FAIRFAX, Va. (AP) — DNA recovered from under the fingernail of a sexual-assault victim in 2005 matches that of the man accused of abducting University of Virginia student Hannah Graham, according to a forensic analysis.
The analysis was conducted late last month by the Virginia Department of Forensic Science, according to court records. It compared DNA samples taken from the victim of the September 2005 attack in Fairfax City with samples taken from Jesse L. Matthew Jr. after he was charged with abducting Graham. Graham’s remains were found in October after a monthlong search.
The report concludes that the odds of an unrelated person matching the DNA profile developed from under the victim’s fingernail are higher than 1 in 7.2 billion.
Authorities already had announced a forensic link between not only the 2005 attack and Graham’s abduction, but also the 2009 disappearance and death of Virginia Tech student Morgan Harrington.
But the documents filed in Fairfax provide details on how authorities obtained DNA in the 2005 assault.
Dawn Butorac, a Fairfax County public defender appointed to represent Matthew, did not immediately return a call seeking comment Thursday.
The court documents were first reported by The Washington Post.
Matthew, facing charges including attempted capital murder in the Fairfax case, is scheduled for another court appearance in Fairfax on Nov. 14.
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