HINTON, W.Va. — A Summers County grand jury has handed up a superseding indictment in a sex crimes investigation that began with an arrest five years ago.
The panel this week indicted Matthew Keaton, 34, of Pipestem, on 394 criminal counts including sexual abuse, sexual assault, strangulation, kidnapping, attempted poisoning and other charges involving 27 known women and 32 other women listed as Jane Does over an 11-year period.
Summers County Prosecutor Chris Lefler told MetroNews Wednesday his office kept investigating after Keaton was originally charged in 2021 and they found more and more evidence. He said technology has advanced and there are more investigative tools.
“There’s been a considerable amount of work by numerous organizations and all came to fruition with the presentation of the indictment to the grand jury,” Lefler said.
The crimes against the women are alleged to have taken place from 2010 to 2021.
“It was a pattern of conduct over 11 years,” Lefler said.
Lefler would not release specifics into Keaton’s mode of operation citing the ongoing investigation.
Lefler is hopeful more of the Jane Doe victims can be identified as the case moves forward.
“Those are still being analyzed and through our efforts with the Fusion Center they were able to identify some of the named victims through facial recognition but that’s still a process we’re working toward but as of now, those 32 victims, were are still working on their identities,” Lefler said.
Keaton was originally arrested in October 2021 after some of the women reported being drugged and violently raped while being recorded. He was indicted by a Summers County grand jury in Nov. 2022 on 21 counts including charges of sexual assault, sexual abuse, strangulation, possession and production of child pornography and criminal invasion of privacy. He was also charged for alleged similar crimes in Mercer County.
The accusations date back to when Keaton was 18-year-old.
Lefler said the Fusion Center, the State Police Digital Lab, the West Virginia Violent Crime Task Force have all played a key role in the investigation that resulted in the superseding indictment.
“They helped in the time frame of conduct, the amount of information that we had to deal with and analyze and then to be able to determine specific dates, times and locations that these crimes occurred,” Lefler said.
Keaton remains in the Central Regional Jail without bail. He’ll be arraigned on the new charges in the near future.