Jesse Matthew Jr., the main suspect in the disappearance and slaying of University of Virginia student Hannah Graham, has been officially charged with first-degree murder, police announced

at a press conference Tuesday morning. Albemarle County Commonwealth’s Attorney Denise Lunsford said that on Feb. 2, Matthew, 33, was indicted for first-degree murder and for abduction with

the intent to defile occurring on or about Sept. 13, 2014. He was also indicted for two charges of reckless driving for incidents occurring on Sept. 20, 2014. “These indictments signal the

beginning of the next phase in what has been an incredibly difficult process for the family of Hannah Graham, for our community and for the men and women of the many departments and agencies

justice for these crimes that were committed against Hannah Graham, against her family and against our community.” Graham, an 18-year-old sophomore at UVA, vanished in the early hours of

Sept. 13, 2014, in Charlottesville, Virginia, after she was seen on surveillance videos wandering in a pedestrian mall near the university following a night out with friends. Police found

her remains on Oct. 18, 2014, on a vacant property in rural Albemarle County – five miles from where she had last been seen. On Sept. 24, 2014, police arrested Matthew, who had fled to

Galveston, Texas, and is believed to be the last person to have been seen with Graham. He was initially charged with abduction with intent to defile. Lunsford said that prosecutors did not

charge Matthew with capital murder, which would make him eligible for the death penalty. The abduction and first-degree murder charges are punishable by up to life in prison. “The decision

of how to charge in a specific case is very difficult, and often times there are many considerations that go into charging decisions,” she said. “I’m not going to discuss the specific facts

and circumstances that led to this consideration for ethical reasons. However, understand that a great deal of serious thought went into this determination, including the impact on the

community, the Grahams and the need to provide Mr. Matthew with a fair trial.” She also said she had “discussed this matter with the Grahams on many occasions. They are aware of the

indictments. I’m not going to comment further on my conversations with them.” A SEPARATE RAPE CHARGE AGAINST MATTHEWS Matthew is also facing charges in connection with a 2005 rape in

Fairfax, Virginia. On Oct. 20, 2014, two days after Graham’s body was found, a grand jury in Fairfax indicted Matthew on a charge of attempted capital murder and felony counts of abduction

with intent to defile and sexual penetration with an object in connection with the 2005 attack. A significant break in the murder of Morgan Harrington led to his indictment. On Sept. 29,

2014, Virginia State Police announced that they had forensic evidence linking Matthew to Harrington, 20, who was last seen at a concert on the University of Virginia campus in

Charlottesville on Oct. 17, 2009. Her remains were found three months later on a 700-acre farm about five miles from the location of Graham’s remains. In that case, the trial of Matthew, who

has been held in jail in Fairfax, is set to begin on March 9. Matthew pleaded not guilty on Nov. 14, 2014, to felony counts related to the 2005 attack. “The family of Morgan Harrington has

also been made aware of these indictments and again I will not comment on those conversations,” said Lunsford – who thanked what she calls “Team Hannah”: the Albemarle County Police, the

Charlottesville Police Department and the Virginia State Police. “These departments and individuals came together as Team Hannah, and they brought the same high quality and professionalism

to this investigation I’ve seen them display many, many times in the past,” she said. “The only difference between what they did in this case and what they did in any other case is the

amount of outside attention that has been focused on this matter. I am sincerely grateful for everyone on Team Hannah.”