RICHMOND, Va. (WRIC) — The second day of Jesse Matthew’s trial about an alleged rape in Fairfax began on Tuesday morning. Today was all about the people who investigated the 2005 attack.
Matthew is on trial for an alleged sex assault that occurred in 2005.
A Fairfax police officer that worked the alleged rape in 2005 was the first on the stand Tuesday. The officer said that when he responded the victim appeared to be in shock. She had grass in her hair and blood on her face. The officer said that the victim described the assailant as being a black male about six feet tall with a medium build and a beard. The officer said he took the victim’s clothes from her at the hospital because any DNA left there could be critical evidence.
The next witness to take the stand was a Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner. She worked the night at the facility the rape victim was treated at. She said she completed a sexual assault examination on the victim. The nurse did not clearly remember the night from 2005. Defense attorneys objected to the prosecution using her report as testimony, but the judge overruled.
The nurse noted the scratches on the victims face and the grass in the hair. She took photos of the victim to show the injuries she sustained. The victim’s nose appeared to be very swollen in the photo. The nurse said the victim was tearful throughout the exam. She said there were clear signs of sexual assault, including scratches and other injuries to her hands, thighs, neck and face. The nurse said she collected evidence from the victim’s body, including scrapings from beneath the victim’s fingernails.
The prosecution then called on three Fairfax police officers who worked the investigation.
The lead investigator in the case, Detective Boone, was the first of the three officers to testify on Tuesday.
Detective Boone interviewed the victim days after the attack. The defense began questioning Detective Boone, asking about the initial conversation he had with the victim. Boone said it was a short conversation and that didn’t take notes or record it. He issued a report after the interview. The report did not include details about height, weight or build of the alleged attacker.
Boone put together a wanted poster of the suspect with the composite sketch and description.
The defense later began asking Detective Boone about previous suspect he investigated that may have been tied to the case. Some of those suspects were excluded because DNA didn’t match. The defense named numerous men who were suspects before Matthew was ever suggested. There were over two dozen names the defense found that were at one time considered suspects in the 2005 attack.
Investigators have said DNA links Matthew to the Fairfax County case along with the murder of Virginia Tech student Morgan Harrington. Matthew is also charged in the death of University of Virginia student Hannah Graham. He could face the death penalty in that case if found guilty.
A forensic analysis previously showed DNA recovered from underneath the fingernails of the victim belonged to Matthew.
The Fairfax Chief of Police was next to testify in court Tuesday. After securing the scene, the Chief said he called for K-9’s to assist in the search for evidence. Police dogs helped in the discovery of the victim’s underwear.
Another detective got on the stand next. The Fairfax detective detailed collecting evidence at the scene of the attack. He recovered a lens missing from a frame of glasses, a cigarette butt, a white Reebok shoe, a cell phone, underwear, the frame of the glasses without lenses and a red stain in the grass.
Finally, a DNA expert testified. The forensic scientist examined evidence from the scene, including the victim’s underwear and fingernails.
She said results of the DNA evidence is peer-reviewed by another analyst to ensure that it’s accurate and supported. The forensics expert said there was no seminal fluid found on the victim’s underwear.
The victim, who is now in her 30s, flew from India to take the stand Monday.
The victim told jurors the assault started when the suspect picked her up from behind, took her to the bushes, and slammed her head into the ground. She said she struggled to fight him off, but he choked and sexually assaulted her. She said she had scars from the grip around her neck. The victim did not identify Matthew as her attacker.
A passerby that happened to be near when the incident happened also testified Monday. The witness said they scared the attacker off. Click here to read more about Monday’s testimony.
8News reporter Kristin Smith is in court today and will be live tweeting the trial. Click here to follow her updates.
Stay with 8News for continuing coverage of this developing story.
