Jesse Leroy Matthew Jr. has been charged with the murder of a Virginia Tech student that disappeared six years ago, according to USA Today.
Morgan Harrington, 20, went missing after a Metallica concert in Charlottesville at the UVA campus on Oct. 17, 2009, and her body was found in a field three months later, according to NBC News. The location was about six miles from where another girl was found just a year ago. Matthew is facing a capital murder charge for the death of University of Virginia sophomore Hannah Graham.
Matthew, 33, a patient technician at the UVA medical center, was also a taxi driver and suspected of picking up Harrington on the night of her death. He is also the last known person to see 18-year-old Graham alive.
Graham went missing last September and on Oct. 18, her body was discovered on an abandoned property just less than 10 miles from where she was last seen.
Harrington's parents, Gil and Dan Harrington, were present in court and have long suspected that Matthew was involved in the disappearance of their daughter.
"I want him to know that we are present and we have been present for six years and we will be present for the months to come," said Dan Harrington, Morgan's father. "He needs to know that justice is coming."
"I have always known that he was the one who did it, and that's one reason why ... I want my face there," Gil Harrington said, CNN reported. "Because I want him to see me. Because I want him to know that I know."
Commonwealth Attorney Denise Lunsford said Wednesday that it is unlikely that the two cases will be tried together. Prosecutors are seeking the death penalty for Graham's case, which will begin next summer.
Five young women, including Harrington and Graham, have vanished within a few miles of Route 29, as previously reported by HNGN. This was the usual route that Matthew covered as cab driver.
