Though the calendar turns to a new page, 2006’s court drama follows into the new year. Here’s the first installment in a series of hot cases to keep your eye on in 2007:
 The Andrew Alston story continues—the family of the man he killed is seeing $3 million. Alston, now out of jail, says he doesn’t have the cash. |
The wrongful death suit
UVA student Andrew Alston was convicted of voluntary manslaughter for stabbing Walker Sisk to death in a drunken Corner brawl in November 2003. He was released early from his three-year prison sentence in June 2006. Now, the Sisk family is suing Alston for wrongful death, seeking a total of $3 million in damages. The case was moved to U.S. District Court in July. In August, Alston filed for bankruptcy, so even if the Sisks win their lawsuit, they may not see their money.
The former soccer coach
Raja Jabbour, former Albemarle High School JV girls’ soccer coach, was picked up in April for possession of child pornography. Key to his trial is an incident in which he traveled to Ohio allegedly to meet a woman he thought was interested in having him sexually initiate her two daughters, ages 7 and 12. The “woman” turned out to be an undercover cop—police busted Jabbour with teddy bears in his car and later found lurid Internet chats he had conducted with underage girls. The case will likely be heard in U.S. District Court in Charlottesville—the prosecution is currently tangled up over evidence surrounding Jabbour’s personal computer, and no trial date has been set.
The real rapist?
In September 2005, police pegged the rape of a UVA law student on Chris Matthew, a black man who happened to be near the scene. Matthew spent five days in jail and is now suing his accuser—the rape victim—for the ordeal. He’s seeking $750,000 in damages, and is represented by local attorney Debbie Wyatt in Charlottesville circuit court. Meanwhile, cops think they may have found the real rapist. John Henry Agee’s DNA was in the felon databank for another crime and matches evidence found at the crime scene. Agee entered an Alford plea, admitting prosecutors could convict him on the evidence, in October. He has his day in court January 17.