury that nine years ago she was walking home in Fairfax when Matthew stopped her to ask for directions. She tried to walk away but he followed her and grabbed her near her townhouse.

She said Matthew grabbed her by the throat and dragged her into the nearby woods.

"He banged my head on the grass, on the ground," she said. "I was trying to push him away. I was punching him. He choked me. He said, 'If you scream again, I will twist your neck. If you let me do this, I will let you go.'"

The woman survived because a passerby happened to come near by.

"She looked like she was nearly dead," Mark Castro told the jury. "She was walking toward me, slowly ... She had a lot of blood on her. She was in bad shape."

Police recovered tissue and DNA evidence from the woman's fingernails. It was linked to Matthew after he was arrested in the Hannah Graham abduction in Charlottesville, nine years later.

Prosecutors to Seek Death Penalty

May 5, 2015 - Prosecutors will seek the death penalty for the man accused of kidnapping and killing a University of Virginia student in Charlottesville. Capital murder charges have been filed against Jess Matthew Jr. in the death of Hannah Graham.

Matthew had previously been charged with first-degree murder and abduction with intent to defile in the case. Prosecutors said the new capital murder charge stemmed from DNA testing results they recently received. They did not elaborate.

Matthew was seen walking and talking with 18-year-old Graham, a nursing student, on the night she disappeared after a night out downtown Charlottesville drinking with friends.

Trial Date Set in Hannah Graham Case

Feb. 18, 2015 - A judge has set the date for the murder trial of the man accused of abducting and killing University of Virginia sophomore Hannah Graham. Jesse Matthew's trial is scheduled to begin June 29.

The trial is expected to last about three weeks, the judge said.

The trial date was set at a Albemarle County Circuit Court at which the 33-year-old Matthew participated via video feed from Fairfax. Members of his family were at the court hearing.

The next hearing in the case is scheduled March 4 when the judge will decide if witness subpoenas in the case will be sealed.

Jesse Matthew Charged With Murder

Feb. 10, 2015 - A grand jury has indicted Jesse Matthew on first-degree murder charges in the murder of a University of Virginia sophomore who disappeared in September. He has also been indicted on a charge of abduction with intent to defile Hannah Graham.

Albemarle County commonwealth attorney Denise Lunsford said the new murder charges will mean justice for Matthew, who is currently incarcerated in Fairfax County where he is facing murder, rape and sexual assault charges in a 2005 case.

"[These charges] will bring Mr. Matthew to justice for these crimes committed against Hannah Graham, against her family and against our community."

Matthew's first court appearance on the new charges is scheduled in Albemarle County court Feb. 18 via video from Fairfax.

Gag Order Denied in Fairfax Case

Jan. 9, 2015 - A judge has denied a request for a gag order, but also disallowed cameras in the Fairfax County attempted murder case against Jesse Matthew, the man also accused of abducting University of Virginia student Hannah Graham in Charlottesville.

The Fairfax case, which is related to a 2005 sexual assault, is scheduled to go on trial March 9. The victim in the case is "really, really vehemently opposed to cameras in the courtroom," prosecutor Ray Morrogh told the court.

The defense also opposed the request for cameras in the courtroom, which was presented by members of the news media.

The pretrial motion for a gag order was brought by Matthew's defense team, but opposed by the prosecution.

"We oppose the gag order because I think it is important for the public to have access to information about how the process works," Morrogh said. "I think it promotes confidence in the courts. I'm actually proud of our court system."

In the Fairfax case, a 26-year-old woman was walking home from a grocery store when she was dragged into a wooded area and sexually assaulted. Her attacker ran away when interrupted by a passerby, according to the indictment.

Matthew Charged in 2005 Fairfax Case

Nov. 14, 2014 - The man charged in the abduction of University of Virginia student Hannah Graham has been officially charged in another abduction case that took place in Fairfax in 2005. Jesse Matthew pleaded not guilty to charges of abduction, sexual assault and attempted murder in Fairfax County Courthouse.

On September 24, 2005, Matthew grabbed a 26-year-old woman returning from a grocery store off the street in front of an apartment complex, drug her to the darken pool area and sexually assaulted her, according to prosecutors.

According to the grand jury indictment, Matthew "did feloniously, willfully, deliberately, intentionally and with premeditation attempt to kill [the victim] in the commission of or subsequent to an abduction with the intent to defile."

Prosecutors said the victim now lives in India, but is willing to return to the United States to testify in the trial. At the time of the assault, she was able to give police enough of a description of her abductor to create a sketch.

The trial is scheduled for March 8, 2015. The prosecution will not only have the victim's eye-witness testimony, but also DNA evidence to connect Matthew to the crime, they said.

Remains Identified as Hannah Graham

Oct. 24, 2014 - Authorities have confirmed that the human remains found last week in Albemarle County belong to University of Virginia student Hannah Graham. The remains were found just over five miles from where the remains of student Morgan Harrington was found in 2009.

The property is also about eight miles from where Graham was last seen in Charlottesville before she vanished September 13.

Graham's parents released a statement after the identification was confirmed.

"When we started this journey together we all hoped for a happier ending," the couple said in a statement. "Sadly that was not to be, but due to the tenacity and determination of Charlottesville Police Chief Timothy Longo, Hannah is coming home to us and we will be eternally grateful to him for this."

"We are devastated by the loss of our beautiful daughter," the statement said.

Body Found in Hannah Graham Search

Oct. 18, 2014 - Organized searches for missing Virginia student Hannah Graham were called off over the weekend after human remains and clothing were found in southern Albemarle County. Authorities were waiting for forensic testing to positively identify the remains, but Graham's family was immediately notified of the discovery.

The remains were found on an abandoned piece of property about five miles from where the body of 20-year-old Virginia Tech student Morgan Harrington was found in 2009, three months after she disappeared in Charlottesville.

Investigators said DNA evidence from Jesse Leroy Matthew Jr. has been linked to both the Graham and Harrington cases and others. Matthew is being held in the Albemarle-Charlottesville Regional Jail without bond on charges of abduction with intent to defile in the Graham case.

Sgt. Dale Terry of the Chesterfield County Sheriff's Office said something told him to check the abandoned lots near Walnut Creek Park where in a dry creek known as Ammonett Branch he found a human skull without hair and a pair of dark colored pants.

"I do believe God wanted us to find what we found," Terry told reporters. "I don't know how else to explain it, but something inside me told me to take a look."

Matthew Linked to 2009 Missing Student

Sept 30, 2014 - Forensic evidence collected during the investigation of the suspect in the case of a missing University of Virginia student has been linked to the 2009 murder of a Virginia Tech student and possibly other cases.

DNA from Jesse Matthew, arrested for the abduction of Hannah Graham on September 13, has been linked to the murder of Morgan Dana Harrington who disappeared Oct. 17, 2009 from a Metallica concert at John Paul Jones Arena in Charlottesville.

Harrington's remains were found three months later by a farmer in a hayfield in Albemarle County. The hayfield was recently searched again in connection with Hannah Graham's disappearance, police confirmed.

Matthew may also be linked to a 2005 sexual assault in Fairfax City, because FBI investigators previously revealed that the DNA from the Harrington case matched the DNA of the person who committed the 2005 assault on a 26-year-old woman.

Additionally, there are at least two other known cases of women who are missing from the Charlottesville area that investigators are reviewing.

Jesse Matthew Arrested in Texas

Sept. 24, 2014 - A suspicious person report by a citizen near Galveston, Texas lead to the arrest of the only suspect in the case of missing University of Virginia student Hannah Graham. Jesse Matthew was taken into custody without incident by police on a beach in Gilcrest.

The 32-year-old Matthew will be extradited to Virginia to face abduction with intent to defile charges.

Charlottesville Police Chief Timothy Longo said his department was still searching for Graham and the reward for information leading to her whereabouts is up to $100,000.

"This case is nowhere near over," Longo said. "We have a person in custody but there's a long road ahead of us."

Warrant Issued for Jesse Matthew

Sept. 23, 2014 - A man police previously described as a person of interest in the case of missing University of Virginia student Hannah Graham is now a suspect in the investigation. Charlottesville police have issued an arrest warrant on charges of abduction with intent to defile.

Matthew has not been seen since Saturday when he and family members went to the Charlottesville police department and asked for a lawyer. He was then seen leaving the area driving at a high rate of speed, prompting police to issue a warrant for him for reckless driving.

On Monday, police issues a wanted poster for Matthew that said he was probably driving his sister's 1997 light blue Nissan Sentra and that he had contacts in Maryland, New York, Pennsylvania and Washington, D.C.

Also on Monday, another search warrant was served at Matthew's apartment where investigators found specific articles of clothing they were looking for. The clothing was sent to the crime lab for testing.

On Tuesday, after getting the lab results, Matthew was for the first time charged in the Graham case directly with the abduction charge, although the previous reckless driving poster said they wanted to talk with him in connection with the case.

Charlottesville police Chief Timothy Longo said "we are absolutely continuing our search for Hannah," but admitted "we're at a critical stage" of the investigation.

Volunteers Search for Hannah Graham

Sept. 20, 2014 - More than 1,000 volunteers spread out from the University of Virginia throughout Charlottesville to search for Hannah Graham, who was last seen a week ago in the downtown area.

Earlier this week, police served a search warrant on a home and a car of a man they believe was seen drinking with Graham in a bar and who drove away from the bar with the sophomore in his car.

No arrest has been made in the case.

The "person of interest" who was the target of those search warrants has been identified by media outlets as Jesse 'LJ' Matthew, a nursing assistant at the University hospital. Matthew has admitted that he bought drinks for Graham at a bar that night, but denies that she left with him in his car.

A family member told reporters that Graham did not get into Matthew's car. "The girl went her way and he went his," Christine Carr, Metthew's grandmother said.

Charlottesville Police Chief Timothy Longo told reporters that investigators did not have enough information after the searches to arrest or detain Metthew.

"Is he in custody? No," Longo said. "Was there probable cause to arrest him? No."

Longo said police still want to talk to anyone who saw Graham with Matthew on the night she vanished.

UVA Student Disappears

Intensive search efforts in areas of Charlottesville have been conducted as authorities and volunteers try to find an 18-year-old University of Virginia student who was last seen in the early morning hours of Saturday, Sept. 13, 2014.

Missing is Hannah Graham, a second-year university student from Alexandria, who was last seen about 12:45 a.m. Saturday on a surveillance camera at McGrady's Irish Pub as she was leaving the bar to meet friends at a party.

The party was located in the area of 14th and Wertland Streets, an area that Graham knew well because she lived nearby. But, friends said she never made it to the party and sent a text message to her friends saying that she was lost.

Graham Was Very Intoxicated

Graham was described by friends as "fairly well intoxicated" when she left the pub.

University of Virginia Police Department Captain Gary Pleasants told reporters that there was no evidence of foul play in connection with Graham's disappearance.

"There is no evidence of foul play but there is concern since Graham was believed to be extremely intoxicated and may not have been able to make good judgement," he said.

Seen on Surveillance Cameras

Authorities have two surveillance videos that show Graham on the night she was last seen. One video, from the Camden Plaza Apartments, taken about 11 p.m. Friday, shows clearly what Graham was wearing - described as "a black crop top with mesh cut outs" and black pants.

The second video is from the pub, which shows Graham walking eastward away from the pub. The party where she was supposed to meet friends was several blocks southwest of the pub.

Search Area Expanded

After seeing the pub video, authorities adjusted their search area to include sections east of the pub. Dozens of blocks of Charlottesville have been searched using bloodhounds since Graham was reported missing on Sunday, Sept. 14.

"We have a trained search and rescue team," Guy Williams of the Albemarle County Sheriff's Office told reporters. "We're just hoping and praying that we find this young lady alive and well."

Graham's family released the following statement on Tuesday, Sept. 16:

Family Releases Statement

"Since learning of Hannah's disappearance, we have been heartbroken and at the same time heartened by the outpouring of support and help we have received. We remain hopeful that Hannah will be found soon. We urge anyone with any information, however insignificant it may seem, to call a newly dedicated tip line at 434-295-3851 at the Charlottesville Police Department.

"Those of us who know and love Hannah know that she would not disappear without contacting family or friends. She is highly responsible and organized. She embraces life with energy and enthusiasm and has enriched the lives of many...

Public's Help Sought

"We express our sincere gratitude to law enforcement and everyone who is involved in the search for Hannah. We also thank the University for the full attention they are devoting to the situation. The kindness and support of so many – her friends at U.Va., particularly her friends on the Ski Team, her friends from high school, our neighbors, and the larger community – mean so much to us at this difficult time.

"Please join us in our fervent wish for Hannah's safe return home. Once again, if you have any information at all, however insignificant it may seem, please call 434-295-3851."

Graham as a white female, about 5'-11" and slender build. She has blue eyes, light brown hair and freckles.

The FBI has also joined the investigation. Authorities ask that anyone with information contact the Charlottesville Police Department at 434-970-3280 or CrimeStoppers at 434-977-4000.