Jesse Matthew arrested in Galveston, TX, in case of missing UVa student Hannah Graham – Updated

By Lynn R. Mitchell

I was on the phone with my Texas sister last night who was in Houston, about an hour from Galveston. I had texted that Jesse Matthew, 32, had been captured in Galveston, a location that was surprising to most and something I knew she would be interested in hearing. She had kept up on the case of missing University of Virginia student Hannah Graham, 18, from her home in Austin. A former newspaper journalist, my sister started finding more details through the local media and passed it along.

At the same time, Charlottesville police Chief Tim Longo held a brief press conference to announce Matthew’s arrest 1,300 miles from Virginia..

Around 3:30 p.m. central time on Wednesday, a member of the Galveston County sheriff’s department was called by a concerned neighbor who notified them that a man was camping in a tent on the beach. When the deputy ran a check on the “Virginia VAC 4575” license on the light blue Nissan Sentra, he found a outstanding warrant for Matthew’s arrest and took him into custody.

CBS-6 out of Richmond is also reporting that cell phone technology was used in the arrest of Matthew (see Specific technology alerted authorities that suspect Jesse Matthew was on the run).

Charlottesville police detectives will travel to Galveston today to escort Matthew back to Virginia.  A warrant for his arrest had been issued Tuesday on abduction with intent to defile.

Personally it’s a great relief to have this suspect in custody and, hopefully, he will provide more information to police concerning his time with Hannah. It’s a kick in the gut, however, to know she’s still missing and it’s been almost two weeks since she was last seen on Charlottesville’s Downtown Mall.

The reward for information has grown to $100,000. For complete details and up-to-the-minute updates, be sure to follow NBC-29 out of Charlottesville.

#BringHannahHome

UPDATE #1: Jesse Matthew appeared in court in Galveston, Texas, this morning. Bond was denied … he declined a court-appointed attorney in the abduction case … failed to identify himself as a fugitive to law enforcement in the case of missing UVa student Hannah Graham who has been missing for almost two weeks.

Cross-posted at SWAC Girl