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Jane Velez-Mitchell
Police Search for Man Seen with Hannah Graham; Was Missing UVA Student Abducted; Reporter Drops F-bomb and Quits on Air
Aired September 22, 2014 - 19:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: ... the handwriting comparison.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It was like a work of art. It started. It grew and then it came to a completion, and it was all there. There was nothing they
could dispute. I don`t care what defense they brought up. We defeated all of them.
JANE VELEZ-MITCHELL, HOST: Tonight, breaking news in the frantic, desperate search to find missing University of Virginia sophomore Hannah
Graham as police launch a manhunt for somebody who could be the key to the case.
Cops say this man you`re about to see, Jesse Matthew, was the last person with Hannah before she vanished into thin air. And cops had Matthew at the
police station over the weekend, but they let him waltz out the front door. And now he has vanished, as well. So I`m asking tonight, did cops blow it?
Good evening. I`m Jane Velez-Mitchell, coming to you live.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JOHN GRAHAM, HANNAH`S FATHER: This is every parent`s worst nightmare.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: University of Virginia sophomore Hannah Graham suddenly vanished.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Somebody knows where she is. Somebody`s got to know where she is.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Law enforcement says Matthew was seen on surveillance video, walking behind Hannah at the downtown mall.
GRAHAM: Hannah is also the oldest granddaughter both of my own parents and Sue`s parents. She`s actually my parents` only granddaughter.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: She`s gone and we all love her so much, and we just want to bring her back.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What happened to the 18-year-old University of Virginia sophomore?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Eighteen-year-old Graham last seen by her friends just before midnight nine days ago on Friday before last, leaving a party alone
on foot. Investigators are using this surveillance video from nearby Charlottesville businesses to piece together Hannah`s route before she
disappeared, and police say the video led them to question this man, seen here in the shorts, 32-year-old Jesse Matthew, on surveillance video.
Police say witnesses put the male hospital worker and Hannah at a restaurant together. And that is Hannah`s very last known location the
night she vanished. Cops believe Jesse Matthew and Hannah walked out together from that restaurant.
Cops have now searched Matthew`s car. They`ve searched his apartment. And he even walked right into the police station. Now, cops say he asked for a
lawyer, got one, stayed for an hour, said nothing to police, and then simply walked out of the police station, and soon he was speeding away,
losing the cops tailing him. Why did they let him speed away? Is there a reasonable explanation?
Cops have now put out a warrant for his arrest. Have you ever seen a wanted poster for reckless driving? I haven`t, but now I have. They want
him for reckless driving, they say. They really want to speak to him again.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CHIEF TIMOTHY LONGO, CHARLOTTESVILLE POLICE: Jesse Matthew was the last person she was seen with before she vanished off the face of the earth. I
believe Jesse Matthew was the last person she was seen with before she vanished off the face of the earth, because it`s been a week and we can`t
find her.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VELEZ-MITCHELL: The cops sound very frustrated. What do you think? Call me: 1-877-JVM-SAYS, 1-877-586-7297. And please join the conversation by
going to my Jane Velez-Mitchell Facebook page. You can also talk to me on Twitter, @JVM. That`s my handle.
Our expert Lion`s Den panel standing by, ready to debate. But first, straight out CNN correspondent Athena Jones, on the ground in
Charlottesville near the very restaurant where Hannah was last seen. Athena, spell out how on earth did cops lose this guy and why could he be
the very key to this case?
ATHENA JONES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Jane. Well, the police say they want to speak to Jesse Matthew, as you mentioned. They believe he was the last
person seen with Hannah Graham in the early hours of Saturday, September 13 right here on this pedestrian mall just over my shoulder, down the block
here. You can see the restaurant where police say that Hannah Graham was last seen with Jesse Matthew.
So what they`ve done today, quite a few things. They`ve conducted a second search on Jesse Matthew`s home. They already searched his home and his
apartment. Just his apartment and his home on Friday. They went back to his apartment today. Police Chief Timothy Longo told us that today`s
warrant was very clothing identified during the course of the investigation. Unclear at this point whether they found what they were
looking for.
Another thing police said today. They released a photo of Jesse Matthew and, of course, they released that wanted poster, that very unusual wanted
poster you mentioned for reckless driving. Those reckless driving charges comes out of that Saturday appearance where Jesse Matthew voluntarily
walked into the police station on Saturday, asked for a lawyer, spoke to a lawyer for about an hour, and then left.
Sometime later, in a neighboring, in another area, police who were surveilling Jesse Matthew overtly -- they were following him, monitoring
where he was going -- they saw him leave the scene in a car driving at such dangerous speeds in such a dangerous way that they have now put out two
warrants for his arrest for reckless driving. And so that`s how this is connected to this case. But we know it`s not about reckless driving. It`s
about talking to him about what he knows about the night Graham disappeared.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: They lost him. That`s the bottom line. They were trailing him, and they lost him. Just like in the movies, when cops are
trailing somebody and they start making left turns and right turns and driving very fast, and they lose the police. That`s precisely what
happened.
And as you mentioned, Athena, this wanted poster, I don`t know if you can see, but it says reckless driving. Wanted for reckless driving. Of
course, nobody issues, really, a wanted poster for reckless driving, Wendy Murphy, former prosecutor. And even in the fine print, it says reward,
$50,000 for information leading to the safe return of Hannah Green [SIC]. We`d like to speak to Matthew regarding the disappearance of Hannah Graham.
WENDY MURPHY, FORMER PROSECUTOR: Yes. So, you know, what we`re seeing is cops using a kind of Al Capone or whatever that was trick that, if you
can`t get them on the real crime, get them on something else, at least so that you can bring them in and, you know, put the heat up a little bit.
So a couple of things. Looking for him for reckless driving, obviously that`s not the point, but if they get ahold of him, they clearly believe
that they have not only things to ask him, but some evidence that has been mounting against him.
And I don`t understand why they left him go. Under the Constitution, they could have kept him for 72 hours. And they`re specifically allowed to keep
him that long if he comes in on the weekend, and he walked in on a Saturday, so they had extra authority to keep him longer. But he left on
Saturday. What did they do that for? Just keep the guy. You can`t get in trouble if you keep him from Saturday through Sunday and let him go Monday.
Who knows...
VELEZ-MITCHELL: I don`t get it.
MURPHY: ... what they`d figured out from the evidence before Monday.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: I don`t get it. Marc Klaas, president and founder, Klaas Kids Foundation, you have personal tragic experience with losing a
daughter. If there was -- and I`m not saying this man is a suspect. Maybe he had absolutely nothing to do with it. I hope he didn`t. He`s a nursing
assistant at a local hospital. He has no criminal record except for speeding and traffic infractions. But if he was the last person seen with
Hannah, and if cops believe he left the restaurant and she`s now missing. And he walks into a police station, and they had 72 hours to hold him, why
not hold him when it`s a race against time in an effort to find somebody, hopefully alive?
MARC KLAAS, FOUNDER, KLAAS KIDS FOUNDATION: Jane, I agree with absolutely everything that you and Wendy have said, but it`s even worse than that,
because there are other unsolved missing women cases in that very community, and this guy is the very first connection they`ve ever had to
any of these missing women.
And the idea that they knew on Thursday they were able to search his car, that gave them probable cause to search his home. He came in on Saturday.
They should have had that individual under 24/7 surveillance from the moment they suspected him, and they let him slip through their fingers.
It`s unbelievable.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Imagine what Hannah`s family is going through right now, not knowing where their precious daughter is, missing, and they fear foul
play, obviously. It points to foul play. And then the last person seen with her walks into a police station, and basically, cops let him slip
away.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GRAHAM: Somebody knows what happened to Hannah. This is every parent`s worst nightmare.
Hannah is a second-year student at the University of Virginia. A skier, a musician, softball player. She likes to help people, but Hannah is also
our little girl. She`s our only daughter, and she`s James` little sister. She`s also -- Hannah is also the oldest granddaughter both of my own
parents and of Sue`s parents. What we want to do now is to bring Hannah home safely. And I appeal to anybody who knows anything to please, please
help us.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Hannah parents are stoic, but you can see that they`re completely shattered and devastated. They were holding her little stuffed
bunny rabbit that she has had as a -- as a toy, as a token for her whole life. This mother can barely stand up.
Imagine, Mo Ivory, attorney, radio personality, how frustrated they must be to know that cops essentially allowed a key witness to walk out of the
police station. I know everybody is saying constitutionally, he doesn`t have to speak, but if you can hold somebody for 72 hours, if Wendy`s right
-- and she`s a former prosecutor -- why not hold him?
MO IVORY, ATTORNEY/RADIO PERSONALITY: Yes, I`m not really sure what happened, Jane, but I have to believe that there was some -- he walked
right into the police station and immediately asked for an attorney. So this is a young man who understands his rights. And so there had to have
been some interaction between the attorney and the police officers that allowed him to then walk out of the police station.
I can only imagine that he was very frustrated from whatever the conversation was, because he then sped off in a fashion that would not have
been normal if the interaction in the police station had not been, let`s say, sort of hostile.
If you put it together with the police chief, who was absolutely outraged and I think believes, but doesn`t want to use the word "suspect," that he
has the guy that he believes is the key to the case. But I have to believe that the police officer, as an uproar that he was, would not have just let
him walk out if there had not been something that went on between him and the attorney that led them to allowing him to walk out.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Let me clarify this. Wendy Murphy, former prosecutor, all day I`ve been listening to great legal minds, OK, talk about how
constitutionally, they could not keep him, that you know, you cannot force somebody to talk. They have a right to remain silent. We`ve already --
we`ve always heard that, but a couple of things.
One, you`re saying that they could have hold -- they could have held him for up to 72 hours without charging him. And B, hypothetically -- and I`m
not accusing him of anything -- but hypothetically, what about other possible charges? Obstruction of justice, hindering an investigation? You
know, isn`t there a way to creatively hold somebody? When you think a young woman might be alive somewhere and this is your best chance,
hypothetically, possibly, of finding her.
MURPHY: Look, there is no doubt in my mind that, when cops want to hold you for 72 hours, they can and they do. So it really doesn`t matter what
the technical rules are. And if somebody wants to say, "Well, the lawyer called and said, let him go," the cops could have said, "No way. We have
72 hours, because he walked in. We can hold him and decide whether to charge on Monday, and because it`s not yet Monday, we don`t care." They
could have said to the lawyer, "We don`t care. Let him sit in -- sit in the cell, take the fifth, and do nothing. We`re keeping him until Monday."
And guess what? If the evidence, it developed from the search warrants that they conducted on Sunday, then they arrest him.
IVORY: Right. But because it is so easy to have done that, it seems like there has to be something in play that we don`t know about, because I agree
with you. It is so easy to do that. The cops do have that mechanism. So the fact that they did not do that leads me to believe there was something
else that was going on in that conversation between the, you know, almost suspect, the attorney, and the police.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: I`ll tell you what the police said. They said that they knew no more about what this man did or did not do, her -- his interaction
with Hannah when he walked in as when he walked out, in other words, that he gave them no information.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Right.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: He`s not considered a suspect. I`m not trying to -- he`s invited on any time. If you`re sitting in a motel room somewhere, call us.
We`d love to hear your side of the story. It`s possible maybe he panicked. Maybe he thought, "Oh, I`m going to be -- they`re going to put this one on
me."
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Right.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: ... with this young woman. And we`ve done so many stories of racial profiling. He`s been stopped numerous times. He has no criminal
record, but he has something like 22 traffic infractions, tickets and things like that. Maybe he`s like, "Oh, my God, they`re going to pin it on
me," and he`s panicked.
Well, if so, let me tell you, sir, the best thing you can do is step forward.
But the question, the point is why let this man out a second sooner than you have to, given that there is a young woman out there who might be
alive? Let`s not presume the worst. Look what happened with the Ariel Castro case. Look what`s happened with so many cases where we thought
people were abducted were dead, and they turn up alive.
All right. We`re just getting started.
On the other side of the break, we`re going to talk to two parents whose daughter, Morgan Harrington, disappeared from the same town in 2009. She
turned up dead. Her killer still loose. And we`re going to ask them do they think a serial killer is on the loose?
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GRAHAM: This is every parent`s worst nightmare. I`m certain that everybody in this room and those watching knows that what happened to
Hannah could happen to their child.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I would want people out looking for one of my girls if this was -- if this was my daughter.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VELEZ-MITCHELL: All right. And now, again, authorities looking for Jesse Matthew Jr. And they`ve put up this wanted poster. And they say,
essentially he`s wanted for reckless driving, two counts. That`s because he sped away from them, allegedly, while they were tailing him after he
walked out of the police station. He went in voluntarily. And then he asked for a lawyer, and he got a lawyer. He spoke to the lawyer for about
an hour, and then walked out. And cops said, "Well, we`re going to follow him." He was the last person to see Hannah Graham before she vanished, so
why is he running?
Now let`s go to Facebook for a second. Lauren says, "Cops had him. What were they thinking?" Also Facebook, Christy (ph) says, "If he has nothing
to do with it, then he shouldn`t be hiding out, right?" Cindy says, "Innocent people don`t run." But Facebook Jack says, "They let him go
because they have nothing on him. He doesn`t have to answer anything they ask him until they have evidence against him. He is a free man." So
opinions all over the place.
I want to go to Courtney Stewart, editor, "C`ville Weekly" our of Charlottesville, Virginia. Now you have obtained a photo of this same man,
the last person to see Heather [SIC] Graham before she vanished. From back in 2007, we`re going to show the photo right now. Explain the context of
this photo.
COURTNEY STEWART, EDITOR, "C`VILLE WEEKLY" (via phone): That was a photo taken at another newspaper called "The Hoof" (ph) back in 2007. It was a
simple man-on-the-street interview. And he talked about his vehicle, which at the time was a Yellow Cab. He was a cab driver that year. I`ve spoken
with the owner of Yellow Cab, who said he hasn`t worked for that company any time since the current owner purchased it in 2012, but we do know that
he has been a cab driver at certain points in the past.
As of this morning, he was still employed, of course, at the UVA Medical Center as a patient technician in the operating room, so that is his
current position.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: And my understanding is that he`s very well-known in the community. Again, he has no criminal record. He does have speeding and
failure to put on a seat belt and things of that nature, very, very minor infractions. But as far as you can tell, he`s been an upstanding member of
the community, Courtney?
STEWART: Yes, as far as I can tell. Some of the things I`m seeing on social media and I`m hearing is they can`t imagine him doing anything.
I`ve heard a number of people saying things like that. I know he was a football player. Played, I believe, in high school locally and then -- and
then also for a semi-professional team here. So he`s an athlete and a football lover and somebody who`s just been a regular figure around
downtown. A lot of people recognize him just from seeing him around.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: All right. Well, again, police are looking for him, and we urge him, if you happen to be watching, step forward. If you have
nothing to hide, then you have nothing to hide. Come in and talk to police. That`s the best thing you can do.
Is there -- this is a related question -- is there a serial rapist on the loose in Charlottesville? Police say two sexual assaults were reported on
the very same weekend and in the very same neighborhood as Hannah`s disappearance. A female University of Virginia student reported being
sexually assaulted in the early morning hours of September 14. That`s just the day after Hannah vanished, in the same area.
The next day, cops got another report of sexual assault. The alleged victim was a female, not a student. The police chief got somewhat testy
when a reporter pressed him about these two sexual assaults.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
LONGO: Every morning at between 5:57, 6:00, 6:02, the media gets a report that looks like this. There`s an incident roll on that report. Let me
make something clear, and I do so respectfully. We can have this conversation at another press conference. This conversation is about
Hannah Graham. That`s what this is about.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VELEZ-MITCHELL: So I`ve got to go back to Courtney Stewart, editor "C`ville." You`re there in Charlottesville. I`ve been covering this now
since this poor young lady disappeared. This is the first time I`m hearing about rapes in the same area, the same neighborhood, within a day or two of
her disappearance. I understand the chief says it`s not connected, but what`s the reaction of the community? I mean, shouldn`t the alarm bells be
going off everywhere? Women, watch out: There`s a serial rapist possibly in the area?
STEWART: Well, absolutely, alarm bells are going off, and absolutely, there`s concern. And on my part as a reporter, real frustration that more
information hasn`t come out sooner. Because it`s understandable that people are concerned about this and wondering if these things are all
connected.
Police have told me no, they are certain that they`re not. I`ve been working on this today, and feel like I`m getting a little more information,
in that they may -- you know, they have questions in one case about even whether an assault occurred, and then in the other, I think they have a
different description of an assailant, although I`m still working on that.
But yes, I think there needs to be more information. It`s understandable people are concerned, and I am troubled that it`s taken so long to try to
get that information.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Yes, I mean, look, I understand they issue a little piece of paper every day, but given the circumstance of this case, you would they
would be shouting it from the rooftops: "Women from this area, especially co-eds, watch out because XYZ. There have been two reported rapes, alleged
rapes in the area within 36 hours or 48 hours of this young woman being abducted."
STEWART: Yes.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Let`s go to the phone lines, quickly. Katherine, Virginia. What do you have to say, Katherine? Katherine?
CALLER: Hi, how are you?
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Fine, thank you. What do you have to say?
CALLER: I wanted to say that he is making himself look real guilty. Anytime in the video if you look, you see his body language. He`s not calm
at all. He`s walking as if he`s looking for something or looking for trouble. You know, he just looks nervous in the video.
And then why is he running from the cops? Guilty does not run. Now maybe he`s scared, but he does have something to do with it. And I don`t even
know if we can link the other missing girls to this one, because how old was he in 2009? And how old was...
VELEZ-MITCHELL: That`s an excellent point. That`s an excellent point. He`s 32 now.
And again, cops are not calling him a suspect in Hannah Graham`s disappearance. They want to talk to him, because they believe he was the
last person seen with her at a bar/restaurant before leaving. Where did they go? Was she texted? Was she texted -- was she with him when she said,
"I`m lost. I`m trying to get to a party, but I`m lost"? Was she with him or was she alone? Unanswered questions.
Stay right there. We have a lot more on the other side.
And again, we`re going to talk, up next, to the parents of Morgan Harrington, who disappeared from the same area in 2009, who was murdered
and whose killer has never been found.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GRAHAM: Hannah is also our little girl. She`s our only daughter and she`s James` little sister. She`s also -- Hannah is also the older granddaughter
both of my own parents and Sue`s parents. And she`s actually my parents` only granddaughter. And she`s enormously precious to us all.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
LONGO: I believe Jesse Matthew was the last person she was seen with before she vanished off the face of the earth, because it`s been a week and
we can`t find her.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Well, frustrated cops have put out this wanted poster for 32-year-old Jesse Matthew. Now, he walked into the police station over the
weekend and then asked for a lawyer, talked to him for about an hour, and then walked out. And then after that, somewhere after he left when he was
being tailed by cops, cops say he sped away and they lost him.
And now they have this wanted poster, but they`re seeking him for reckless driving two counts. They`re not calling him a suspect in the disappearance
of Hannah Graham even though they believe he was the last person she was with before she vanished.
I want to go to Ramani Durvasula, clinical psychologist -- thank you for your patience. There`s been a lot of breaking news in this story. I don`t
think that just because you speed away necessarily that means you did anything wrong.
RAMANI DURVASULA, CLINICAL PSYCHOLOGIST: No, not necessarily. He may be very scared. The fact is he was the last person to see her that we know
about, and now they want to talk to him. So yes, he may very well be scared but it`s definitely not helping his case.
This is not a great stance for him to take. Remember Jane, this case has so much been about frustration and fear. There`s a lot of fear in that
community and everyone`s frustrated. There`s not enough information. The cops are frustrated. And now it feels like maybe law enforcement dropped
the ball. Nobody knows.
So all of this -- his behavior is leaving so many more questions than answers and again really amping up the fear level --
VELEZ-MITCHELL: yes.
DURVASULA: But again, just fleeing the scene or fleeing away doesn`t mean you necessarily did something.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: And as I was studying his record -- because that`s the first thing we do is we pull what`s called an (inaudible) on people -- he
has no criminal history. What he does have is a lot of speeding -- speeding and traffic infractions. So maybe that`s his first response.
Something is wrong I`m going to speed away.
DURVASULA: Right.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Now, let me give you this man, Jesse Matthew 32 years old, nursing assistant at a local hospital -- his description, ok.
We have his description: 6`2", 270 pounds, dread locks. That`s clear. The night Hannah disappeared this guy was wearing light colored shorts. But
get this cops were originally looking for a man with a totally different description, ok? A witness saw this other suspect who also happens to be
an African-American male, but that`s where the resemblance ends -- this man, much heavier, 250 to 285, a shaved head, a goatee, and a beer belly,
ok, and wearing black jeans, not shorts.
So I want to go back to Marc Klaas, president and founder of KlaasKids. Those are two totally different descriptions. This guy clearly wearing
shorts and in fact people, who know him, say0 he always wears those shorts. But the other witness who happened to be a white male who was following
Hannah, claiming that he was following her because she appeared distressed. She was -- and I say this not to embarrass anybody but because this is part
of the facts of the case -- intoxicated that night. So he pointed out somebody with a totally different description. I mean could they be
looking for the wrong person?
KLAAS: No, I don`t think so. I mean we live in a surveillance society -- Jane. And the surveillance is very clear. This guy Jesse Matthew was the
last person with her before she disappeared. They have strong evidence to believe that she got into his car and left with him.
Now, the good news is that it is a surveillance society so they can check other cameras out and about the city to see if he drove by. They can also
subpoena cell phone information, records so they can see, number one, if the two phones were together, if they were pinging off of the same cell
towers and if they were headed in the same direction or whatever direction they may have been headed in and that should give the authorities potential
new search sites.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Well, they have searched the car. They have searched his apartment. They`re waiting for the forensics to come back. In other words
-- hair, DNA, God forbid blood -- anything that might indicate this missing woman being either in his car or in his apartment. We don`t have the
answer to that. We do not have the answer to that whatsoever at this point.
All right, on the other side of the break -- Dan and Gil Harrington, two of my heroes, parents of Morgan Harrington who disappeared in this same town
in very similar circumstances after hanging out with friends and then going off alone, a night of partying. That was back in 2009. Her remains found,
the killer never found.
We`re going to talk to them about whether they think these cases are connected, next.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Did you see Hannah? Did anybody see Hannah? Did you see Hannah? Did you see Hannah? Who saw Hannah? Somebody did. Please,
please, please, please, if you have anything -- however insignificant you think it may be -- call the police tip line with anything that just might
help us to bring Hannah home.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
LONGO: Somebody`s got to know where she was.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Law enforcement says Matthew was scene on surveillance video walking behind Hannah at the downtown mall.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Hannah is also the oldest granddaughter of both my own parents and Sue`s parents. She`s actually my parents` only granddaughter.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: She`s gone and we all love her so much. And we just want to bring her back.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: What happened to the 18-year-old University of Virginia sophomore?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Where is Hannah Graham? Authorities tonight hunting for Jesse Matthew, a 32-year-old nursing assistant, the last person believed to
have been with Hannah before she vanished. And they say he`s not a suspect in the case, but they want to talk to him about their interactions on that
fateful night.
Now since 2009, at least five other women have vanished in the same corridor of Virginia as Hannah Graham. These young women range in age from
17 to 23. They disappeared -- each of them -- in late summer, early fall. You know, it looks like a pattern to a lot of people.
The only one of these cases that`s been solved is that of Alexis Murphy, whose killer is now serving two life sentences. Police still don`t know
who abducted and murdered 20-year-old Morgan Harrington. She vanished after going to a Metallica concert on the University of Virginia campus,
Hannah`s school. Morgan`s body found months later. And cops released a sketch of the subject linked by DNA to both Morgan`s case and an unsolved
sexual assault back in 2005.
Morgan`s parents join me now on the phone. And I always want to say, Dan and Gil Harrington, you`re my heroes for how you handled the
unimaginable, turning the worst news a parent can ever get into a force for good just like Marc Klaas has. And my heart always goes out to you. I
just admire your bravery so much.
Do you think that these cases, the murder of your daughter, which tragically remains unsolved and the disappearance of Hannah Graham in the
same area might be connected?
GIL HARRINGTON, MOTHER OF MORGAN HARRINGTON (via telephone): Jane, you know, if you look at the map and place the many missing or murdered young
women in our area, it is a startling graphic. I mean it`s a scatter pattern of loss. And either it`s a cluster phenomena or to me -- to my
eyes it`s not unlikely that some of it, at least, is attributable to one top tier predator.
I also think that we can unravel that after we find Hannah. Hannah is paramount right now. Her case is acute. We have a chance of pulling
her back in. And you know, I know where Morgan Harrington is. She`s in a box in our living room. I don`t know where Hannah Graham is. And I want
to do everything we can, move heaven and earth, to bring her back to her family.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Can you give us -- are there any words to give us a sense of what these parents are going through? The torture, the hell, words
don`t really do justice to the -- just to the horror of the situation that they`re experiencing right now.
G. HARRINGTON: Jane, you feel like your skin has been flayed off of you. It is anguish. Then you think, how can I succumb to this pain because what
is my daughter experiencing right now. You know, you try and ride the pendulum between hope and despair and it cycles so quickly that it is
overwhelming.
DAN HARRRINGTON, FATHER OF MORGAN HARRINGTON (via telephone): And Jane, for our situation, the 101 days that Morgan was missing was just
unimaginable pain and really far worse than us knowing that Morgan was gone.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: I know. The not knowing must be just surreally -- a surreal horror, that`s all I can even try to describe it as because words
really do not do justice to the situation. And again, my heart goes out to you and to Marc Klaas. I don`t think it ever goes away.
And I want to bring -- I want to bring Marc back into this conversation. I mean is there anything we can say to these poor parents that they`re going
through this right now?
KLAAS: Well, first of all, I would like to say hello to my friends the Harringtons. I think they`re marvelous people and I endorse everything
that you say about them. All we can do to this family now is understand that they`re going through what Gil said that they were going through.
They`re being dominated by fear. There`s probably a lot of anger. They may even feel at this point that they`ve been betrayed by local authorities
given the fact that this guy Matthew is missing.
We have to support their effort. We have to encourage them to stay in front of the media if they can. And we have to do whatever is necessary to
get behind them to ensure that the goal of bringing their daughter home is finally achieved.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: And Mo Ivory, I want to bring you in. They`re doing forensic testing right now as we speak on Jesse Matthew`s car and his
apartment looking hair, fiber, DNA, God forbid blood -- any of those things. What if they don`t find any of that? I mean what is next? That`s
what I`m asking.
IVORY: Yes. Well, what is next is a continued investigation if they don`t find anything. Listen, right now everybody is saying that he was the last
person that she was with before she just disappeared.
That might not necessarily be true. That`s what they have on video surveillance, but something else could have taken place after they left,
after they separated. This is just what they have right now, so I don`t know what the forensics will say when it comes back. We`ll have to wait to
see.
But if they have nothing, they are not going to be able to continue to hold him past what is the time, the 72 hours, if that is the law in Virginia,
past that time period and then a continued investigation will go on.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Well, first they have to find him. And if you`re watching, please contact us. We want to hear your side of the story. We
also would like to see you go back to the police station and tell whatever it is you know. There are parents going through hell right now and they
need information.
A TV news anchor tells everyone to -- well, it`s so crazy, we`re going to let you hear it for yourself on the other side. It`s just wild.
Stay right there.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CHARLO GREENE, KVTA TV REPORTER: So everything you`ve heard is why I`m the actual owner of the Alaska Cannabis Club. I`ll be dedicating all of my
energy toward fighting for freedom and fairness which begins with legalizing marijuana here in Alaska. And as for this job, well, not that I
have a choice, but (EXPLETIVE DELETED) -- I quit.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: All right. We apologize for that. We`ll be right back.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VELEZ-MITCHELL: What do I do now? Oh, my gosh. It`s fun to watch. A reporter`s shockingly unexpected outburst, she dropped the "f" bomb and
quit live on the air, revealing herself as the owner of the Alaska Cannabis Club, all on live TV.
KTVA`s Charlo Greene quit live on the air to fight for marijuana legalization, right after reporting on legalizing marijuana in her state.
The stunt shocked the anchor. You saw her, she was like, we`ll be right back. It instantly went viral. You won`t believe it. Check it out from
KTVA.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GREENE: So everything you`ve heard is why I`m the actual owner of the Alaska Cannabis Club. I`ll be dedicating all of my energy toward fighting
for freedom and fairness which begins with legalizing marijuana here in Alaska. And as for this job, well, not that I have a choice but (EXPLETIVE
DELETED), I quit.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: All right. We apologize for that. We`ll be right back.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VELEZ-MITCHELL: I love it. Uh, uh -- oh, wait.
Holland Reid -- let me ask you a question.
HOLLAND REID: Yes?
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Could this reporter have been stoned when she decided to do this?
REID: You know what, absolutely not because if she was stoned she might have been a little bit more calm and happy about it, but she clearly was
upset. When you`ve had enough, you`ve had enough. Maybe she had a bad supply that day, but it was priceless indeed.
IVORY: Yes.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Oh, my gosh. I loved it because I think news people in general, because everybody in the world`s had that take this job and shove
it --
IVORY: Jane, Jane, it was -- listen, it was very unprofessional. Let`s just put that on the table. That was very unprofessional. It was very
funny but I promise you that she will be the star of a reality show very soon. She will profit greatly from that outburst. And already, she`s
raised about $4,000 on her fund-raising Web site. So, I mean I think that this is going to be a big turn of events for her career.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Well, you know, just as you said, she had barely, like, veered out of the news station parking lot before she posted a brand new
Indygogo video called "Why I quit". Check it out.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GREENE: Advocating for freedom and fairness should be everyone`s duty. I`m making it my life work. Just share your own "my marijuana" story.
Show them that we smokers are responsible, contributing members to society. Changing one heart and mind at a time is the only way to legalize marijuana
and bask in Lady Liberty`s glory.
My reporting name is Charlo Greene. My real name is Charlene Egby. I`m the president and CEO of the Alaska Cannabis Club.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
IVORY: Oh my gosh. Who doesn`t want a pretty girl who also smokes weed? And fights for everybody`s right to?
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Wendy Murphy, you can say what you want about this woman, she`s got ovaries if you know what I mean. She`s got the ovaries to pull
this off.
MURPHY: She does.
Well, there`s that angle, and I do love that she`s radical like that, but how not to prove that you are -- what did she call herself -- an upstanding
member of society? How not to prove it? I mean -- the thing is, the thing is, I like people who dare to do things. And she`s trying to make this
into a PR stunt then she`ll grow her business, she`ll make millions.
IVORY: Absolutely.
MURPHY: She`s smart. Look, I could say, I`d like people to pay more attention to sexual assault, so let me just give you a little look-see.
You know what I mean, Jane? That doesn`t help anybody. It`s a little crazy. Maybe people pay attention. Does it really advance her claim that
she`s an upstanding member of society who just wants to run a good business? I don`t think so.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Well, look, if she had an epic signoff, certainly as a journalist in all seriousness, I think, you know, it doesn`t make us look
good. I would never do it because I love my job.
But, there have been other epic quits. I was Googling epic quits. And you wouldn`t believe. There was one girl who shot a video of herself dancing
around the office to Kanye`s song "Gone". You`ve got to check this clip out.
(MUSIC)
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Holland Reid, these people are living out the fantasy of sort of defying authority.
REID: Absolutely.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Giving the big you-know-what bird. And we all love it. And believe it or not, if you want to amuse yourself tonight, just go
online and Google "quitting videos". I had no idea there were thousands of them.
REID: Thousands. If you`re going to go out like the way that they`re going out, go big and go home. Be bold about it.
IVORY: Absolutely.
REID: If that`s what they were trying to accomplish, they mastered it and we are all watching and talking about it. So kudos to them.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: And maybe I should just talk from now on off camera like this because remember how she did that on her video? She`d talk a little
bit to the camera then she`d say, well, actually, I`m da, da, da, da, da. I tough well, either that`s a decision she made when she was really stoned
out of her mind.
IVORY: No, I don`t think she was.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Or maybe she`s brilliant.
IVORY: No, she`s brilliant. She is brilliant. She will get paid for being brilliant.
REID: She will make it big. Absolutely. She will make it big.
IVORY: I promise she`ll have a reality show in 72 hours.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: I`ve got to say that I`m going to go home tonight and watch a lot of quitting videos because it was just so much fun, I laughed.
I haven`t laughed that much -- the creativity that goes into it.
And by the way, Nancy`s next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
END
