<p><a href=“Hannah Graham's abductor Jesse Matthews 'expelled from University over rape claims' | Daily Mail Online”>Hannah Graham's abductor Jesse Matthews 'expelled from University over rape claims' | Daily Mail Online;
<p>The Daily Mail UK has an article about JM’s days as a football player at Liberty University. He was there 2000 to 2002 and was expelled from the school after a woman accused him of rape. No charges were filed because of lack of evidence. The university couldn’t confirm because of federal privacy laws. The article relies on interviews with former Liberty students.</p>
<p><a href=“Hannah Graham's abductor Jesse Matthews 'expelled from University over rape claims' | Daily Mail Online”>Hannah Graham's abductor Jesse Matthews 'expelled from University over rape claims' | Daily Mail Online;
<p>Tatin, it’s linked above. And, yeah 12 years ago.</p>
<p>This morning in court. He doesn’t like his jumpsuit.</p>
<p><a href=“http://www.wdbj7.com/news/local/web-extra-jesse-matthew-makes-first-court-appearance-in-houston/28240404”>http://www.wdbj7.com/news/local/web-extra-jesse-matthew-makes-first-court-appearance-in-houston/28240404</a></p>
<p>I am confident that the police have quite a pile of stuff on him by now and know exactly what they are dealing with here. But, we don’t, yet. It’s not good, though.</p>
<p>. Flossy, I’m glad you found that link about the jumpsuit. I caught a couple of minutes of it live and couldn’t believe he was focusing on clothing. It was quite odd. Also, surprised he hadn’t cut his dreadlocks off.</p>
<p>IMO, LE has botched how they have handled this guy. They should have approached him with hat in hand and a lot of sugar, their best interviewer to do the job instead of sending the search and seizure gang in the wee hours of the morning and taking his phone, car, and other things from his apartment. They had him at arm’s length right there but because they could not arrest him at that time, they turned their back on him and he disappeared probably scared to death. Really, what do you expect after that kind of intro, a black man in the south being told he is a POI in a missing white girl case, and he knows he was with that girl, was with her among those who know him well.</p>
<p>Frankly, cases like this go typically, and he probably did do her some harm,but the thing that was most important was to get info on Hannah Graham, which he has. By introducing themselves to him that way, LE ended any hope of getting info from him at that time when it was possible that Hannah was still alive. She still may be, but the clock is ticking. Even if he did do her harm, there is a chance he dumped her somewhere still alive. If he did not, he could tell LE where he let her off or saw her go. Now he isn’t going to say anything. LE had their priorities wrong here even if they are sure he did something dire to Hannah. Idiots. I’d be upset with Tim Longo, the chief of police there if I were Hannah’s parents. </p>
<p>I don’t think he’s typical at all. And, I think the police know it. They’re playing chess with him and he’s not even good at checkers. That’s my take. We’ll see.</p>
<p>The hell with playing anything with him. The priority should have been finding Hannah alive if at all possible.</p>
<p>Those two things are not mutually exclusive. Of course, I hope she is alive somewhere obviously and so does the PC.</p>
<p>Edit to add - Tempo Restaurant has just released a statement saying Hannah was never served, Mathews was there twice that night, and the doorman saw them leave the area together.</p>
<p>If she is still alive, JM can plea bargain to some lesser charge in exchange for disclosing where she is. Some have speculated that sex trafficking is involved. He could give information on accomplices in exchange for a lesser charge. </p>
<p>Of course, if she is dead, there is no motive for him to talk at all.</p>
<p>I looked at the Daily Mail link about the 2002 rape accusation at Liberty University which resulted in his expulsion. Then I saw the video of him signing the papers at the jail in Galveston. What immediately popped into my head was that Jesse Matthew reminded me of the character Lennie Small in Steinbeck’s “Grapes of Wrath.” He has been described by his pastor as a “gentle giant” and by former teammates who said that he is “socially awkward.” Perhaps he is not the evil man portrayed in the media. Perhaps fleeing Virginia was not necessarily the action of a guilty man, but of a simple mentally-challenged man who was scared, especially after the Liberty U incident. The last time I checked our legal system, there is still a presumption of innocence until proven guilty. That said, I pray that Matthew will cooperate with the police and that Hannah is found safely and soon.</p>
<p>But look how things ended for Lennie Small.</p>
<p>So, if he is either mentally ill or developmentally disabled to the point of mental retardation, how does that affect if he should be punished for a crime?</p>
<p>Do we have to lock up everybody with an IQ below 70 so that they won’t hurt someone, because we can’t punish them, that would be mean?</p>
<p>Do you think Hitler was mentally ill? Was the Sandy Hook shooter mentally ill? How can you kill someone without mental illness?</p>
<p>Not “Grapes of Wrath.” I meant “Of Mice and Men.” </p>
<p>Things did not end well for Lennie Small. And I’m not suggesting that he shouldn’t be punished if he committed a crime. If he committed a crime, he should be punished regardless of his mental capacity. </p>
<p>I’m not offering an excuse but a possible explanation. What I am suggesting is that perhaps if Matthew is “socially awkward,” he might not pick up on social cues or the the fact that Hannah Graham was incapacitated and incapable of consent. It might explain the charges of “intent to defile.” Perhaps there was no intent to do wrong but there was a tragic accident, like in “Mice and Men.” A limited mental capacity would also explain why Chief Longo kept repeating, “We just want to talk” after Matthew fled C’ville. </p>
<p>It sounds like I’m trying to make excuses and I’m not. Watching the video of him being presented with the warrants, it struck me that this is a man of limited mental capacity, not a cunning person who stalks and abducts with an evil purpose in mind. Of course, I might be totally wrong, but that was just my reaction after watching him ask questions about the warrants and charges and the prison clothes. He just didn’t seem to comprehend.</p>
<p>Here’s the NPR piece.</p>
<p><a href=“Charlottesville Journalist Sheds Light on Jesse Matthew | WVTF”>http://wvtf.org/post/charlottesville-journalist-sheds-light-jesse-matthew</a></p>
<p>There is some point where I, even with a son on the autism spectrum, find it very difficult to believe that you can act independently in public and private life, but don’t “get” when someone is really drunk. And don’t “get” that you don’t punch someone in the face (was he fired because of it? or not?).</p>
<p>Makes me also think about undiagnosed head injuries and concussions. NFN, but how many times did kids play HS or other football and knock heads and the coach and parents completely ignored it? How many people are going around with personality disorders due to undiagnosed post-concussion syndrome?</p>
<p>That NPR piece is very interesting. This whole thing is shaping up to be very, very sad all round.</p>
<p>All around? No. Sad for Hannah Graham’s family and friends, yes. </p>
<p>Another news conference at 3 o’clock.</p>
<p>It’s a debate with very hard questions and no simple answers. But from what I’ve seen, society’s default position is to prosecute, insisting that the defendant knew right from wrong, notwithstanding any mental limitations. That’s what we have again recently in New York, where a couple of months ago a madman stabbed two toddlers in an elevator, killing one. He’s a previous felon, has clearly demonstrated mental/emotional problems, and is highly dangerous. This isn’t a case of the ‘Wildman of 96th Street,’ the drug-addled army vet who hassled passersby in Manhattan. The elevator killer is evil and a lunatic to boot.</p>