Heather Curtis
WMAL News
FAIRFAX, VA – (WMAL) The man accused of killing University of Virginia student Hannah Graham in 2014 was in court Thursday for a pretrial hearing for an unrelated kidnapping and sexual assault case from 2005.
Jesse Matthew walked into the courtroom in a green, Fairfax County jail jumpsuit with his legs shackled together. Four guards stood close to him.
During the pretrial hearing, Judge David Schell ruled the alleged victim can name Matthew as her attacker when she testifies at trial. Matthew is tied to the case through DNA evidence.
The defense filed a motion that would have prohibited the alleged victim from using Matthew’s name when she testifies at trial, arguing that the victim was swayed to identify Matthew from conversations with the lead detective on the case, Fairfax County Police’s Michael Boone.
Boone testified that he had not shown the alleged victim a photo of Matthew, nor had he shown her a lineup that included the defendant. The alleged victim first learned of Matthew’s name when he was arrested.
The woman testified, “I, personally, for my own curiosity went to the internet and saw the picture” of Matthew, adding that his face matches her attacker, but his hair is not the same.
In explaining his ruling, Schell cited a 2012 case in which the Supreme Court found it’s up to the jury to determine the credibility of the witness and her identification.
Matthew’s trial begins Monday. He is charged with attempted capital murder, abduction with intent to defile and sexual penetration with an object.
Copyright 2015 by WMAL.com. All Rights Reserved. (PHOTO: CNN)
