Jesse Matthew Pleads Not Guilty to 2005 Fairfax Rape Charges

The man accused of abducting University of Virginia student Hannah Graham in September pleaded not guilty to three charges in an unrelated sexual assault case in Fairfax County Friday.

Jesse Matthew, 32, is charged with attempted capital murder, rape and sexual assault in connection with a 2005 attack of a 26-year-old Fairfax woman. He pleaded not guilty in court Friday morning during a less than 10 minute-long pretrial hearing to determine a trial date, which is set for March 9.

Authorities arrested Matthew in September and charged him for allegedly abducting 18-year-old Hannah Graham, whose remains were located near Charlottesville in October. Authorities linked DNA evidence from the case to the 2005 assault in Fairfax as well as the 2009 disappearance and death of 20-year-old Virginia Tech student Morgan Harrington.

Matthew was shuttled to the Fairfax jail prior to the hearing and will now be transferred back to Charlottesville for a preliminary hearing on Dec. 5 in connection with the Hannah Graham case.