Nathan Antonio Washington was arrested on the basis of DNA evidence, commonwealth’s attorney Jim Camblos told the Daily Progress today. Given that his DNA is a match to two attacks, and those two attacks were a DNA match to the rest of the rapes, it’s now quite clear why Washington was arrested earlier this week and what cause there is to suspect him to be the serial rapist. Law enforcement officials had previously declined to explain how they came to decide upon arresting Washington. He waived his first scheduled court appearance today, a bond hearing, but he’s due back in court next week.
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 am wholly bemused by the silence under this posting. Having vented on rampant assumptions, posters seem mute upon receiving a bit more information.
I’d respond, but Waldo doesn’t like what I have to say so I’m censured.
I’m more than happy that they do have DNA evidence. The only way they could make the case was with it. Be interesting to know how they got that DNA before they arrested him or did they have probable cause to pick him up-like victim ID- and then did the DNA test. In any case, he’s locked up and off the streets.
I do still feel very bad for his family.
Yeah, that was pretty rough when I asked you to “try to be nicer” and pointed out that “there’s no need for you to opt out of the conversation” after you started acting like an asshat. You’ll get over it, with time and healing.
This was already discussed in the last entry. He could have thrown away some gum, plastic utensils or a soda can. If they were watching him, they could have retrieved the item and gotten a DNA sample from the saliva.
Where did anyone get the idea that this whole thing came about because of a survivor ID when he was linked to two different cases? You could have read between the lines from the start and known that some substantial evidence was involved.
Don’t worry, Way2Go. I bet Waldo wanted censure President Clinton as well.
D’oh! Don’t get me in more trouble F-staff.
I’m no longer in the C’Ville area but I do hope for all my friends that are still there that they have the right guy.
I am concerned for his family though and I truely hope his children do not pay for the crimes he has committed. I am a child of a felon. I did nothing, I was a child but I was so tormented in school that my life was miserable. His children are old enough to be in school and to understand what he is accused of. With school starting soon, they have to be so scared of what the other children will say about them. Nothing that their father has done should reflect on them and I hope that the residents in the area agree. Yes, they will stand by their father because they are children and they love their parents. But please do not make these children pay for their fathers sins.
Personally I am not concerned about his kids; not my problem and I doubt anyone will even remember this story in a few years. I am more concerned about the emotional well being of the innocent victims (and victim’s families) that were viciously and brutally attacked, as well as the fact that Charlottesville is a safer place to live now and that a dangerous predator is off the street.
Is there anything that will make liberals happy? It’s either the police are not doing their job in catching him fast enough…or lets not be too hard on him because he has a family. You should be thanking the police departments for catching this predatory and be happy that a rapist has been taken off the street.
Kudos to the Charlottesville Police Department and Chief Longo. Nice police work!
Well I’m not a jury of his peers, but from the available information it sounds like they caught the right guy, for which I’m extraordinarily glad. As far as I’m concerned, the entire community can breath a huge sigh of relief now that this guy’s off the streets.
That said, the media have been shamelessly irresponsible in giving out this guy’s address, publishing interviews with his wife, etc. Nathan Washington (presumably) is the guilty party, not his family, and then deserve to be left alone. Sure, I guess his wife had the choice to decline to be interviewed (I haven’t read it), but his kids are too young to fully understand what’s happening but old enough to be hurt by it.
Its the direct result of us now having competing news media. What use to be only NBC29 and WINA, has turned into NBC29 and WINA, ABC, CBS, Fox , Cville Weekly, and The Hook. Not a bad thing, but everyone is scrambling for a piece of a very small news pie.
How did they catch this guy? By DNA, yeah but how did they know? Did they ask the victims to search driver’s licence photos? Maybe. we’ll never know; it doesn’t matter.
http://226by357.blogspot.com/
Cville Steve, you sounds very angry andnothing that I said should have caused that. I am very happy that they caught this guy. I am not hearing the news there but it sounds like they have the right guy. I understand that these women were victims and their life was torn into pieces and it had nothing to do with them. I have also been there and I have also because a rape crisis counselor. I do not have any feelings that they should do nothing less than throw the book at this guy.
All I am saying is the children did not do this and don’t make them pay. I care about all the inisent victims involved and his children would fall under that catagory. His wife is old enough to make her own mind up. She chose to do interviews and now she has allowed herself to be in the spotlight. The children on the other hand did not. JMO
Steve, I don’t think anyone on this board said that Mr. Washington, if convicted, should not have full punishment because he has a family. The two points that have been made are:
1. the media has exposed his family by revealing his address.
2. young children are adversely affected both emotionally and psychologically by having a parent arrested, especially if they are there to see it or are subjected to ridicule.
Also, liberal or conservative, no one on this board has suggested a political reason for critiquing the police or, or made suggestions about his possible sentence after conviction.
I make the comment about children because I work with young children who have parents in prison. Watching a parent be arrested (on top of losing him to jail/prison and the stress put on the family by legal trouble), is a very common cause for PTSD in kids. They often have difficulty with depression, anxiety, and behavior in school and other settings. I bet that many people in this town will remember this story long after the trial.
So, children can be indirect victims as well. As Kat pointed out, they can suffer quite a bit as a result.
Cville Steve –
You said:
I’m not so sure kudos are due just yet. I want to find out where and how Chief Longo & the Keystone Cops were tipped off to look at Washington. Clearly, they wiffed several times trying to solve this crime, not least of which with the “voluntary” DNA ‘dragnet’ – this guy has been on the loose for nearly 10 years to boot.
If, indeed, a victim happened to be in Harris-Teeter and identified Washington and then pointed him out to the police, I’d be inclined to say, “Kudos to the victim who actively sought a resolution to her attack”. I guess the dirty little secret of most police work is how utterly dependent on civilians to point out the answers for them.
I will be satisfied, however, if they are at least competent enough not to screw up the forensics and evidence in the process of building up a solid case, having now had the criminal pointed out to them.
I will offer kudos and praise…after we find out how the police decided to start looking at Washington.
I’m sure someone will jump all over me for saying this but I’m quite sure the gathering of evidence wasn’t all above board. I highly doubt that a victim was shopping one day and happened to notice this guy at HT. And since his DNA wasn’t in the system then how did they figure it out?
At least they got him and I’m sure we’ll never know the specifics of how it was accomplished. I just hope the evidence is rock solid so he doesn’t get off. DNA usually gets a quilty verdict.
After 10 years of worry, it’s good that we look to be free of the serial rapist. The news report said they’re still awaiting the admissable DNA report from the lab but it sounds like the victim tip led to the right guy. It sounds like the police did a good job of following up on the tip. Just in time for a little pre-election grandstanding by Camblos, as if he’s actually done anything. Well, he got his picture in the news anyway.
It is my understanding that a “would have been” victim spotted him while shopping at HT. The DNA was from his trash at a fast food establishment and that he was already in the system for some other crime, so his DNA was already on file.