JLM: What Do We Know About Him?
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cvillenative
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Hi, this was me who posted on Reddit (although I'm a she, not a he
. I replied to someone on Reddit's question with quite a lengthy answer, which I will paste below. Also, I am going to go through some old boxes in the basement tomorrow and dig out my old yearbooks. I just posted our Senior yearbook photos, so I will put together another album after I find my older yearbooks. Since I still live 20 minutes from Charlottesville and know people who also knew LJ, I am going to ask around and just see what other insight I can dig up. I'll keep you all posted.
Reddit reply:
You can see in the album the picture of him dancing at the pep rally- this was the kind of thing he often did- doing something to have people laugh and cheer for him. He did like attention. One thing I really want to stress, especially after reading a lot of comments that paints him as some sort of criminal mastermind, is that LJ is about as bright as a box of rocks. That's the thing- everyone would laugh at him, and often he would not realize that people were laughing AT him, instead of WITH him. He didn't get the joke, but since he saw that he was getting people's seemingly positive attention he would continue to play to the crowd.
I think he loved sports so much because it was the one thing he was really naturally good at. He struggled with school, was maybe even in some remedial education- but definitely at least in the lowest level classes. Sports didn't require book smarts so he was confident in them. He was VERY VERY proud of his sporting accomplishments, and excelling at football was really his one gift and chance to get out. He didn't have the money to go to college, and didn't have the grades, so football was everything to him. He won many awards for his football skills, which garnered him lots and lots of attention. He basked in it. Monticello High School was a brand new school back then. We were only the second graduating class. So for our football team to do so well was really a big deal in the area. He was a football hero. Plus, he really was just a likable guy.
I can see how losing his scholarship at Liberty after the assault was completely devastating to him- he lost his one shot. No way could he get into another school (poor grades, no scholastic achievements), and even if by some miracle he did, there was no pay for him to pay for it (poor family).
Now this becomes pure speculation, of course, but I agree with the people who have postulated that he blamed losing his football/school career on the woman he raped and his subsequent attacks happened in the fall, around football season, as he was reminded of what he lost and his anger surged.
I've been thinking a lot about this. I never ever ever would have thought LJ capable of hurting anyone, much less raping and murdering multiple women. BUT faced with DNA evidence and having to accept it, after turning over and over in my head my knowledge of LJ as a youth and teenager, I can say that he was a very physical person and had little going in his brain, which led to him often acting impulsively. Maybe that just grew and became exaggerated over time as he became an adult and then faced the loss of his scholarship. He couldn't think things through and see that he was at fault, he would just blame the woman and that made him, I am sure, very VERY angry.
*Edit to add: I think that the assault at Liberty was a huge turning point for him, in lots of ways. He lost everything, but he also found out what happens after assaulting someone who knew him and their living to report it. I think that he learned that he should not attack anyone who knew him, only strangers, and the way to make sure they keep their mouths shut was to kill them. Ugh that is so dark and disturbing to think about, but I've been trying to make sense of how he could have done this, based on the person I knew him to be. Yes that was a LONG time ago, but I think that those formative years can tell a lot because they are very important and really shape the adult we become.
. I replied to someone on Reddit's question with quite a lengthy answer, which I will paste below. Also, I am going to go through some old boxes in the basement tomorrow and dig out my old yearbooks. I just posted our Senior yearbook photos, so I will put together another album after I find my older yearbooks. Since I still live 20 minutes from Charlottesville and know people who also knew LJ, I am going to ask around and just see what other insight I can dig up. I'll keep you all posted.Reddit reply:
You can see in the album the picture of him dancing at the pep rally- this was the kind of thing he often did- doing something to have people laugh and cheer for him. He did like attention. One thing I really want to stress, especially after reading a lot of comments that paints him as some sort of criminal mastermind, is that LJ is about as bright as a box of rocks. That's the thing- everyone would laugh at him, and often he would not realize that people were laughing AT him, instead of WITH him. He didn't get the joke, but since he saw that he was getting people's seemingly positive attention he would continue to play to the crowd.
I think he loved sports so much because it was the one thing he was really naturally good at. He struggled with school, was maybe even in some remedial education- but definitely at least in the lowest level classes. Sports didn't require book smarts so he was confident in them. He was VERY VERY proud of his sporting accomplishments, and excelling at football was really his one gift and chance to get out. He didn't have the money to go to college, and didn't have the grades, so football was everything to him. He won many awards for his football skills, which garnered him lots and lots of attention. He basked in it. Monticello High School was a brand new school back then. We were only the second graduating class. So for our football team to do so well was really a big deal in the area. He was a football hero. Plus, he really was just a likable guy.
I can see how losing his scholarship at Liberty after the assault was completely devastating to him- he lost his one shot. No way could he get into another school (poor grades, no scholastic achievements), and even if by some miracle he did, there was no pay for him to pay for it (poor family).
Now this becomes pure speculation, of course, but I agree with the people who have postulated that he blamed losing his football/school career on the woman he raped and his subsequent attacks happened in the fall, around football season, as he was reminded of what he lost and his anger surged.
I've been thinking a lot about this. I never ever ever would have thought LJ capable of hurting anyone, much less raping and murdering multiple women. BUT faced with DNA evidence and having to accept it, after turning over and over in my head my knowledge of LJ as a youth and teenager, I can say that he was a very physical person and had little going in his brain, which led to him often acting impulsively. Maybe that just grew and became exaggerated over time as he became an adult and then faced the loss of his scholarship. He couldn't think things through and see that he was at fault, he would just blame the woman and that made him, I am sure, very VERY angry.
*Edit to add: I think that the assault at Liberty was a huge turning point for him, in lots of ways. He lost everything, but he also found out what happens after assaulting someone who knew him and their living to report it. I think that he learned that he should not attack anyone who knew him, only strangers, and the way to make sure they keep their mouths shut was to kill them. Ugh that is so dark and disturbing to think about, but I've been trying to make sense of how he could have done this, based on the person I knew him to be. Yes that was a LONG time ago, but I think that those formative years can tell a lot because they are very important and really shape the adult we become.
Hi, this was me who posted on Reddit (although I'm a she, not a he
Thank you for being here, for your honesty, your openness, and your insight. I'm sorry for the turmoil this must be causing in your heart. If he is involved, he has no idea far reaching his actions are.
MJPeony
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shortened for space.
Thank you cvillenative. VERY informative post and, from what I know (friends who are his friends, and info we all have at this time), I would absolutely agree with you. And, as whatevs said, it is so hard to believe that someone who did have good in them can turn into someone with this side. Devastating to realize, and apparently devastating consequences in the case of JM.
Agree with below and would add that it shows no respect for laws, which to me is telling.
whiskers
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At any one time there are usually 3 sides to a person:
1.) Our persona to everyone else. How we reflect ourselves to the public and even friends and family.
2.) How we think everyone sees us and what we need to change, etc. for them or even society to like us more.
3.). Our personal view of ourself. The deep thoughts and our very private quarters within ourself that no one ever knows. This is the area where some individuals may have horrible thoughts and actions that are personal and hopefully never revealed. Sometimes this personal view of ourself and thoughts can lead to horrible actions.
Humans are complex and have many different sides.
1.) Our persona to everyone else. How we reflect ourselves to the public and even friends and family.
2.) How we think everyone sees us and what we need to change, etc. for them or even society to like us more.
3.). Our personal view of ourself. The deep thoughts and our very private quarters within ourself that no one ever knows. This is the area where some individuals may have horrible thoughts and actions that are personal and hopefully never revealed. Sometimes this personal view of ourself and thoughts can lead to horrible actions.
Humans are complex and have many different sides.
Yoda
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Hi, this was me who posted on Reddit (although I'm a she, not a he
Reddit reply:
You can see in the album the picture of him dancing at the pep rally- this was the kind of thing he often did- doing something to have people laugh and cheer for him. He did like attention. One thing I really want to stress, especially after reading a lot of comments that paints him as some sort of criminal mastermind, is that LJ is about as bright as a box of rocks. That's the thing- everyone would laugh at him, and often he would not realize that people were laughing AT him, instead of WITH him. He didn't get the joke, but since he saw that he was getting people's seemingly positive attention he would continue to play to the crowd.
I think he loved sports so much because it was the one thing he was really naturally good at. He struggled with school, was maybe even in some remedial education- but definitely at least in the lowest level classes. Sports didn't require book smarts so he was confident in them. He was VERY VERY proud of his sporting accomplishments, and excelling at football was really his one gift and chance to get out. He didn't have the money to go to college, and didn't have the grades, so football was everything to him. He won many awards for his football skills, which garnered him lots and lots of attention. He basked in it. Monticello High School was a brand new school back then. We were only the second graduating class. So for our football team to do so well was really a big deal in the area. He was a football hero. Plus, he really was just a likable guy.
I can see how losing his scholarship at Liberty after the assault was completely devastating to him- he lost his one shot. No way could he get into another school (poor grades, no scholastic achievements), and even if by some miracle he did, there was no pay for him to pay for it (poor family).
Now this becomes pure speculation, of course, but I agree with the people who have postulated that he blamed losing his football/school career on the woman he raped and his subsequent attacks happened in the fall, around football season, as he was reminded of what he lost and his anger surged.
I've been thinking a lot about this. I never ever ever would have thought LJ capable of hurting anyone, much less raping and murdering multiple women. BUT faced with DNA evidence and having to accept it, after turning over and over in my head my knowledge of LJ as a youth and teenager, I can say that he was a very physical person and had little going in his brain, which led to him often acting impulsively. Maybe that just grew and became exaggerated over time as he became an adult and then faced the loss of his scholarship. He couldn't think things through and see that he was at fault, he would just blame the woman and that made him, I am sure, very VERY angry.
*Edit to add: I think that the assault at Liberty was a huge turning point for him, in lots of ways. He lost everything, but he also found out what happens after assaulting someone who knew him and their living to report it. I think that he learned that he should not attack anyone who knew him, only strangers, and the way to make sure they keep their mouths shut was to kill them. Ugh that is so dark and disturbing to think about, but I've been trying to make sense of how he could have done this, based on the person I knew him to be. Yes that was a LONG time ago, but I think that those formative years can tell a lot because they are very important and really shape the adult we become.
:welcome:
MJPeony
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I wonder if it's b/c he thought it was starting to get risky with connecting cases. After MH, he may have been concerned people would start to see a "cabbie" connection?
Someone mentioned him being reprimanded at work for offering free rides to women. Let me see if I can find it.
EDIT: Here it is, from a Daily Mail article:
"Matthew was working as a taxi driver at the time of Morgan’s disappearance and would offer lifts for free to girls, according to a source with detailed knowledge of his past.
The source told MailOnline: ‘LJ got in trouble with work because he would pull up in his cab alongside girls walking along and he would ask random girls.
‘He would say; “hey do you want a ride. I’ll take you wherever you want to go for free”.
‘One time he tried to follow one girl into her home.’"
2Hope4
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Interesting, NOT the yellow cab...so was this HIS business? A van that was a taxi? Don't know. But that vehicle is not yellow.
GhostGhost
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"During their recent encounter, Matthew talked mainly about playing online poker, Pleasants said. He said they hadn’t seen each other since Monticello, and he was left with the impression that Matthew, the former athletic star, had “peaked at age, like, 17, and declined ever since.” When they parted company, Pleasants made sure to hand him a tip."
http://www.washingtonpost.com/local...-b72e-d60a9229cc10_story.html?wprss=rss_local
http://www.washingtonpost.com/local...-b72e-d60a9229cc10_story.html?wprss=rss_local
That he and the girl broke up because she was not religious enough may be just the version he told his family and the Christian community.
Appmama
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If this is a repeat, I apologize in advance: http://www.wset.com/story/26669474/classmate-of-jesse-matthews-speaks-out.
imjustagirl123
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Please,please,please let this be the day Hannah is brought home!!! To relieve pain from her family (of sorts) and for justice to prevail!
TTF14
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Hi, this was me who posted on Reddit (although I'm a she, not a he
Reddit reply:
You can see in the album the picture of him dancing at the pep rally- this was the kind of thing he often did- doing something to have people laugh and cheer for him. He did like attention. One thing I really want to stress, especially after reading a lot of comments that paints him as some sort of criminal mastermind, is that LJ is about as bright as a box of rocks. That's the thing- everyone would laugh at him, and often he would not realize that people were laughing AT him, instead of WITH him. He didn't get the joke, but since he saw that he was getting people's seemingly positive attention he would continue to play to the crowd.
I think he loved sports so much because it was the one thing he was really naturally good at. He struggled with school, was maybe even in some remedial education- but definitely at least in the lowest level classes. Sports didn't require book smarts so he was confident in them. He was VERY VERY proud of his sporting accomplishments, and excelling at football was really his one gift and chance to get out. He didn't have the money to go to college, and didn't have the grades, so football was everything to him. He won many awards for his football skills, which garnered him lots and lots of attention. He basked in it. Monticello High School was a brand new school back then. We were only the second graduating class. So for our football team to do so well was really a big deal in the area. He was a football hero. Plus, he really was just a likable guy.
I can see how losing his scholarship at Liberty after the assault was completely devastating to him- he lost his one shot. No way could he get into another school (poor grades, no scholastic achievements), and even if by some miracle he did, there was no pay for him to pay for it (poor family).
Now this becomes pure speculation, of course, but I agree with the people who have postulated that he blamed losing his football/school career on the woman he raped and his subsequent attacks happened in the fall, around football season, as he was reminded of what he lost and his anger surged.
I've been thinking a lot about this. I never ever ever would have thought LJ capable of hurting anyone, much less raping and murdering multiple women. BUT faced with DNA evidence and having to accept it, after turning over and over in my head my knowledge of LJ as a youth and teenager, I can say that he was a very physical person and had little going in his brain, which led to him often acting impulsively. Maybe that just grew and became exaggerated over time as he became an adult and then faced the loss of his scholarship. He couldn't think things through and see that he was at fault, he would just blame the woman and that made him, I am sure, very VERY angry.
*Edit to add: I think that the assault at Liberty was a huge turning point for him, in lots of ways. He lost everything, but he also found out what happens after assaulting someone who knew him and their living to report it. I think that he learned that he should not attack anyone who knew him, only strangers, and the way to make sure they keep their mouths shut was to kill them. Ugh that is so dark and disturbing to think about, but I've been trying to make sense of how he could have done this, based on the person I knew him to be. Yes that was a LONG time ago, but I think that those formative years can tell a lot because they are very important and really shape the adult we become.
GREAT post. Welcome to WS!
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