“This is going to be hard to understand,” Van Zandt said, of the stark contrast between the Matthew whom loved ones know and the man police believe abducted Graham with the intent of raping her. “The question is, is it because these activities gave him the color of credibility, or was he able to successfully separate his professional life from his apparently predatory and assaultive behavior?”

Matthew’s sole criminal conviction, aside from about two dozen traffic violations, is a trespassing charge from 2010, according to court records.

He appealed the lower court conviction, but withdrew the appeal before his case went to trial, said Llezelle Dugger, who represented Matthew in the appeal but said Tuesday that she could not recall why he changed his mind.

“It’s been a long time,” said Dugger, now circuit court clerk for the city of Charlottesville.

A witness to the incident at Buck’s Auto Repair said Matthew came to the shop just before closing, upset about an oil change.

“He was belligerent, cussing and carrying on,” said Stella White, who recognized Matthew as the man she testified against in court. “He had a temper.”