Transcription of an interview with a Charlottesville reporter, Hawes Spencer, regarding his conversation with a lawyer (Eric Wilke) who was the victim of a 2009 assault involving Jesse Matthew.
[There's this brief mention here at the start that's unrelated to the assault story and does NOT involve the same person]
(Spencer) I talked to a guy who knew Jesse Matthew from high school. The friend described him as a kind of gentle giant and expressed doubt that Matthew could be involved in anything something nefarious.
***
(Spencer) Then, later this afternoon, I knocked on the door of a local lawyer named Eric Wilke because I had found his name in the Charlottesville arrest records as the alleged victim in an assault case back in 2009
(Host) JM was the accused in that case. And what actually happened?
(Spencer) Well, Wilke says he was driving over to his girl friends house at about 10 pm on a week night. When a gold, minivan taxi suddenly cut in front of him. He says he honked his horn and the taxi stopped, blocking him in.
The driver emerged and angrily asked why he had honked. Wilke said, Because you cut me off. The driver refused to budge and a sort off stand of ensued. Where Wilke said he said, Well, Im calling the police. And he began to dial, only to find his iPhone snatched out of his hands.
So Wilke says he got out of his vehicle and attempted to try to retrieve his cell phone, when he was hit in the face with an unexpected punch.
(Host) But then something surprising happened?
(Spencer) Wilke says that his assailant became contrite and drove him to the ER for medical treatment. All the while expressing regret and offering to make things right.
(Host) Did he make any excuses for his behaviour?
(Spencer) He did. He said that he had been stiffed by a couple of fares earlier in the evening and was feeling frustrated. But Wilke thought there was something wrong with the young man. That he might be suffering from depression And Wilke even asserted that he seemed he could be potentially suicidal
(Host) So was this crime ever reported?
(Spencer) Yes. Wilke says he reported it, only in order to make sure he got compensated for his medical bills. As it played out, an Assistant Commonwealths Attorney eventually called Wilke and said, Do you mind if we drop these charges? And Wilke says as long as he got paid, that had been his main concern. And in fact he did get paid. And the records show that the charges were dropped.
(Host) So how did Wilke react when you asked him about the incident?
(Spencer) He asked, Well, why do you want to know about that? And I said, well because people are interested in anything having to do with Jesse Matthew. He said, Oh my God. Is that the guy? I didnt even remember his name!
For Wilke, this whole thing is so far in the past. And he actually even declined to provide a recorded interview. He didnt mind telling me about since its a matter of public record, with the arrest and everything, but he said that he didnt really want to be part of piling on or being part of a witch hunt against Jesse Matthew, since, as police have pointed out, theres really no probable cause to arrest him or to connect him yet to Hannah Grahams disappearance.
