Hannah Graham: Jesse Matthew Not a Killer; Suspect 'as Gentle as They Come,' Father Claims
Jesse Matthew, the man charged with the abduction of missing University of Virginia student Hannah Graham, will reportedly be extradited back to Virginia on Friday, but his father insists he is no killer.
The nursing assistant was arrested on a Texas beach, 1,300 miles away from the town where Graham went missing nearly two weeks ago, on Wednesday in relation to her disappearance. He is currently being held at Galveston County Jail without bond pending his extradition to Virginia.
Graham, 18, has been missing since Sept. 13 and police are offering a $100,000 reward for any information leading to her safe return. She was last seen on that day with Matthew, 32, in an area of Charlottesville known as the Downtown Mall.
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"For a big man, he's as gentle as they come," his father Jesse Matthew Sr. told CNN affiliate WTVR. "The only thing I could see, him, maybe trying to give the girl a ride or help her out. To kill or hurt somebody, that's not my son."
New details suggest the sophomore was incapacitated when she walked away from a Charlottesville bar.
Matthew, who was reportedly drinking at the bar before his encounter with the teen, was seen with his arm around her helping her walk, Tempo Restaurant owner Brice Cunningham told the Associated Press.
"We still have no idea whatsoever where she is, despite our best efforts," Charlottesville Police Chief Timothy Longo told reporters. "We have an obligation to bring her home, one way or the other. That's what we promised to do."
Matthew is charged with abduction with the intent to defile, which means sexually molest.
So far police have received 1,500 tips in the case and they are urging anyone with information on Graham's disappearance to come forward.
On Thursday, reports claimed Matthew was forced to leave Liberty University in Lynchburg, Virginia in 2002 after a claim that he sexually assaulted a female student, according to reports. No criminal charges were ever filed. He reportedly won a sports scholarship to Liberty University after he was named Charlottesville's "Athlete of the Year" in 1999.
"LJ was on the football team. He was a defensive end. He won a sports scholarship for football," former Liberty Flames football captain William Haith said, according to Daily Mail UK. "But he left in 2002. He got into some trouble over sex with a girl. She made a complaint against him. He was put out of the football team because of the complaint. He was kicked out of the university as well."
