William Beebe was sentenced to 18 months in prison today for the 1984 sexual assault of Liz Seccuro, the Daily Progress reports. Beebe confessed to the crime in a letter to Seccuro in January of last year, as a part of a twelve-step program, only to claim that he didn’t do it when he was subsequently arrested. Changing his mind again, Beebe pleaded guilty in November, which is what led to today’s sentencing.
News and meta-news about Charlottesville, VA, since 2001.
Sideblog
Police announced this afternoon that their investigation into what was initially believed to be a fatal fire on Rugby Avenue is now a homicide investigation. #
The Virginia Supreme Court has denied George Huguely’s appeal. His second-degree murder conviction will stand, WRIC reports. #
In a carefully worded story, and not citing specific sources, WTVR reports that forensic evidence belonging to Jesse Matthew Jr., the main suspect in the disappearance of Hannah Graham, matches forensic evidence collected during the investigation of Morgan Harrington’s 2009 murder. #
In the wake of Hannah Graham’s disappearance, and the evidence that came from private security footage, city officials are revisiting the question of installing security cameras on the downtown mall. #
Both Charlottesville Registrar Sheri Iachetta and former Electoral Board member Stephanie Commander have turned themselves in to the police on
foursix and four felony counts of embezzlement, respectively. #Ten years ago, the National Institutes of Health budget doubled and schools like the University of Virginia built massive new research facilities. A decade later, those buildings remain largely underutilized. NPR visits UVA in this story on the effect of federal binge and spurge spending in the sciences. #
In 2012, Council approved a new student housing complex on West Main—now some council members are questioning whether what they were shown matches what was built. #
The Architectural Review Board has approved a bike-themed mural on West Market, below the McGuffey Art Center, although at least one member expressed concerns that it might look like the bicyclists were riding away from Charlottesville’s downtown. #
City Police Chief Tim Longo is meeting with city leaders to work on protocols regarding the use of military surplus police weapons in Charlottesville. #
A 100-year-old Colonnades resident received military honors for her service in the WWII Women’s Army Corps #
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I’ll be very interested to see if anything comes from the whole gang-rape development; as I understand it, part of the deal with Beebe is that he would cooperate in the investigation into who else may have participated in her assault. I would imagine that means he’s providing names of other men who were at the house/party that night. I can’t imagine that any of those men will be all that thrilled to learn that a 20 -year-old assault is coming back to haunt them…Beebe may have been willing to admit his crime and pay the piper, but my guess is that any others have a more cavalier (pun acknowledged but not intended) view of what they did.
Could any other parties be convicted without sending a confession letter to the victim as Beebe did?
If Beebe testifies against them. I expect that’s part of his plea agreement.