FAIRFAX (WSLS 10) - A Fairfax Circuit Court judge has granted the motion to unseal files in Jesse Matthew Fairfax rape and attempted capital murder case.
A judge heard arguments from a coalition of news media seeking to unseal the court records in a case involving the Charlottesville man.
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Jesse Matthew, 33, is charged in Fairfax with attempted murder and sexual assault of a woman in 2005. The judge ordered the court docket to be sealed in response to defense lawyers' concerns about Matthew's ability to get a fair trial.
The media companies, including The Associated Press, said sealing the court file violates constitutional guarantees of a public trial.Â
Jesse Matthew is also charged in Albemarle County with the abduction and murder of student Hannah Graham.
Both cases have drawn extensive pretrial publicity.Â
The Associate Press contributed to this article.Â