CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. (WRIC) — The families of Morgan Harrington and Hannah Graham were in court Wednesday as the victims’ suspected killer, Jesse Matthew, faced a judge.
Most of what went on inside circuit court involved procedural motions that won’t have much impact on Matthew’s trials.
Gil Harrington has attended every trial since Jesse Matthew’s arrest last September, always believing he killed her daughter Morgan.
“A vortex of pain and suffering and in the middle is Jesse Matthew,” said Morgan Harrington’s mother, Gil Harrington. “I went, I looked at his mother in the eyes and I said, ‘I realize this is difficult for your family as well. My condolences.’ And I shook her hand.”
Both families were in court for Wednesday’s procedural motions involving Matthew’s murder trials for former UVA student Hannah Graham and Morgan Harrington. The judge set the trial for their case for October 24 of next year.
“It’s nice to see that we are moving our case forward,” said Morgan Harrington’s father, Dan Harrington. “There’s definitely relief in it.”
But the Harrington’s say they would prefer their pursuit for justice end before trial with a plea deal.
“We have the next year to still be swinging on this pendulum slow moving process of court,” Dan Harrington added. “That’s a long time for us to keep this ball rolling.”
Gil Harrington says she knows Matthew’s family is in pain, and that she doesn’t have any animosity towards them because they didn’t hurt her daughter.
On Wednesday, the Harrington’s learned Matthew will go on trial for Morgan’s murder on October 24th, 2016.
Ironically the judge initially set the trial for a week earlier, until she realized that would be the 7th anniversary of Morgan’s death. Her parents were good with that; they called it a Morgan moment. But the judge ultimately changed the date.
