Perseverance

Convicted Rapist Matthew J. Buckland

In May 2017, a Charlottesville PD investigator contacted me about a rapist. The investigation was going to be difficult because the offender, Matthew Buckland, targeted three emotionally vulnerable women and raped them after initiating consensual relationships.

INCIDENT 1 - Multiple Sexual Assaults, September 2015 – March 2016

Victim: White female, 22 years old, 4^th year university student, Charlottesville, VA. The victim and Buckland worked at the same restaurant. He asked her out and they started dating and participating in consensual sex. A few weeks into the relationship, the victim was awakened by Buckland having penile-vaginal sex with her. They argued and Buckland agreed never to do it again. After that incident, he commenced with repetitive behavior involving the waking of the victim and insisting on sex. He would plead persistently, threatening to keep her awake all night until she agreed. The victim later told investigators, “It was easier to have sex with him than listening to his harassment.”

Eventually, Buckland stopped asking and returned to having sex with the victim while she slept. This caused the relationship to end but they remained friends. After a few weeks, the two started dating again. The victim was passionate about dogs and one week after renewing their relationship, Buckland gave the victim a puppy. He also began using the dog as leverage, threatening to leave with it when they argued or when the victim declined his sexual demands. Buckland also now became obsessed with anal sex, but the victim refused to allow it. Eventually, the victim was coerced into a negotiation; she agreed to try anal sex in exchange for her puppy getting spayed. The victim said there was no preparation or foreplay. Within seconds, the victim tearfully told Buckland to stop because it was painful, but he continued, exclaiming, “You can’t take it back! You can’t take back a promise!” He also became more aroused by her pleading.

After this episode, Buckland’s demeanor changed, and he became more physically and verbally abusive. His rapes also increased. During these attacks, the offender said things like, “It will be faster if you stop struggling.” When she accused him of rape, he replied, “We’re dating, I can’t rape you.”

The victim was alone with no support and terrified to leave the offender but finally found a location to hide and moved when she had the opportunity. She said Buckland often made disparaging remarks about women. He also believed all women desired to have sex with him.

INCIDENT 2 - April 5, 2017

Victim: White Female, 29 years old, UPS customer, Charlottesville, VA. On March 29, 2017, the victim picked up a parcel at a UPS facility where Buckland worked. As she left, he insisted on walking it out to her car. He asked for her phone number, but she declined to give it. Later in the day, she received a text message from an unknown number in which the texter identified himself as Matt and explained he got her cell number from the customer information collected during the parcel transaction. They began to text on and off for the next two weeks – Buckland was persistent in asking her for a date, but the victim refused every request, and the texts eventually stopped.

On April 5, 2017, the victim texted Buckland with a question related to UPS. Buckland immediately called her and said he was driving around Charlottesville and wanted to come to her home. The victim, groggy due to taking prescribed medication for insomnia and anxiety, provided her address and Buckland arrived at 10:00 pm. Through previous texts, he was aware that the victim took medication and its effects on her.

The two spoke for a short time and then Buckland complained about driving the 40 minutes to his home and asked to spend the night. The victim agreed. They slept in the same bed, he in gym shorts and she in pajamas. Buckland began kissing the victim and she agreed to one consensual sexual encounter. During the sexual activity, the offender asked for anal sex, but the victim said no. They had sex without incident and Buckland immediately asked to have sex again, but the victim said no because she was too tired. By now, she was slipping into unconsciousness but was awakened ten minutes later when Buckland inserted his penis into her anus. She told him to stop but he refused. She vaguely remembered him having sex with her two more times. When she awoke in the morning, Buckland attempted to initiate sex again, but the victim declined. Later in the morning, he texted the victim, writing he had a great time and wanted to see her again. The victim replied she never wanted to see him again.

The victim noticed she was bleeding and went to a hospital where an examination revealed bloody tears in her anal canal.

Later, when questioned by police about the sexual assault, Buckland was mystified. He explained he barely knew her and they only hung out once. He repeatedly denied ever having sex with her.

INCIDENT 3 – April 29, 2017

Victim: White Female, 22-years-old, 4th university student, Staunton, Virginia. The victim met Buckland through Tinder, an online dating app. On the first date, the victim agreed to have consensual sex. Buckland mentioned his contempt for women who falsely accused men of rape and asked if he could video tape their encounter; she declined. They had sex without incident. On their second meeting the next day, Buckland demanded repeated sexual activity, including anal sex. The victim refused which caused an argument. Despite the friction between the two, Buckland remained and slept in her dorm room in a separate bed.

The following morning, Buckland attempted to have sex against her will. She struggled but eventually relented and agreed to have vaginal and oral sex so he would leave. During the assault, the woman realized he was filming their sexual encounter. She believed Buckland taped their sex so he could prove the intercourse was consensual.

THE REQUEST FOR ASSISTANCE - May 22, 2017,

Investigator D: Hey Ken. D--- from Charlottesville PD here. I took your class in Norfolk last year. I have a guy I'd like to talk to you about. Serious predator. I'd like to email you some reports. Thanks for your time.

Me: Hello D---! I remember you! I hope all is well. Send me what you have with some background info. I leave in 7 days for a lecture in Canada for the RCMP but should be able to help you out before I leave.

Investigator D: Let me know if you got the two emails from me. Will have another narrative tomorrow from Staunton. I have jail calls also and some other stuff. Looking to see what makes this guy tick. How to interview him. How to proceed in court. Will his behavior change now that he knows he's wanted and on the run. He's right out of your book. Picks females with low self-esteem and little support network. The victims are overweight, a little older, no long-term relationships.

Me: A report about his personal history would be helpful. What I have seen in the past is usually, as a youth, this type of rapist has learned to disrespect women through the actions of his father (mistreatment and physical abuse against his wife and women in general plus extramarital affairs) and has grown to hate women through the actions of his mother (cold upbringing, inaction to stop physical or sexual violence against him as a child, abandonment - he blames her for something). Seeing his history would be very helpful to me for future investigations. I cannot thank you enough!

Me: The victims in all three rapes describe similar MOs, sexual behaviors, and verbiage which significantly verifies that he is a rapist. The behaviors of the victims will make prosecution a little dicey as juries might not understand why these women acted the way they did. I'll write something up and let you know what I think about his personality. He is definitely a Power Assertive rapist which means he has a sense of entitlement, especially when it comes to women and sex. You also have PC now to grab his phones and computers. If Staunton PD doesn't get them, you need to. 

Buckland was the subject of several police investigations.

-May 2, Albemarle County police charged him with obstructing justice and resisting arrest when he refused to provide a court-ordered DNA sample.

-May 7, he was arrested by Albemarle County police and charged with breaking into a church and stealing clothing and knives.

-May 14, Buckland stole a 2017 Honda Accord from a locked impound lot at Charlottesville wrecker service. Warrants were obtained for the car theft.

-May 24, 2017: Buckland is arrested in Prince William County, Virginia.

Investigator D: They found masks, wigs and makeup in the car. I didn't know if he might be dressing up as a woman and pleasuring himself or was using this for robberies or was going to disguise himself for an abduction or rape.

Me: I wrote this assessment before you mentioned the masks and wigs. However, my assessment hasn't changed but I would like to know more about those items. My guess right now is that they are part of a disguise to escape. He was on the run when caught. We know the offender's sexual proclivities/desires based on what he did with his victims. There were no complex fantasies, no transvestic paraphilias. He was all about anal sex and ejaculating on the faces of his victims.

Your offender most likely is a POWER ASSERTIVE RAPIST. This type is the second most common stranger-to-stranger rapist but the third least violent. This type of offender fits the IMPULSIVE model. There is no relational, paraphilic (sexually deviant), or situational component to his fantasy. He rapes out of a sense of entitlement and opportunity.

He will rape women within his own age range, based on availability, accessibility, and vulnerability, in locations he considers safe. He will sexually assault his victim numerous times within the attack as a further expression of his manliness and his domination over women.  He typically won’t use a weapon – his fists, threats, intimidation, and physical strength are used to achieve his desires.

How others see him is important; he will be obsessed with the idea that others see him as a man. He does not want to be considered or described as powerless, weak, effeminate, out of control, incapable, incompetent, etc. He typically exhibits tendencies and behaviors that exaggerate machismo – if he has a vehicle, a pet, a favorite alcoholic beverage, an occupation, it will be macho. He will dress in clothing considered manly. He will brag about his sexual conquests and sexual abilities. He will be repugnant and openly hateful and disrespectful towards homosexuality.

PURPOSE of his ATTACK: Your offender is compensating for underlying feelings of inadequacy. His rapes are a way for him to express his mastery, strength, control, authority, male identity and sexual capability: he is asserting his masculinity. Women exist for his use and pleasure, and his goal is sexual conquest; he desires to sexually capture and control his victim. He has confidence in his ability to interact with women.

This type of offender may be triggered to rape if he experiences a challenge by a female or a threat by a male – something which undermines his sense of competency and self-esteem and activates unresolved, underlying feelings of inadequacy, insecurity, and vulnerability.

Your rapist is verbally and sexually selfish. He has no concern for his victim’s welfare or emotional comfort. He makes no effort to accommodate his victim. In his mind, women have been placed on this earth for his sexual pleasure.

VICTIM IMPACT: For the victim of a power assertive rape, the prominent issue becomes her sense of helplessness. Often, there is minimal or inconclusive evidence of physical trauma and the victim will come out of the assault relatively uninjured physically. It might appear the victim did little to resist or that she deliberately encouraged the assault – participation is misinterpreted as provocation and cooperation as consent. Many times, the victim plays along with the offender, reassures him that he is sexually impressive, tells him she really did enjoy it, kisses him, encourages him – in other words, cooperates out of survival. These behaviors are coping strategies. Juries must understand these women felt powerless. The offender knows the victim, he knows her name and he knows where she lives – this plays into the intimidation factor to prevent her from seeking help. Your offender also allegedly filmed some of the encounters. This was most likely done for several reasons - to further his intimidation and control, to "prove" to authorities that the sex was consensual, if necessary, and to watch later and masturbate to it.

Your offender most likely suffers from some degree of narcissism. If it is severe, then it will affect him emotionally as a personality disorder and can be dangerous. Narcissists do not like being told “No.” They have a sense of entitlement where they feel they deserve whatever it is they want. If they are denied, then they become angry and possibly violent. They are very adept at manipulating people.

INTERVIEW STRATEGIES:  Since this type of rapists sees his assault as entitlement, your offender will believe he has done nothing wrong. He will admit to having sex but claim it was consensual. Do not use a female investigator. Your offender does not respect women and sees them only as pawns to use in submissive roles, especially for sexual purposes.

If you want to bond with this type of rapist, you will have to be dismissive towards women in conversation - mention ex-wives and what a pain they are and use locker room humor, etc. Don’t go over the top with your crudeness, keep it subtle. You might also be complimentary of his skills and abilities as well – ask him what his secret is to attracting so many women.  

THE OFFENDER: Matthew J. Buckland, white male, 21 years old.

In 2026, when the same investigator contacted me for a homicide investigation, he told me about the ensuing investigations. He said his supervision was somewhat hesitant about pursuing rape arrests due to the assaults being unverifiable accusations complicated by consensual relationships. The investigator had attended my training and explained to his bosses what type of rapist committed these assaults and showed them examples from my workbook. They remained skeptical with one commenting, "But you're not a profiler." The investigator persisted and made an arrest.

OUTCOME: Only one victim was willing to proceed with an arrest. On November 16, 2018, Matthew J. Buckland, submitted an Alford plea in court — meaning he maintained his innocence while admitting there was enough evidence to convict him. “I’m pleading guilty today because it is in my best interest to do so.” Buckland received two 10-year sentences with eight years suspended. He must serve a total of four years. Additionally, upon release he must remain on good behavior for 20 years, the first two of which will be supervised probation.

Before being sentenced, Buckland made a tearful statement to his sexual assault victim, saying, “Regardless if I am guilty or innocent, I have come to the realization that I have made mistakes." (This is not an apology)

Buckland is a typical POWER-ASSERTIVE RAPIST. He exhibited a deceptive, chameleon-type personality; he sought vulnerable victims and was congenial at first, portraying himself as an amiable suitor, but transgressed into self-serving, abusive behaviors when he felt safe.

Buckland never apologized for his transgressions or admitted that he sexually assaulted his victims. In his mind, his rapes were consensual and therefore, he felt he was being unfairly targeted by police. He insisted he had done nothing wrong saying, “everything is the result of false accusations.”