Slain Virginia student's scent found in suspect's apartment: Witness
Jan 11th 2016 3:26PM
CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. (Reuters) -- A police tracking dog picked up the scent of university student Hannah Graham in the apartment of the former hospital worker charged with murdering her in 2014, a former detective testified on Monday.
The disappearance and murder of Hannah Graham, an 18-year-old University of Virginia sophomore, shocked the campus and drew national headlines in late 2014. Jesse Matthew Jr., of Charlottesville, was the last person seen with her and could face the death penalty if convicted.
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Stuart Garner Jr., a former Louisa County detective and dog handler, testified in a pretrial hearing that his dog alerted him to Graham's scent in several areas of Matthew's apartment during a massive search for the student.
Garner sparred with defense attorney Douglas Ramseur about whether he had told Ramseur that he believed that Graham had never been in Matthew's apartment.
See photos of Graham and the crime scene:
Missing UVa. college student Hannah Graham
Missing UVa. student Hannah Graham, 18, was last heard from on Saturday, September 13 at 1:20 a.m., WTVR-TV reported.
According to Charlottesville police, friends of the 18-year-old received a text from her at around 1:20 a.m. on September 13, and have not heard from her since.
Hannah Graham is approximately 5'11" tall and has blue eyes, light brown hair and freckles, according to the Charlottesville Police Department.
Starburst candies and wristbands were handed out along with a program at a virtual candlelight vigil for missing Univ. of Virginia student Hannah Graham at West Potomac High School in Alexandria, VA on September 24, 2014. Graham went to West Potomac High, played softball there and was in the band. (Photo by Linda Davidson / The Washington Post via Getty Images)
A flyer about the missing of Hannah Graham is seen October 2, 2014 in Charlottesville, Virginia. Eighteen-year-old University of Virginia sophomore Hannah Graham went missing early in the morning of September 13, 2014. It has been reported that she was last seen outside Tempo restaurant at the Downtown Mall in Charlottesville. (Photo by Alex Wong/Getty Images)
CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA - OCTOBER 02: A couple walk through the Downtown Mall October 2, 2014 in Charlottesville, Virginia. Eighteen-year-old University of Virginia sophomore Hannah Graham went missing early in the morning of September 13, 2014. It has been reported that she was last seen outside Tempo restaurant at the Downtown Mall in Charlottesville. (Photo by Alex Wong/Getty Images)
CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA - OCTOBER 02: A woman passes by Tempo Restaurant October 2, 2014 in Charlottesville, Virginia. Eighteen-year-old University of Virginia sophomore Hannah Graham went missing early in the morning of September 13, 2014. It has been reported that she was last seen outside Tempo restaurant at the Downtown Mall in Charlottesville. (Photo by Alex Wong/Getty Images)
CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA- SEPTEMBER 19: A couple walks on the sidewalk after 2am at the apartment complex where Hannah Graham lived in Charlottesville. Photos depict the route (as captured by surveillance cameras) thought to be where the lasting sightings of Hannah Graham occurred. Images were made in the early a.m. hours after midnight to approximate the conditions under which she was last seen. She went missing in downtown last Saturday morning. (Photo by Michael S. Williamson/The Washington Post via Getty Images)
The sign of Tempo Restaurant is seen October 2, 2014 in Charlottesville, Virginia. Eighteen-year-old University of Virginia sophomore Hannah Graham went missing early in the morning of September 13, 2014. It has been reported that she was last seen outside Tempo restaurant at the Downtown Mall in Charlottesville. (Photo by Alex Wong/Getty Images)
Charlottesville, VA - October 3: Amalia Harte (center back to camera) a sophomore from Herndon, Va. hugs Samantha Westrum, a sophomore from Orange County, Ca. at Hugs for Hannah, an event sponsored by the Society for Awakening Souls held on the lawn at the University of Virginia, Friday October 3, 2014. At right, Patrick Rice, a sophomore from Franklin Lakes, N.J. holds the Hugs for Hannah sign. Hannah Graham has been missing since the morning of September 13, 2014. (Photo by Norm Shafer/ For The Washington Post via Getty Images).
CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA- SEPTEMBER 19: At a Friday afternoon press conference Charlottesville (R) Police Chief Timothy Longo (that's Det. Sgt. Jim Mooney just left of him) was emotional as he pleaded with the public to think about anything they may have seen or remembered about events on the downtown mall last Friday at the time Hannah Graham disappeared. Graham went missing in downtown last Saturday morning. (Photo by Michael S. Williamson/The Washington Post via Getty Images)
CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA- SEPTEMBER 19: Investigators searched an apartment today as they followed up on a major lead they received in the case of missing UVA student Hannah Graham. They gathered after removing evidence from an apartment where a person of interest lived. Hannah Graham went missing in downtown last Saturday morning. (Photo by Michael S. Williamson/The Washington Post via Getty Images)
CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA- SEPTEMBER 19: Investigators searched an apartment today as they followed up on a major lead they received in the case of missing UVA student Hannah Graham. A forensics officer from the Charlottesville Police Department talked with a neighbor behind the apartment that was searched. Hannah Graham went missing in downtown last Saturday morning. (Photo by Michael S. Williamson/The Washington Post via Getty Images)
If you saw Jesse Matthew or his car last Saturday morning w/ #HannahGraham, call the police tip line at 434.295.3851. http://t.co/65WLdgILX5
A candlelight vigil attended by hundreds was held tonight at McIntyre Amphitheater (on the UVA campus). The vigil was to honor Hannah Graham who went missing in downtown last Saturday morning. Among those who came to show support was (R) Lily Davis, (a freshman age 18) from Berryville, Va.(Photo by Michael S. Williamson/The Washington Post via Getty Images)
A candlelight vigil attended by hundreds was held at McIntyre Amphitheater (on the UVA campus). The vigil was to honor Hannah Graham who went missing in downtown last Saturday morning. (Photo by Michael S. Williamson/The Washington Post via Getty Images)
Bernard Bowles works very close to the spot on the mall where Heather Graham was last seen. He often hangs out in the area through the night and was around the night of her disappearance but says the he did not see anything unusual that night. Photos depict the route (as captured by surveillance cameras) thought to be where the lasting sightings of Hannah Graham occurred. Images were made in the early a.m. hours after midnight to approximate the conditions under which she was last seen. She went missing in downtown last Saturday morning. (Photo by Michael S. Williamson/The Washington Post via Getty Images)
One of the cameras that captured Hannah Graham walking by on the mall. Photos depict the route (as captured by surveillance cameras) thought to be where the lasting sightings of Hannah Graham occurred. Images were made in the early a.m. hours after midnight to approximate the conditions under which she was last seen. She went missing in downtown last Saturday morning. (Photo by Michael S. Williamson/The Washington Post via Getty Images)
"Didn't you say Hannah Graham had never been present in Jesse Matthew's apartment?" Ramseur asked, reading from an affidavit he had submitted to the court.
"I don't know," Garner said. "I found that her scent was present."
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The pretrial hearing, in Albemarle Circuit Court, offered a rare window into forensic evidence linking Matthew to Graham. Matthew's trial is scheduled to begin July.
Graham disappeared in September 2014 and her remains were found about five weeks later. Surveillance video taken in Charlottesville's downtown mall showed Matthew and Graham walking together.
Matthew also has been indicted for the 2009 disappearance and murder of Virginia Tech student Morgan Harrington. He is serving three life sentences for a 2005 sexual assault in Fairfax, Virginia.
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Douglas Ramseur
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