Prosecutor: Man to plead guilty to 2 students' slayings

RICHMOND, Va. -- A former hospital worker is expected to plead guilty in the high-profile slayings of two college students in Virginia, a prosecutor said Monday.

Albemarle County Commonwealth's Attorney Robert Tracci announced the plea agreements in Jesse LeRoy Matthew Jr.'s cases in a brief news release. Matthew is due in Albemarle County Circuit Court on Wednesday.

Details of the agreement were withheld "in the interest of protecting the integrity of the judicial process," Tracci wrote.

Matthew is charged with murder in the deaths of 18-year-old Hannah Graham and 20-year-old Morgan Harrington. Without the plea agreement, he could have faced the death penalty in the Graham case had he been convicted at trial.

He already is serving life in prison for a sexual assault in Fairfax County.

Matthew's attorney, public capital defender Douglas Ramseur, declined to comment.

Morgan's mother, Gil Harrington, said she did not object to taking the death penalty off the table. She said the community will benefit "because a vicious predator has been removed from their midst."

"That's a huge gain."

She said, "we're still without our daughter, so it's not a great celebration," but added resolving the case will allow the family to "move forward and do more good in Morgan's memory."

Following her daughter's disappearance, Gil Harrington formed a not-for-profit organization, Help Save the Next Girl, to combat violence against women and provide outreach to victims.

Hannah's father, John Graham, said he would have no comment until after Wednesday's hearing.